Kidwai served as the head of SPD for almost 14 years as he was appointed back in 1999. PHOTO: FILE.
ISLAMABAD: Lieutenant General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, corps commander Bahawalpur, has been appointed director of the Strategic Plans Division (SPD), which controls Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
An official statement issued here by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday said General Zubair will replace Lieutenant General (retd) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai as head of the country’s powerful organisation.
Kidwai served as the head of SPD for almost 14 years as he was appointed back in 1999 when Pakistan’s nuclear command structure was reconstituted.
Due to the technical and sensitive nature of his assignment, Kidwai remained DG SPD even after his retirement from service in 2007.
Kidwai has been credited for his contribution to strengthen the security and safety of Pakistan’s nuclear programme after concerns were raised in the west particularly in the wake of the Dr A Q Khan saga in 2004. The SPD acts as a secretariat for the National Command Authority.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2013.
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