Lieutenant General Syed Aamir Raza's loyalty to Field Marshal Asim Munir during the turbulent times appears to have stood him in good stead, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at R&AW.
Key Points
- Pakistan has appointed Lieutenant General Syed Aamir Raza as commander of the National Strategic Command after creating the new four-star post.
- The position was established following the abolition of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee under the 27th Amendment.
- Raza's elevation surprised many observers, with several senior and reportedly favoured generals overlooked for the promotion.
- His role includes overseeing Pakistan's reorganised nuclear command structure and coordinating strategic forces across military services.
- The appointment further strengthens Field Marshal Asim Munir's influence over Pakistan's evolving military and nuclear command architecture.
At long last, Field Marshal Asim Munir has filled up the four-star general's post created after the 27th Amendment in November 2025.
The post fell vacant after abolition of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) and retirement of its last incumbent, Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza on November 27, 2025.
Lieutenant General Syed Aamir Raza, incumbent Chief of General Staff (CGS), has been appointed as Commander, National Strategic Command (CNSC).
The decision was formally announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on November 24.
General Aamir Raza entered the army under the Officers Training Scheme, 22nd course, Mangla in 1990-1991. He is an armoured corps officer belonging to the 6 Lancers regiment, formed by the British in 1921 and earlier known as Watson's Horse.
It saw action in the Kasur sector in the 1965 War. In 1971 it did not see direct action and remained deployed initially in Sahiwal and later, in the Chhor-Umerkot sector of Sindh.
As a major general, Raza commanded the 37 Infantry Division, Kharian, in August 2017. He worked as director general, Weapons and Equipment at General Headquarters, before moving to the heavy industries, Taxila, in 2020.
Raza's promotion as a full general now comes as something of a surprise, over the choice of perceived close favourites of Asim Munir, Lieutenant General Shahid Imtiaz, also from 22 OTS, currently military secretary, and Lieutenant General Asim Malik, DG, ISI, (though the latter is technically, already retired).
Regulars from the 80th PMA Long Course, notionally above Raza in the army list -- namely Lieutenant Generals Inam Haider Malik, Fayyaz Hussain Shah, Nauman Zakaria and Ahsan Gulrez have also been overlooked.
Raza was serving as Chairman, Heavy Industries, Taxila when the May 9, 2023 arson attack on Jinnah House, Lahore, residence of the IV Corps Commander happened.
He was appointed Lahore's new Corps Commander on May 16, 2023 after the sacking of then GoC, Lieutenant General Salman Fayyaz Ghani, who was court-martialed and discharged.
His loyalty to Munir during those turbulent times appears to have stood him in good stead.
He was appointed Chief of General Staff in January 2025 and now earns his fourth star after having served as CGS for about 18 months.
Raza To Oversee Nuclear Command
As Commander, National Strategic Command, Raza would be expected to oversee Pakistan's re-organised nuclear chain of command.
Both the director general, Strategic Plans Division, Joint Staff Headquarters, Lieutenant General Yusuf Jamal, Frontier Force regiment, and the Commander, Army Strategic Force Command, Lieutenant General Muhammad Shahbaz Khan, Artillery would report to him.
Earlier media reports had suggested that the newly set up Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC) was functioning under I Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Nauman Zakaria, another armoured corps officer. This may change now.
The air and navy chiefs would also have to interact with the Commander, National Strategic Forces.
How the overall coordination and supervisory mechanism evolves, in the context of reporting to Field Marshal Asim Munir remains to be seen.
