The Pakistani government has chosen Lt. Gen. Raheel Sharif, a career infantry officer, to serve as the country’s next army chief, Reuters reported Wednesday.
Mehreen Zahra-Malik writes the appointment comes as the Middle Eastern nation works to bolster counterinsurgency drive against Taliban and reach an accord with the U.S. to address instability in Afghanistan.
Sharif succeeds Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, who has led Pakistan’s military forces for six years, according to the report.
Reuters reports Sharif earned his army commission in 1976 and pursued military leadership studies in the U.K, Canada and Germany.
He reportedly helped formulate a strategic military doctrine that considers the militant threat in Pakistan as pressing as the nation’s ongoing dispute with India.
