What is ‘Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee’ and who is its new chairman Gen Sahir Shamshad?

General Sahir Shamshad Mirza on Sunday took charge as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) in an impressive ceremony held at Joint Staff Headquarters, Rawalpindi, said the military’s media wing.

What is JCSC

The JCSC (Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee) is formally the highest body of the three armed forces of Pakistan. This committee consists of the chiefs of staff of the three armed forces, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Army.

The need for setting up the Joint Staff Committee arose after the fall of Dhaka. The report of the Hamud-ur-Rehman Commission set up to find out the facts of the fall of Dhaka emphasized that the three forces should jointly plan the defense of the country. For this, a joint committee should be formed and it should have a separate secretariat in which the people of the three forces can work together on joint defense planning.

As a result of this recommendation, this committee was formed. His responsibilities include coordination across the three forces, problem identification and resolution, work on planning, logistics and training topics, liaison with foreign forces and defense cooperation.

Along with this, this institution also plays the role of a bridge between the Ministry of Defense and the three armed forces. According to the constitution and law, the role of this committee is also to protect and monitor nuclear assets.

According to the rotation policy, the chairmanship of this committee has to be met alternately by the three armed forces, but due to some issues, its chairmanship is being entrusted to the Lieutenant General of the Pakistan Army for a long time after being promoted.

Who is CJCSC General Sahir Shamshad Mirza

General Sahir Shamshad Mirza belongs to Malhal Mughlan, a town of Chakwal district in Punjab. It is said that his father died in his early age and a few months after his father’s death, his mother also left this world. After losing his parents, General Sahir Shamshad made his own life through hard work.

General Sahir completed his training from PMA in 1987 and joined the Pakistan Army after completing the 76th PMA Long Course.

General Sahir Shamshad Mirza started his military career with 8 Battalion Sindh Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in April 2019.

General Sahir Shamshad Mirza was appointed Adjutant General GHQ for a short period immediately after his promotion. He assumed the post of Chief of General Staff in June 2019.

Lt-Gen Mirza came to prominence as the director general military operations during the last two years of retired Gen Raheel Sharif’s tenure. In that role, he was part of Gen Sharif’s core team at the General Headquarters, which supervised the military operation against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and other militants in North Waziristan.

Moreover, Lt-Gen Mirza was closely involved in the Quadrilateral Coordination Group that brokered intra-Afghan talks involving Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and the United States. He was also a member of the Sartaj Aziz-led committee on reforms for Gilgit-Baltistan.

After his promotion to the three-star rank, he was appointed chief of general staff, effectively making him the second-most powerful person in the army after the chief of army staff.

In that role, he was closely engaged in crucial decision-making related to national security and foreign affairs. He also joined former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in strategic talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in 2021.

In October 2021, he was posted as corps commander Rawalpindi to enable him to acquire operational experience and become eligible to be considered for top posts.