Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee

The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), (Urdu: ہیئتِ مشترکہَ رؤسائے افواجِ پاکستان); was an administrative body of senior high-ranking uniformed military leaders of the unified Pakistan Armed Forces who advised the civilian government of Pakistan, National Security Council, Defence minister, president and prime minister of Pakistan on important military and non-military strategic matters. It is defined by statute, and consisted of a chairman, the military chiefs from Army, Navy and the Air Force: all four-star officers appointed by the president, on the advice of the prime minister. The chairman was selected based on seniority and merit from the chiefs of service of the three branches of the Pakistan Armed and Defense Services. Each service chief, outside their Joint Chiefs of Staff obligations, performed their duty directly for the ministry of Defence.

Following the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee did not had operational command authority. Instead, the Joint Chief of Staff Committee was a principal military advisory body, and coordinates command operations between the services. The committee is headed by the four-star officer who is designated as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC). The chairman was the de Jure Commander in chief of all services of the Pakistan Armed Forces, but he does not have operational authority over combatant forces, which report directly to their Chiefs of Staff.

The Joint Staff, was headquartered in Rawalpindi near the vicinity of Naval, Air, GHQ headquarters. The Joint Chief of Staff Committee is composed of all uniformed military personnel from each inter-service, who assist the chairman to coordinate military efforts.