In the wake of Gen Asim Munir becoming Pakistan’s new Army chief, former Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hamid, who is considered close to former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, has opted for early retirement.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s appointee Hamid was supposed to be retiring in April 2023, but has now opted for early retirement The Dawn News reported while quoting unnamed sources. He currently serves as the Bahawalpur corps commander. Further according to The Dawn News report it has been said that the resignation of Hamid was already accepted by the authorities before the major shifts in the postings. Although there are no confirmations regarding the matter from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the report sounds credible as there are no denials from Gen Hamid and ISPR regarding the matter.
Hamid was amongst the six generals that were considered for the posts of Pakistan’s Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) and the next chief of army staff.
This early retirement maybe because he was overlooked for both posts in Pakistan. As the government has appointed General Asim Munir as army chief and General Sahir Shamshad as CJCSC, according to Express Tribune.
Meanwhile, according to a report from Express Tribune, Lt Gen Azhar Abbas the Chief of General Staff is also seeking to retire who was also supposed to retire in April of 2023. All this will result in Asim Munir needing to build his own team at Rawalpindi Corps and Chief of General Staff posts, according to The Express Tribune.
All these shifts in the major posts of defence and other institutions in Pakistan can be problematic for the government of Pakistan which already has Imran Khan’s long march, degrading economy, and possible dissolution of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies to deal with.
Previously, the hype and hoopla created over the appointment of Pakistan’s new army chief came to rest after General Asim Munir and General Sahir Shamshad Mirza were notified as the next chief of army staff (COAS) and chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) respectively on November 24.