The Defence Secretary Iskandar Mirza, at that time, played a crucial role in lobbying for the army post selection as presenting with convincing arguments to Prime Minister Ali Khan to promote the junior-most Major-General Ayub Khan (commissioned in 1928, service number: PA-010) to the post despite the fact that his name was not included in the nomination list. Ayub's papers of promotion were controversially approved and he was appointed as the first native Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Army with a promotion to Lieutenant-general (acting full General), on 17 January 1951, by Prime Minister Ali Khan.