GENERAL RAHEEL SHARIF
INFANTRY, FRONTIER FORCE REGIMENT
CURRENT POSTING
Principal Staff Officer (PSO) to Gen Kayani Inspector General Training and Evaluation (IGT&E) now promoted as COAS – THE BIG BOSS
SERVICE HISTORY
• Commander, Gujranwala # # # Corps (as three-star/Lt General)
• Commandant of Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul (as two-star/Maj General)
• General Officer Commanding, Lahore (as two-star/Maj General)
WINNING HAND
• Third in line in terms of seniority, Sharif also has the rare and coveted legacy angle covered as the brother of Nishan-e-Haider medal recipient for valour, Shabbir Sharif Shaheed
• Sharif has been a key element in Kayani's unsung feats - developing new doctrines for COIN/CT, where the Infantry training manual has essentially been re-written under his watch to move the largest fighting arm and backbone of the Army from the traditional India-centric role to a more diversified counterinsurgency capacity as well
• For the eastern front, he has also worked on beefing up other fighting and supporting arms for countering India's Cold Start doctrine with more integrated, even sophisticated responses than the 2000s saw
• As heritage and lineage matter in the Army more than other institutions, Sharif enjoys support from the traditionalist rank and file for his legacy
• Derided unfairly in the press as a "mediocre careerist", Sharif enjoys close connections with former army chiefs and top brass as well as Lahore's political elite, and is a tall, confident man with a booming voice and a soldier's nuance
