Admiral Niazi takes charge as new chief of Pakistan Navy

A ceremony marking the transfer of naval staff chief responsibilities from outgoing Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbassi to the recently appointed Amjad Khan Niazi was held at PNS Zafar, Islamabad.

Niazi was commissioned at the Pakistan Navy’s Operations Branch in 1985. He also managed to win the much-coveted Sword of Honour after completing his initial training at the Pakistan Naval Academy.

Subsequent to which, he served on various command and staff posts. Some of his command appointments included Pakistan Fleet Commander, PNS Badr Com­manding Officer, PNS Tariq Commanding Officer, 18th Destroyer Squadron Commander, Commandant PNS Bahadur and Commandant Pakistan Navy War College/ Commander Central Punjab, Lahore.

Meanwhile, he has also served as the principal secretary to chief of the naval staff, head of F-22P Mission China, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (training and evaluation) and Director General of Naval Intelligence.

Niazi is a graduate of the Army Command and Staff College, Quetta, and National Defence University, Islamabad. He has a Masters Degree in Underwater Acoustics from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China.

He has also been conferred with the Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) and Sitara-i-Basalat. The government of France also gave him the French Medal Chevalier (Knight).

Furthermore, a farewell ceremony was held in honour of the outgoing chief of naval staff Admiral Mahmood Abbasi. At his farewell visit, he called on General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) at the General Headquarters, Rawalpindi last week.

COAS Bajwa thanked outgoing CNS Abbasi for his exemplary services to the country during a long and illustrious career, a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

The ISPR further said that on his arrival at GHQ, the CNS was presented with the Guard of Honour at Yadgar-e-Shuhada.