Early life
Dr. Edhi was born in 1928 in Bantva in the Gujarat, British India. His father was a textile trader and earned a modest income for his family. He was a natural born leader and would encourage his friends to hold tiny circuses and perform gymnastics for the locals. When his mother would send him to school she would give him two paisa, one to spend for himself and the other to spend for another. At the age of eleven he started to take care of his mother who suffered paralysis from severe diabetes. From an early age Edhi learned to help others before himself – this would be crucial to success in his life later on.

Starting up
In 1947 his family migrated to Karachi, Pakistan after independence in 1947. In 1951 he used the money he saved up while he was looking after his mother to purchase a small shop. It was at this shop where he opened a tiny dispensary with the help of a doctor who taught him basic medical care. He also encouraged his friends to give literacy classes there. Edhi had spent his life a simple man, and would continue to do so, he would sleep on a concrete bench outside the dispensary so he was available at any time to help people.

In 1957 a major flu epidemic swept Karachi. Edhi was quick to react, setting up tents on the outskirts of the city to distribute free immunizations. Grateful residents donated generously to Edhi and so did the rest of Pakistan after hearing of his deeds. With all the donation money he bought the rest of the building his dispensary was located in. Edhi opened a free maternity centre and nursing school, and so Edhi Foundation was born.

Growth of Edhi Foundation
In the years that followed, Edhi Foundation grew through all of Pakistan. After the flu epidemic, a businessman donated a large sum to Edhi and with the money he purchased an ambulance vehicle which he drove himself. Today the Foundation has over 600 (about 2000 in year 2008 according to BBC Asia) ambulances located all over the country. He himself continues to travel with call outs out of Karachi to the rest of the Sindh province, the response time and services the ambulances provide are renowned for being better than the municipal ones. Along with hospitals and ambulance services, Edhi Foundation has set up clinics, maternity homes, mental asylums, homes for the physically handicapped, blood banks, orphanages, adoption centers, mortuaries, shelters for runaway children and battered women, schools, nursing courses and soup kitchens. A unique part of every Edhi centre is that there is a carriage outside each one, so that women who cannot afford to keep their children or have had a child out of wedlock and cannot keep it, can simply place their baby in the basket and Edhi Foundation will place it into an orphanage and give them a free education.

Modern legacy
Today not just in Pakistan, but in the Muslim world, Abdul Sattar Edhi has earned a reputation as being one of the most selfless and honorable human beings today. Despite his fame and reputation he continues to lead a simple life, he wears traditional Pakistani Shalwar Kameez, of which he only owns one or two, and he owns one pair of slippers, which he has supposedly worn for the last twenty years. This is despite the fact the Edhi Foundation has a $10 million budget, out of which he takes nothing for himself. His son Faisal once stated that when the Foundation was setting up in Afghanistan, local staff had purchased chairs for guests and the press when a new center was being opened, when Edhi arrived he was furious because the money that was spent on the chairs could have been used to help people. That night he slept on the clinic floor with the ambulance drivers.

The Edhi Foundation continues to grow. Dr Edhi, looking to the future, has stated that he aims to build a hospital every 5 km in Pakistan. Although he is given the title Maulana out of respect, he himself dislikes the title as he has never been to a religious school and he is not an Islamic cleric. He prefers being called ‘Doctor’ as he has received an honorary doctorate from The Institute of Business Administration in Pakistan for services to humanity.He also Completed his MBBS Degree From Pakistan in 1981. He is also famous for being very shy about his popularity and when people personally praise him for his work. He also refuses to accept donations from governments or formal religious organisations, because according to him they set ‘conditions’. Both General Zia-ul-Haq and the Italian government sent him generous donations, which he sent back.

In 1996 his biography, A Mirror to the Blind, was published.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, as of 1997, Edhi Foundation’s ambulance service is the largest volunteer ambulance service in the world.[3] He also personally holds the world record for having gone the longest time working without having taken a holiday. As of when the record was set, he has still not taken a single day off work.

US Authorities confiscate passport of Abdul Sattar Edhi
On January 8, 2008, US immigration officials interrogated Abdul Sattar Edhi at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York for over eight hours, and seized his passport and other documents.

Edhi told that US immigration officials had questioned him for eight hours at the airport. “During the interrogation, they wanted to know why I travelled to the US so frequently” he said. “I told them about the nature of my work, but they did not understand. They also wanted to know why I was not living in the US in spite of having a green card.” “The only explanation I can think of is my beard and my dress,” he said when asked why he had been stopped so often.

Edhi not allowed to visit Gaza
On Thursday, January 29, 2009 The News newspaper reported Edhi is not allowed to visit Gaza. The newspaper further reported that Abdul Sattar Edhi, who is in Cairo along with Faisal Edhi and his two daughters for the last two weeks to help the affected Palestinians of Gaza, regretted that every coming day was making the sphere of human rights more restrictive across the world. A spokesman for the Edhi Foundation said on Wednesday that Edhi after staying in Cairo and not getting permission to visit Gaza, has reached the conclusion that human rights have been killed and buried deep. He said that he has helped in the provision of relief to people affected by wars, civil wars, earthquakes and drought in 28 countries and was never stopped to do his job. The spokesman said that Edhi has been trying to get permission from Cairo authorities to visit Gaza but in vain. He thanked the Pakistani ambassador to Egypt and the staff of the embassy for their cooperation and said now he was returning home as a depressed person.

