MULTAN,Nov 25th: Corp Commander Multan Lieutenant General Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed visited the local shrines of spiritual saints. Entire city was blocked for security reason.Sources said that Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmedwould be next Chief of Army Staff. Due protocol was being given to him since thursday (Nov.24)He has served as Chief of General Staff and is known for a distinctive role in the Operation Zarb-e-Azab as DGMO.He had commanded the Infantry Division during the Swat operation.Lt Gen Ahmed, currently the Multan Corps commander and a key player in counter-terrorism operations, will be named the army chief. In addition, Lt General Zubair Hayat was tipped to be appointed chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee. Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed has emerged as the favourite for the post of Pakistan’s next army chief. Current army chief Gen Raheel Sharif has begun his farewell tour of garrisons across the country, but there is still a question mark as to who will replace him in the most powerful position in Pakistan.Others in contention for the post of army chief are Bahawalpur Corps Commander Lt Gen Javed Iqbal Ramday and Inspector General of Training and Evaluation Lt Gen Qamar Bajwa. All four generals are from the Pakistan Military Academy’s 62nd long course, but have had different career trajectories.“Though the prime minister is the only person who definitely knows who the next army chief will be, the word in political circles is that Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem (Ahmed)…will be named the army chief,” the sources said. Lt Gen IshfaqAhmed, who belongs to the Azad Kashmir Regiment, earlier served as Chief of General Staff and Director General of Military Operations. In the past, the Multan Corps chief has traditionally been the strongest candidate for the top post. Generals Tikka Khan, Zia-ul-Haq and Jahangir Karamat all headed the II Corps in Multan before becoming army chief.
