General

Qamar Javed Bajwa (Jutt)

NI(M) HI(M)

10th Chief of Army Staff

Incumbent
Assumed office
29 November 2016
Preceded by General Raheel Sharif
Personal details
11 November 1960 (age 59)[1]
Born
Gujranwala, Punjab, Pakistan
Parents Muhammad Iqbal Bajwa
• Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military)
• Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military)
Awards
• Legion of Merit of Turkey
•  Order of the Military Merit (Jordan)
Military service
Allegiance  Pakistan
Branch/service  Pakistan Army
Years of service 1978 – present
Unit 16th ‫بلوچ رنجمنٹ‬
Pakistan Army (since November 2016)

• Ins-Gen. (Training and Evaluation 2015-2016)

Commands
• X Corps Rawalpindi (2013-2015)
• GOC Force Command North Gilgit (2009)
• Pakistan Armed Forces–Africa Command (2007)
Battles/wars • War in Afghanistan
• War in North-West Pakistan
• Zarb-e-Azb
 • 2014 Indo-Pakistani tensions
• Radd-ul-Fasaad
• Khyber–1
• 2019 India–Pakistan standoff
General Qamar Javed Bajwa (born 11 November 1960), NI(M), HI(M), is a Pakistani military officer who is
the 10th and current Chief of Army Staff (COAS; the army head) of the Pakistan Army since 29
November 2016.[2] In 2018, he was ranked as the 68th most influential person in the world
by Forbes magazine.[3] Born in Gujranwala, General Bajwa was educated at the Sir Syed
College and Gordon College in Rawalpindi before joining the Pakistan Military Academy in 1978.
General Bajwa was commissioned in 1980 in the 16th Battalion of the Baloch Regiment. Prior to his
appointment as the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army, he served at the General Headquarters as the
Inspector General of the Training and Evaluation from 22 September 2015 to 29 November 2016 and
as field commander of the X Corps from 14 August 2013 to 22 September 2015 which is responsible for
the area along the Line of Control at Kashmir. In addition, he served as a Brigadier in the UN mission in
Congo and as a brigade commander in 2007. General Bajwa was awarded with the position as Chief of
Army Staff (COAS) till November 2019.[4] The tenure was further extended for 6 months by Supreme
Court of Pakistan. [5]. On 7th January 2020, National Assembly Of Pakistan passed bills to extend
General Bajwa's tenure upto three years till 29 November 2022.

Contents

• 1 Early life and education

• 2 Career in the military

• 3 Chief of Army Staff

• 3.1 Command reception

• 4 Public image

• 5 Awards

• 6 Effective dates of promotion

• 7 See also

• 8 References

• 9 External links

Early life and education[edit]

Born in Karachi Sindh, Pakistan on 11 November 1960, Bajwa was educated at the Sir Syed
College and Gordon College in Rawalpindi before joining the Pakistan military Academy in 1978. His
family hails from Ghakhar Mandi, Punjab. Muhammad Iqbal Bajwa, was an officer of Pakistan Army who
died while in service in 1967 in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.[6] Bajwa was seven years old when his
father died and he was the youngest of five siblings.[1] He and his siblings were raised by their mother,
who died in September 2013.[7] Bajwa's father-in-law, Ijaz Amjad,[8] was also a Pakistan Army officer
who retired with a two-star rank, Major-General.[9]
Bajwa completed his secondary and intermediate education at Sir Syed
College in Rawalpindi[10] and Gordon College in Rawalpindi before joining the Pakistan Army in 1978,
[1] which
directed him to attend the military academy.[11] He was sent to attend the Pakistan Military
Academy in Kakul and passed out with the class of 62nd PMA Long Course[11] in 1980.[12]
Bajwa is a graduate of Command and Staff in Canada and later attended and secured his graduation
from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, United States.[1] He also attended
the National Defence University.[1][12][13][14] Bajwa is married to Ayesha. The couple have two
sons, Saad and Ali.[1]

Career in the military[edit]

