Pakistan on Saturday appointed General Qamar Javed Bajwa as its new military chief, the prime minister's office said, in a surprise pick for arguably the most powerful role in the country.
Bajwa will take over from the hugely popular General Raheel Sharif, who won the hearts of millions with his bruising campaign against Islamic militants.
"President Mamnoon Hussain, on the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, promoted Lieutenant General Qamar Javed Bajwa to the rank of full general and appointed him as the chief of the army staff," a prime minister's office spokesman said in response to a query by AFP.
Pakistan's military plays an outsize role in national life, offering armed reassurance against arch-rival India that many Pakistanis see as vital to their identity.
Bajwa was chosen over the highest ranking contender, the army's Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Zubair Hayat, previously responsible for the security of the country's nuclear programme; and over Lieutenant General Ishfaq Nadeem, commander of the strategic Multan strike corps and viewed by many analysts as favourite for the job.
Bajwa belongs to a regiment that has produced three army chiefs in the past.
With the civilian government largely dismissed as corrupt and inefficient, the military offers a form of stability and reliability.
Raheel Sharif was the figurehead behind a widely-lauded crackdown against militancy credited with pushing Islamist extremists to the margins.
Many in Pakistan were so grateful -- the hashtag #ThankYouRaheelSharif went viral -- that some even called for him to launch a military coup.
General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been appointed as Pakistan's new chief of army staff.
