THE CONTENDERS QUICK FACTS

The six main contenders for the army chief’s post in order of seniority are:

■Lt Gen Asim Munir. The senior-most among the lot, he has served as both the Director-General of Military Intelligence and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief. He is currently the quartermaster general at General Headquarters (GHQ).

■Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the commander of Rawalpindi Corps., is considered the prime candidate for either of the two vacant posts, chief of army staff and the chairman joint chief of staff committee.

■Lt Gen Azhar Abbas, who is the chief of general staff, has commanded the significant X Corps and has experience in both operations and intelligence directorates at GHQ.

■Lt Gen Nauman Mehmood is the president of the National Defence University. He has served in various positions including as Corps Commander Peshawar.

■Lt Gen Faiz Hamid, former ISI chief and current commander of Bahawalpur Corps.

■Lt Gen Mohammad Amir, the current commander of Gujranwala Corps.