After joining the Pakistan Army in 1978,[1] Bajwa was sent to enrolled at the Pakistan Military
Academy (PMA) in Kakul, and passed out from the PMA Kakul where he gained commissioned as 2nd-
Lt., on 24 October 1980 in the 16th Baloch Regiment at the Sialkot Cantonment – the same unit that his
father commanded.[15][12]
In 1988, Major Bajwa briefly served in the 5th Northern Light Infantry Regiment in Kashmir.[16][17] In
addition, Lieutenant-Colonel Bajwa served in the X Corps, stationed in Rawalpindi, as a staff officer.
[16] Upon promoting as one-star rank army general, Brigadier Bajwa served as the Chief of Staff (COS)
at the X Corps before promoting to the two-star rank and commanding a division in Northern Pakistan.
[18][19]
In 2003, Brig. Bajwa commanded the Pakistan Armed Forces-Africa Command, attached to the UN
peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, in Congo[16][19][11][1] Brig. Bajwa served in the Congo as
a brigade commander under[20][21] then-Major General Bikram Singh, the former Chief of the Army
Staff of the Indian Army from 2012–14.[22] Gen. Singh later termed Bajwa's performance there as
"professional and outstanding."[23][20]
After being promoted to two-star rank in May 2009, Major-General Bajwa took over the command of
the Force Command Northern Areas (FCNA) as its GOC, stationed in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.[24][25]
[26][27][22][18]
In August 2011, he was honored with the Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military),[28] and posted as an instructor at the
School of Infantry and Tactics in Quetta,[29] and later taught staff course at Command and Staff
College in Quetta, and course on national security at the National Defence University.[12][13]
On 14 August 2013, Maj-Gen. Bajwa was promoted to three-star rank and posted as field commander
of the X Corps, stationed in Rawalpindi.[30][31][32] He was appointed as Grade-I officer during his
tenure as field commander of the X Corps.[19] The appointment was commented in the news media that
noted that Lt-Gen. Bajwa had been posted in X Corps thrice,[19] which is the army's important and
largest corps, which has experience of keeping control over the situation in Kashmir.[22][22][33]
In 2014, Lt-Gen. Bajwa was appointed as Colonel Commandant of Baloch Regiment.[34]
On 22 September 2015, Lt-Gen. Bajwa was posted in the General Headquarters when he appointed as
the Inspector-General of the Training and Evaluation (IGT&E) where he was a Principal Staff Officer to
then-Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif.[35][36]

Chief of Army Staff[edit]

Command reception[edit]
In 2016, Prime Minister Sharif confirmed the timely retirement of Chairman joint chiefs General Rashad
Mahmood, while General Raheel Sharif dismissed rumours of seeking the extension for his term.[37]
Initially, the race for the appointment for the army chief was rumored between Lt-Gen. Zubair Hayat and
Lt-Gen. Javed Ramday who was close to the first family.[38][39] However, Prime Minister Sharif
announced to appoint the senior most army general, Lt-Gen. Zubair Hayat was appointed Chairman
joint chiefs committee.[40]
On 29 November 2016, Prime Minister Sharif eventually announced to appoint the fourth by seniority,
General Bajwa, as the chief of army staff, superseding two generals who were senior than him.[41][42]
[43][44][45]
His strong pro-democracy stance and views may have influenced his appointment as an army chief as
noted by the media pundits.[46] The Reuters Pakistan reported that Prime Minister Sharif picked Bajwa
because of his low-key style.[47] He was also noted as the fourth oldest army chief of staff.[48]
About the reception of this appointment, Gen. Bajwa is known to have a sound understanding of Indian
strategic ambitions in the region and experience of armed conflict on LoC in Kashmir.[17] In December
2016, he was awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz.[49]
Under the command of Gen. Bajwa, the nationwide counterterrorism operations and Khyber-4 were
launched in February 2017 and July 2017, respectively.[50]
In October 2018, Bajwa was awarded the Order of the Military Merit by Jordan's King Abdullah II .[51]
On 19 August 2019, his tenure as an army chief was extended for another 3 years, lasting from
November 2019 till November 2022, by Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan.[4] On 26 November,
2019, the Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended the 3 year extension.[52]
On 28 November 2019, Supreme Court of Pakistan approved a short 6-month extension in Bajwa’s
term as the COAS. [53]
On 7th January 2020, Pakistan's National Assembly Of Pakistan passed bills to extend General Bajwa's
tenure upto three years till 29 November 2022.

Public image[edit]
Bajwa is an avid reader and has keen interest in the history of Europe.[17][1]
He enjoys cricket[1] and used to play cricket as a wicket-keeper.[10]
General Bajwa reportedly prefers to keep himself updated about the latest developments within the
Indian national landscape.[17] He has condemned extremism in all its manifestations, declaring it a key
driving force for terrorism. He urged his fellow citizens especially the youth to reject extremist ideologies
and terrorism without distinction[54]

Awards[edit]
Service Medals
10 Years Service Medal

20 Years Service Medal[55]

30 Years Service Medal[55]

35 Years Service Medal

40 Years Service Medal

Non-operational Military Awards
Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Order of Excellence Military)[55]

Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence)[55]

Commemorative Medal
Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha (Resolution Day Golden Jubilee Medal)[55]

[55]

Hijri Tamgha (Hijri Medal)[55]

Tamgha-e-Jamhuriat (Democracy Medal)[55]

Independence Day Golden Jubilee Medal[55]

Tamgha-e-Baqa (Nuclear Test Medal)[55]

Foreign Awards
Order of the Military Merit (Jordan)

Legion of Merit of Turkey