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The Army Chiefs of Pakistan

by Pasban on May 26, 2018 No comments

The Army Chiefs of Pakistan

The Chief of Army Staff (reporting name: COAS), is a military appointment and statutory office held by the four-star rank army general in the Pakistan Army, who is appointed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan and final confirmation by the President of Pakistan.

General Sir Frank Walter Messervy   KCIE, CB, CBE, DSO, MC
KCB August 1947 – Feburary 1948

General Sir Frank Walter Messervy, KCB,KCIE,CB,CBE,DSO,MC was born in 1893. He was commissioned in the Indian Army in 1913 and later joined 9 Hudson’s Horse, India in 1914. When Pakistan came into being he enjoys a singular honor to serve as a First Commander in Chief of Pakistan Army from 15 August 1947 to 10 February 1948.

IA-38 General Douglas David Gracey D (KCB, KCIE, CB, CBE, MC)
February 1948 – April 1951

General Sir Douglas David Gracey, KCB, KCIE, CBE, MC was born on 3 Sept 1894. He was commissioned in British Army and served in both the First and Second World Wars. He is the second Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, holding this office from 11 February 1948 to 16 January 1951.

PA-10 Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan HJ, NPk, HPk (C-in-C)
17 January 1951 – 26 October 1958

Field Marshal General Muhammad Ayub Khan HJ, N.Pk, H.Pb, Psc was born on 14 May 1907. He was selected for Royal Military Academy Sand Hurst in 1922 and got commission on 2nd Feb 1928. He joined the 1st Battalion of the 14 Punjab regiment (Sherdils), later known as 5 Punjab Regiment. He was made Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army on January 17, 1951, succeeding General Sir Douglas Gracey, thus becoming the first native Pakistani General to hold this prestigious position.

PA-28 General Muhammad Musa HJ, HPk, HQA, MBE, (C-in-C) 
27 October 1958 – 17 September1966

General Muhammad Musa HJ, H.Pk, H.Q.A, M.B.E, IDC, Psc was born on 20 Nov 1908.He got commission from Indian Military Academy in Dehradun on 1st Feb 1935. He was posted to the 6th Royal Battalion, the 13th Frontier Force Rifles as a Platoon Commander in 1936. He served with distinction in the Pakistani Army and rose to the rank of the commander in chief of Pakistan Armed Forces on 1st April 1957 and held the office till 17 Sept 1966.

PA-98 General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan HPk, HJ, SPk 
18 September 1966 – 20 December 1971

General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan H.Pk, HJ, S.Pk, Psc was born on 4 Feb 1917. He got commission in British Army on 15 Jul 1939.He became Chief of Army Staff on 18 Sep 1966 and held this office till 20 Dec 1971.

PA-457 General Gul Hassan SQA, SPk (C-in-C) Acting C-in-C   20 December 1971- 21 Jan 1972 C-in-C 22 January 1972 – 2 March 1972

General Gul Hassan SQA,SPk was born on 9 June 1921. He got Commission on 22nd Feburary 1942. He commanded 1 Armed Division and remained CGS before he was appointed acting C-in-C on 20 December 1971. He was appointed C-in-C on 22 January 1972 till his retirement on 3rd March 1972.

PA-124 General Tikka Khan HJ, HQA, SPk 3 March 1972 – 1 March 1976

General Tikka Khan HJ, HQA, S.Pk was born on 7 Jul 1915.He was a graduate of the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun, and was commissioned on 22 Dec 1940. General Tikka Khan was Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff from 3rd March 1972 to 1st March 1976.

PA- 1810 General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq 1 March 1976 – 17 August 1988

General Zia-ul-Haq Psc was born in Jalandhar in India on 12 September 1924. He was commissioned in the British Army on 12 May 1943. At Pakistan’s independence, he joined the Pakistani Army as a major. He got trained in the United States 1962–1964 at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. On 1 April 1976, he was appointed Chief of Army Staff.

PA-4064 General Mirza Aslam Beg NI (M), S Bt 17 August 1988 – 16 August 1991

General Mirza Aslam Beg NI (M), HI (M), SBt, afwc, Psc was born in Azam Garh, British India on 2 August 1931 and got commission in Pakistan Army on 23 August 1952. He was made Chief of Army on 17 August 1988 and remained in the office till 1 August 1992.

PA-5336 General Asif Nawaz Janjua NI (M), S Bt 16 August 1991 – 8 January 1993

General Asif Nawaz Janjua HI (M), SBt (Bar), afwc, Psc, NI (M) was born on 3 January 1937. He was selected for Royal Military Academy Sand Hurst and got commission on 31 March 1957. He was made Chief of Army Staff from 1991 to 1993.

