ISLAMABAD: In the second phase of its reshuffle, the army on Wednesday named the heads of paramilitary forces in Sindh and Balochistan.

“Maj Gen Muhammad Saeed has been posted as Director General [of] Rangers Sindh and Major Gen Nadeem Anjum has been posted as Inspector General [of] Frontier Corps in Balochistan,” the ISPR said.

The Rangers, Sindh, as well as the Frontier Corps, Balochistan, administratively fall under the civilian administration and their senior officers come on secondment from the military.

These were the first postings of major generals since the first phase of reshuffle of the top brass was completed over the weekend. The two positions had fallen vacant due to the promotion and transfer of the incumbents.

Maj Gen Saeed replaces Lt Gen Bilal Akbar, who has been made the Chief of General Staff upon his promotion as a lieutenant general. Gen Saeed is from the infantry’s Sindh Regiment and is currently commanding the 18th Infantry Division in Hyderabad.

He was promoted as a two-star general earlier this year. Prior to his promotion as a major general he was commanding a brigade along the Line of Control.

Involvement of the Sindh Rangers in the Karachi operation for the past few years has added significance to the posting.

Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa, who earlier in the day visited Karachi, signalled continuation of the Karachi operation saying “gains of the operation will not be allowed to be reversed and it will continue till attainment of sustainable peace”.

This implies that involvement of the Ran­gers in the operation would also continue.

In the Frontier Corps, Balochistan, Maj Gen Anjum would take over from Lt Gen Sher Afgun, who has been promoted and transferred to Bahawalpur as corps commander.

Gen Anjum is an infantry officer from the Punjab Regiment. He too was promoted in January this year.

The FC has got a broader mandate in Balochistan, where the force has to take part in counterterrorism operations, provide security on the road and railway networks and also police the borders with Iran and Afghanistan.

The FC Balochistan has in the past remained at the centre of a controversy over missing persons in the province and also a corruption scandal. Six army officers were fired this year in one of the biggest corruption purges in the military after they had been found guilty of corruption during their tenures with the force.

After the latest reshuffle, the only two-star (major general) appointment remaining pending is that of director general of the ISPR.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2016