President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the conferment of the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) on General Syed Aamer Raza, the newly appointed Commander of Pakistan’s National Strategic Command, in recognition of his distinguished military service. The announcement was made through a statement issued by the Presidency and shared on the president’s official X account.

General Aamer Raza became Pakistan’s first Commander of the National Strategic Command after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promoted him from lieutenant general to the rank of four-star general on July 24. Before assuming the new role, he served as the Chief of the General Staff of the Pakistan Army.

The general has previously been decorated with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) and the Sitara-e-Basalat, reflecting his long military career and contributions to Pakistan’s defence establishment.

The post of Commander National Strategic Command was created under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, which restructured Pakistan’s senior military command. The amendment abolished the office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and introduced the positions of Chief of Defence Forces and Commander National Strategic Command. Under the new framework, the Commander is appointed for a three-year term, with the possibility of one additional term on the recommendation of the Chief of Defence Forces.

The approval of the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) comes just days after General Aamer Raza assumed office, marking another milestone in the implementation of Pakistan’s newly established strategic military command structure.