PA-5977 General Abdul Waheed NI (M), S Bt 2 January 1993 – 12 January 1996

General Abdul Wahid HI (M), NI (M) SBt, afwc, Psc (c), was born on 20 March 1937 and got commission on 18 October 1959. General Wahid Kakar is remembered for starting the Shaheen Nuclear Missile Project. He was made Chief of Army Staff on 12 January 1993 and held the office till 12 January 1996.

PA-6399 General Jehangir Karamat NI (M), T Bt 12 January 1996 – 7 October 1998

General Jehangir Karamat NI (M), SBt, afwc, Psc, Fsc (u)  got commission on 14 October 1961. General Karamat is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, U.S.A. He was made Chief of the Army Staff on 12 January 1996 and held the office till 7 October 1998.

PA-6920 General Pervez Musharraf NI (M), T Bt 7 October 1998 – 29 November 2007

General Pervez Musharraf NI (M), TBt, rcds, afwc, Psc, gsc was born on August 11, 1943 in Delhi, British India). He got commission from PMA kakul on 19 April 1964. In 1998 he was promoted to General and took over as the Chief of Army Staff and he had been holding this office till November 2007.

PA-12850 General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani NI (M), HI 29 November 2007 – 29 November 2013

General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani NI (M), HI, was commissioned from Paksitan Military Academy, Kakul in Baloch Regiment in 1971. General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani NI (M), HI, is graduate of Fort Benning (USA), Command and Staff College Quetta, Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth (USA), Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, Hawaii (USA), and National Defence College Islamabad.

The General possesses wide ranging experience in Command, Instructional and Staff appointments. He has commanded an infantry Battalion, Infantry Brigade, Infantry Division and a Corps. He has been on the faculty of School of Infantry and Tactics Quetta., Officer Training School Mangla, Command and Staff College Quetta and National Defence University Islamabad.

Besides being Chief of Staff Corps, the General has also held the coveted appointment of Director General Military Operations. He has served as Director General Inter Services Intelligence. He has been awarded Hilal-i-Imtiaz and Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) for his meritorious services.

Imbued with the qualities of head and heart, General is perceived to be a purposeful and pragmatic Commander and embodiment of professionalism. Excellence and perfection remain the hallmark of his personality.

He is an avid golfer and a keen sportsman. He is married and has a son and daughter.

General Raheel Sharif NI (M), HI (M) 29 November 2013 – 29 November 2016

General Raheel Sharif, NI (M), HI (M) hails from a martial stock. He was born in Quetta on 16 June 1956 to Major and Mrs Muhammad Sharif. He is younger brother of Major Shabir Sharif, NH, SJ and Capt Mumtaz Sharif, Sbt. He is an alumnus of Govt College Lahore, and Pakistan Military Academy from where he passed out with 54th PMA Long Course. He was commissioned in Oct 1976 in the battle hardened and renowned 6th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment in which his elder brother had embraced Shahadat.

As a Young Officer, he performed his duties in Gilgit in an Infantry Brigade and also served as Adjutant of Pakistan Military Academy. He did Company Commander?s Course from Germany and subsequently served in the prestigious School of Infantry and Tactics as an instructor. He attended the Command and Staff College Canada, graduating with distinction.

The officer carries with him a vast experience of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments. He served as the Brigade Major of an Infantry Brigade and has commanded two infantry units i.e 6 Frontier Force Regiment at Kashmir along LOC and 26 Frontier Force Regiment along the Sialkot Border. He remained on the faculty of the Command and Staff College, Quetta and attended Armed Forces War Course at National Defence University, Islamabad in 1998. As a Brigadier, he has commanded two Infantry Brigades, including an Independent Infantry Brigade Group. The General has had the honor of being the Chief of Staff of two Corps, i.e 30 Corps and 12 Corps. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Royal College of Defence Studies, United Kingdom.

He has been the General Officer Commanding of an Infantry Division and the Commandant of prestigious Pakistan Military Academy. As a Lieutenant General he served as Corps Commander 30 Corps for two years before taking over as Inspector General Training and Evaluation in which capacity he oversaw the training of Pakistan Army. His stewardship resulted in fructification of Pakistan Army?s operational thought and doctrinal response to the much vaunted Cold Start doctrine of Indian Army. The general is married and has two sons and a daughter. He is an avid reader and enjoys hunting and swimming.

General Qamar javed Bajwa 29 November 2016 – To date

General Qamar Javed Bajwa was commissioned in 16 Baloch Regiment on 24 October 1980. He is graduate of Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, (Toronto) Canada, Naval Post Graduate University, Monterey (California) USA, National Defence University, Islamabad. He has been an instructor at School of Infantry and Tactics, Quetta, Command and Staff College, Quetta and NDU. He has also been Brigade Major of an Infantry Brigade and Chief of Staff of Rawalpindi Corps. He has commanded 16 Baloch Regiment, an Infantry Brigade and has commanded Infantry Division in Northern Areas Commander FCNA. He has also commanded Pakistan Contingent in Congo. He has commanded Rawalpindi Corps.

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