Retired Gen Khalid Shamim Wynne, the 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, passed away on Saturday in a fatal road accident on the Islamabad-Lahore motorway

The accident occurred near the Chakri Interchange on the route to Lahore, where Gen Wynne's car toppled over after one of its tyres blew out.

Motorway Police said the driver had been speeding and seems to have lost control of the vehicle.

Gen Wynne's son and a close friend who were accompanying him, as well as the driver of the vehicle, were initially reported to be in critical condition. They were shifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi, but the general's friend was later reported to have passed as well.

Gen Wynne had retired as a four-star general. Over his distinguished career, he held various command, staff and instructional appointments.

He hailed from an army background. His father, Col Arshad Shamim Wyne, had served in the Pakistan Army till 1972.

After his intermediate examination in 1971, Gen Wynne joined the army, passing out in April 1972 in the 1st Special War Course to join his father's battalion, 20th Punjab Regiment.

He later commanded his own 20th Battalion of the Punjab Regiment, two Infantry Brigades, including the prestigious 323 Infantry Brigade in Siachen, the 41st Infantry Division in Quetta and the Southern Command in Quetta.

On the academic side, he held various instructional appointments and served on the faculty of the School of Infantry and Tactics Quetta, Command and Staff College, Quetta, and Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul.

He also served as Chief of Staff in a Corps Headquarters and Commandant School of Infantry and Tactics Quetta. Gen Wynne also served in the General Staff directorate, staying as Deputy Chief of General Staff from 2006 to 2007.

He was appointed the 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee during the Asif Ali Zardari regime, before retiring on 7 October 2013. Prior to his elevation, Gen Wynne had been serving as the Chief of General Staff at General Headquarters since April 2010