New army chief takes command of Pakistan army
- 11 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
STORY: General Raheel Sharif formally took over as the 15th head of the Pakistan army on Friday, arguably the most powerful position in the troubled country.
In a change of command ceremony held at the army stadium in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, outgoing leader General Ashfaq Kayani handed over the baton of command to Sharif.
Kayani, known as the "quiet general of Pakistan", faced the challenges of the fight against the Pakistani Taliban during his six-year tenure.
The decision to appoint Sharif was announced on Wednesday, and came as a shock to those familiar with the country's politics.
Fifty-seven-year-old Raheel Sharif, who is no relation to the prime minister Nawaz Sharif, is known as a laid-back man with a fondness for cigars and an almost complete lack of political ambition.
He received his military commission in 1976 and studied military leadership in Germany, Canada and Britain. He commanded several inf
STORY: General Raheel Sharif formally took over as the 15th head of the Pakistan army on Friday, arguably the most powerful position in the troubled country.
In a change of command ceremony held at the army stadium in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, outgoing leader General Ashfaq Kayani handed over the baton of command to Sharif.
Kayani, known as the "quiet general of Pakistan", faced the challenges of the fight against the Pakistani Taliban during his six-year tenure.
The decision to appoint Sharif was announced on Wednesday, and came as a shock to those familiar with the country's politics.
Fifty-seven-year-old Raheel Sharif, who is no relation to the prime minister Nawaz Sharif, is known as a laid-back man with a fondness for cigars and an almost complete lack of political ambition.
He received his military commission in 1976 and studied military leadership in Germany, Canada and Britain. He commanded several inf