The
Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army, (
reporting name: COAS), is the four-star rank appointment in the
Pakistan Army, held by the senior four-star rank officer appointed by the
President of Pakistan, on a summary sent by the
Prime Minister of Pakistan. The Chief of Army Staff post has historically been vested with proportionately more powers because of the recurrent
military takeovers in the country. It is the highest and most prestigious four-star assignment, unless the four-star officer is appointed as the
Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of the
Pakistan Armed Forces. The appointment is in principle for three years subject to extensions granted by The President of Pakistan on recommendation from The Prime Minister of Pakistan. The appointment is vested with complete operational, training and logistics commands unlike the pattern followed in Western Commands where the Chief of Army Staff is the training and logistics chief while operational command rests with the Ministry of Defense. The current Chief of Army Staff is General
Raheel Sharif. The COAS operates from Army Combatant General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the twin city of the capital Islamabad.