Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif, a known India-baiter, on way out

ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: Ending weeks of suspense, Pakistan's army chief General Raheel Sharif, who saw his legacy besmirched by surgical strikes by India's special forces across the Line of Control in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, began his farewell visits a week before his retirement from service.

The Inter-Services Public Relations, Pakistan army's media wing, said on Monday that Gen Sharif began his farewell tour with a visit to Lahore garrison where he addressed Army and Rangers, a paramilitary force.

He is likely to soon visit Karachi and Peshawar, the cities that saw military action under his command. According to government and military sources, the name of the next Army chief has been finalised with consent of the COAS, but it has been decided the name would be disclosed just before Gen Sharif 's retirement on Nov 29.

There was intense speculation that Gen Sharif could get an extension as COAS, especially after former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, publicly called for his continuance in office, warning against a change in the military leadership. For India, General Raheel Sharif was a "known bete noire", a familiar adversary. Sharif became the country's 15th chief of army staff (COAS), a position considered the most powerful in Pakistan, on November 29, 2013.

He would be the first COAS in last two decades to retire on time.His predecessors, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and General Pervez Musharraf got extensions, while General Jehangir Karamat was sent home prematurely when Nawaz Sharif was the PM for the second time in the1990s.

The PM has the discretion to appoint or extend the tenure of COAS, but, according to the rule, the defence ministry , with recommendation of the serving army chief, must send names of three senior-most generals to PM for appointment of a new chief. This step has not been taken so far .

Seniority matters in appointment of new COAS, but it all depends on the PM's choice. Two senior generals were superseded when Raheel Sharif was made COAS. During his first tenure as PM, Sharif had picked Asif Nawaz Janjua as COAS, who was then fourth on the seniority list.In 1998, Sharif famously chose General Pervez Musharraf, who was number three on the seniority list, and who later effected a coup, dethroning Sharif.