Lt-Gen Zubair Hayat appointed DG SPD
ISLAMABAD: The Bahawalpur Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, has been appointed as Director-General of the Strategic Plans Division (SPD), one of the most sensitive positions dealing with the country’s strategic programme and assets.The much-awaited replacement of Lt Gen Khalid Kidwai, who got 12 extensions since his retirement from the army, came about within a month of the appointment of new Army Chief General Raheel Sharif and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mehmood.
Kidwai’s tenure as DG SPD was seen as a “never-ending” exercise with some people talking of his 13th extension as neither General Perviaz Musharraf nor General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had replaced him for a record period.
For all practical purposes, Hayat, currently serving as Bahawalpur Corps commander, has been appointed as SPD DG as both Army Chief General Sharif and Chairman JCSC General Rashad mutually agreed to bid goodbye to KK, who never allowed any one to poke nose in the sensitive area he was handling for so long.
For all practical purposes, the SPD DG comes under Chairman JCSC, but the posting of a serving 3-star General to that position is the domain of the Army Chief.
Lt Gen Hayat, who’s father Mohammad Hayat was also retired as Lieutenant General and his two brothers—Umer Hayat and Ahmed Hayat—are 2-star Generals, belongs to a soldiers’ family similar to Army Chief General Sharif.
Top military circles say that COAS General Sharif appointed one of the best brainy, brave and bold Generals to be in charge of the country’s strategic assets in the shape of Lt Gen Zubair Hayat.
Since Pakistan’s first series of nuclear tests in May 1998 during second tenure of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, it is the first time that Pakistan will have a new SPD DG as Kidwai continued to survive as SPD DG during all this period for one or the other reason.
Some circles do not hesitate in saying that things would start taking new shape and progress with the arrival of new SPD DG Lt Gen Zubair Hayat, a dynamic personality to spearhead Pakistan’s strategic nuclear and missile programme.
Lt Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat commissioned in artillery regiment of Pakistan Army in early ‘80s’He has been chief of staff to a corps and is a graduate of Command and Staff College, Camberly UK and NDU Islamabad.
He commanded an infantry brigade, division in the past and now, he was Bahawalpur Corps commander before moving in as DG SPD.After the appointment of Bahawalpur Corps Commander Lt Gen Zubair Hayat as SPD DG, there are three top positions to be filled in either by promotion of senior most 2-Star Generals to 3-Star Generals or reshuffling in the Army.
Presently, the Army Chief would fill in the vacant positions of the Bahawalpur Corps commander, Inter-General Training and Evaluation (IGT and E) and Chief of Logistic Staff (CLS). The position of IGT and E has been lying vacant since elevation and appointment of General Raheel Sharif as Army Chief, while post of CLS has been lying vacant because of pre-mature retirement of Lt Gen Haroon Aslam on being superseded.
Lt-Gen Zubair Hayat appointed DG SPD
