ISLAMABAD: Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will chair on Wednesday a meeting of the Formation Commanders — in all likelihood the last such gathering of his tenure.

The conference held twice a year is attended by corps commanders, principal staff officers and the formation commanders.

The event has assumed special significance because of impending change in the army’s command.

Gen Kayani, who retires on Nov 28, will brief the commanders on “external and internal security environment” and professional matters as he prepares to bid farewell to the arms after leading the army for six years.

Gen Kayani’s successor has not been named yet.

The government has said it will announce the next army chief and chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff committee on the day Gen Kayani retires.

Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Rashad Mehmood and Chief of Logistic Staff Lt Gen Haroon Aslam are frontrunners for the two slots. A change of command ceremony has been planned for Nov 29.

Though all corps commanders will attend the Formation Commanders meeting, senior military officials are not ruling out a separate Corps Commanders meeting before Nov 28. The army chief will start making his farewell calls next week.

RESHUFFLE: Ahead of the upcoming change in command, the army announced a major reshuffle of senior commanders.

Karachi Corps Commander Lt Gen Ejaz Chaudhry has been replaced. He will be taking over as Inspector General of Arms at the GHQ.

Lt Gen Chaudhry has been the Commander of the Karachi Corps since March 2012. He will be replaced in Karachi Corps by Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani, currently serving as Quarter Master General at the GHQ. Engineer-in-Chief Lt Gen Najibullah Khan has been made QMG.