| Vice chief of the Army Staff | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Second in command of Pakistan army |
| Status | Vacant |
| Abbreviation | VCOAS |
| Reports to | Chief of the Army Staff |
| Term length | 3 years, Renewable once |
| Formation | 25 March 1969 |
| First holder | General Abdul Hamid Khan |
| Final holder | General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani |
| Abolished | 28 November 2007 |
| Deputy | Deputy Chief of the Army Staff |
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The Vice chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) is the post that is principal deputy and second-in-command (S-in-C) of the Pakistan Army, reporting under the Chief of the Army Staff. The position was created in the existence of army chief is simultaneously the President of Pakistan, having taken over by imposing martial law against the elected civilian government.[1][clarification needed] The post is now obsolete and no longer in existence with the army – the Chief of the General Staff now serves as the second-in-command in the army leadership.[2]
The function and scope of the vice army chief was to "exercise and perform all the powers and functions vested in the chief of army staff under the law. rules, regulations, orders, and instructions for the time being in the force."[1]
The vice army chiefs are considered to be the principal commanders of the army but not altogether, as the vice army chief has to report to the army chief, specifically in taking decisions regarding promotions.[1] The post of the vice army chief is a very senior position and the appointment holder is a four-star general.
- ^ a b c Cloughley, Brian (2016). A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 9781631440397. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "General's first gambit". The Indian Express. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2017.