What is the general’s stick symbolizing the change in command of the army?
Pakistan’s new army chief, General Asim Munir, has officially assumed command of the army in a ceremony held in Rawalpindi.
General Asim Munir has replaced General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who retired after six years as Pakistan’s army chief.
General Asim Munir is the 17th Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan. A change of command ceremony was held at the Army Headquarters GHQ in Rawalpindi on Tuesday morning in which General Qamar Javed Bajwa handed over the responsibilities of his position and the ‘command stick’ to the new Army Chief General Asim Munir i.e. Pakistan. This baton of leadership of the bad army will now be in the hands of General Asim Munir.
But what is the story of this stick? Where it came from and who brought it was published by the BBC in 2013 and is being reproduced today due to reader interest.
What is the cane given to military officers of Pakistan?
Every officer promoted to the rank of Brigadier and above in the Pakistan Army is handed a baton.
Called the ‘command stick’ or ‘batten’, this stick is symbolic of the transfer of responsibilities of a post.
Defense analyst and retired Brigadier Shaukat Qadir said that this bow stick was brought by the British and since then it has been a part of tradition.
Was it not attempted or desired to replace this symbol with a weapon associated with the military, ie a sword or a gun?
Brigadier Shaukat Qadir said that he could not explain more than that “the British gave a signal and we followed it.”
This baton is made from Malacca cane imported from Singapore and is given to officers above one-star officer i.e. brigadier. Each old officer is promoted to a new rank holding a new baton handing over the baton to the next officer.
Even if this stick of a military officer breaks, its importance does not diminish.
