ISLAMABAD, 2 May — In a major move, the military government yesterday appointed Lt. Gen. Muzaffar Hussain Usmani, commander 5th Corps, as the deputy chief of army staff. He will assume charge on May 17. Senior officials say Lt. Gen. Usmani will remain a three-star general and he would be the second most important officer in the army once he assumes the new office.
His appointment as the deputy chief of army staff (DCOAS) is seen as a major move by Chief Executive Gen. Pervez Musharraf to pave way for his own appointment as the president of the country.
Lt. Gen. Tariq Waseem Ghazi, presently serving as commandant, Command and Staff College, Quetta, will take over as commander 5th Corps, said an Inter-Services Public Relations announcement.
Meanwhile, Pakistani and Jordanian commandos will carry out joint exercises for testing new techniques in modern warfare, an official announcement said on Monday.
Personnel from the Special Services Group of the Jordanian Army, who arrived here, will take part in the drill to be conducted at Cherat. Pakistan Army in the past conducted joint exercises with armies of other countries. Joint exercises are aimed at fostering cooperation and interaction on professional matters between the armies of the two countries.
The Jordanian Army commandos will be in Pakistan for a fortnight during which they will share experiences with Pakistan Army commandos who are known for their professionalism and capability to fight in extremely difficult situations like Siachen.
Pakistan Army commandos earlier conducted joint exercises with Americans and Turkish commandos, said an official source.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. S. P. Shahid assumed his responsibilities as director general Joint Staff. All the recently promoted 3-star generals would assume their new assignments within the first half of this month.
