Pakistan's 16th Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa is retiring from this post after 6 years. Asim Munir, who got a promotion and four-star rank 4 days before retirement, will be the new army chief. Bajwa will hand over the baton of command or command stick to Munir at Army Headquarters GHQ Rawalpindi. Munir will formally be called Army Chief only after taking the baton of command.
General Bajwa met President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday, a day before his retirement date. Sharif said- It was because of Bajwa Saheb that we could get out of difficult situations like FATF's gray list, coronavirus, and floods.
eyes of 22 crore people
According to the report of Pakistan's website 'Aaj News', instead of democratic institutions, the army is the biggest strength of the country with 22 crore people. Eight months have passed in this tug-of-war whether General Bajwa will get another extension or a new army chief will come. However, the speculations ended and it became clear last week that Asim Munir would be the new Army Chief. There will be a 'Change of Baton Command Ceremony' at the 6 Army Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. In common language, it is also called the 'Change of Stick Ceremony'.
Outgoing Army Chief General Bajwa will hand over the baton of command to his close friend and aide Asim Munir. This stick is made of a special kind of wood. This wood is called 'Malacca Cane'. This stick is very important in the army.
According to the report- If the politics of Pakistan is left aside, then the army has always been powerful here. Politicians have been falling short in front of his influence and clout. This is the reason why after the birth of Pakistan in 1947, there was military rule almost half the time.
Importance of command stick
In history, many kings have also seen a special kind of stick or something like that in their hands. In English, it is also called mace. In those days, it was a kind of weapon, which used to take off the neck of the enemy in a single stroke. Then it used to be very heavy. Then the king was the commander-in-chief of the army. That's why this type of weapon was always present with them.
In today's era, and especially talking about Pakistan, this stick of command kept changing. This stick of command was different in Europe. Some people in Pakistan also call Stick of Command Gorz. It has a handle or hilt made of steel at one end.
Over time, there were changes in the stick of command. Now in Europe and especially in Britain, there are no batons of command like before. Its symbolic importance has remained. Famous German writer EOA Hedegard has given detailed information on the Baton of Command from the 14th to 16th century.
The baton of the command used in Pakistan is also symbolic. It has a shiny steel handle at one end and a smooth grip handle at the other. General Bajwa will hand over this command stick to the new Army Chief Munir.
Baton of command only with ground forces
In Pakistan, the Baton of Command is held only by the Chief of the Army Staff i.e. Ground Force Chief (or Army Chief). There is a different system in the Airforce. Here the outgoing Air Force Chief hands over the sword to the new Air Force Chief. When there is a change of command in the Navy, a scroll is handed over to the new Navy Chief. All these rituals take place in the headquarters of different forces only.
According to the report of 'Aaj News' - In 2008, when General Musharraf handed over the baton of command to General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, millions of people watched this ceremony on TV. Musharraf later became the President and is currently living in a luxurious penthouse in Dubai.
Kayani was the Army Chief for 6 years. After this, the baton of command went to General Raheel Sharif. He was the army chief for 3 years. After Rahil, General Qamar Javed Bajwa became the Chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan. Imran Khan gave him an extension of 3 years in 2019.
Learn an interesting thing on the go
According to the tradition of the Pakistani army - on special occasions, the army chief of Pakistan needs to keep the baton of command or command stick with him. For example - when he is saluting the National Flag, receiving the Guard of Honor, or inspecting a parade.
In this case, it is also important to know when the army chief does not keep this stick with him. When the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) goes to meet the Prime Minister or the President, this stick is not with him. In 2013, a question was raised in Pakistan what would happen if this stick breaks for some reason? Then the answer was given that another similar stick should be made.
signs of division in the army
There are signs of a split in Pakistan's army. Upset over the appointment of new Army Chief General Asim Munir, two senior generals have decided to quit. The special thing is that both these generals are close to former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
One of these, Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed was the chief of ISI during the Imran government. He was removed from this post by outgoing Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The name of the second officer is Lieutenant General Azhar Abbas. He is also a favorite of Imran. According to media reports, some more senior officers may also step down soon.
Also Read: Imran Khan's MP arrested in Pakistan, tweeted against military officers
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