Honors received

International awards

1986 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service
1988 Lenin Peace Prize
1992 Paul Harris Fellow Rotary International Foundation
In 2000, Edhi was awarded the International Balzan Prize for Humanity, Peace and Brotherhood.
On 26 March 2005, Edhi was presented with the Life Time Achievement Award by the World Memon Organization (WMO).
On 11 November 2006, Edhi was presented with an Honorary Doctorate Degree by the Institute of Business Administration Karachi (IBA).[6]
In 2008, listed in a poll by the The Financial Daily as a favourite personality.[citation needed]

National awards

Nishan-e-Imtiaz from Government of Pakistan 1989.
Human Rights Award by Pakistan Human Rights Society.
Khidmat Award by Pakistan Academy of Medical Sciences.
Shield of Honour by Pakistan Army (E & C).
Silver Jubilee Shield by College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan.(1962-1987)
Recognition of meritorious services to oppressed humanity during the eighties (1989) by Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Government of Pakistan. 45 Years Of Selfless Service.
The Social Worker of South Asia – 1989 by Government of Sindh
Pakistan Civic Award 1992 – by Pakistan Civic Society.

Playing career
Jahangir was coached initially by his father, Roshan Khan, the 1957 British Open champion, and then by his cousin Rehmat Khan, who guided Jahangir through most of his career. Ironically, during his earlier years, Jahangir was a sickly child and physically very weak. Though the doctors had advised him not to take part in any sort physical activity, after undergoing a couple of hernia operations his father let him play and try out their family game.

In 1979, the Pakistan selectors decided not to select Jahangir to play in the world championships in Australia, judging him too weak from a recent illness. Jahangir decided instead to enter himself in the World Amateur Individual Championship and, at the age of 15, became the youngest-ever winner of that event.

In November 1979, Jahangir’s older brother Torsam Khan, who had been one of the leading international squash players in the 1970s, died suddenly of a heart attack during a tournament match in Australia. Torsam’s death affected Jahangir profoundly. He considered quitting the game, but decided to pursue a career in the sport as a tribute to his brother.

Five-year unbeaten run
In 1981, when he was 17, Jahangir became the youngest winner of the World Open, beating Australia’s Geoff Hunt (the game’s dominant player in the late-1970s) in the final. That tournament marked the start of an unbeaten run which lasted for five years and over 500 matches. The hallmark of his play was his incredible fitness and stamina, which Rehmat Khan helped him build-up through a punishing training and conditioning regime. Jahangir was quite simply the fittest player in the game, and would wear his opponents down through long rallies played at a furious pace.

In 1982, Jahangir astonished everyone by winning the International Squash Players Association Championship without losing a single point.

The unbeaten run finally came to end in the final of the World Open in 1986 in Toulouse, France, when Jahangir lost to New Zealand’s Ross Norman. Norman had been in pursuit of Jahangir’s unbeaten streak, being beaten time and time again. “One day Jahangir will be slightly off his game and I will get him,” he vowed for five years.

Speaking about his unbeaten streak, Jahangir said: “It wasn’t my plan to create such a record. All I did was put in the effort to win every match I played and it went on for weeks, months and years until my defeat to Ross Norman in Toulouse in 1986.”

“The pressure began to mount as I kept winning every time and people were anxious to see if I could be beaten. In that World Open final, Ross got me. It was exactly five years and eight months. I was unbeaten for another nine months after that defeat.”

Success in the hardball game
With his dominance over the international squash game in the first half of the 1980s secure, Jahangir decided to test his ability on the North American hardball squash circuit in 1983-1986. (Hardball squash is a North American variant of the game, played on smaller courts with a faster-moving ball.) Jahangir played in 13 top-level hardball tournaments during this period, winning 12 of them. He faced the leading American player on the circuit at the time, Mark Talbott, on 11 occasions (all in tournament finals), and won 10 of their encounters. With his domination of both the softball and hardball versions of the game, Jahangir truly cemented his reputation as the world’s greatest squash player. His success in North America is considered by some observers to be among the factors which led to growing intertest in the international “softball” version of squash in the continent, and the demise of the hardball game in the late-1980s and 1990s.

Rivalry with Jansher Khan
At the end of 1986 another Pakistani squash player, Jansher Khan, appeared on the international scene to challenge Jahangir’s domination. (Jansher is not known to be directly related to Jahangir, but their families originate from the same village in the Peshawar region of northern Pakistan, so they may be distantly related.) Jahangir won their first few encounters in late-1986 and early-1987. But Jansher scored his first win over Jahangir in September 1987, beating him in straight games in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open. Jansher then went on to beat Jahangir in their next eight consecutive encounters and capture the 1987 World Open title.

Jahangir ended Jansher’s winning streak in March 1988, and went on to win 11 of their next 15 encounters. The pair met in the 1988 World Open final, with Jahangir emerging the victor. But by that point it had become clear that squash now had two dominant players. The pair would continue to dominate the game for the rest of the decade. Jansher and Jahangir met a total of 37 times in tournament play. Jansher won 19 matches (74 games and 1,426 points), and Jahangir 18 matches (79 games and 1,459 points). This record doesn’t include exhibition matches and league matches between them.

Jahangir did not win the World Open again after 1988, but he continued a stranglehold over the British Open title which he captured a record ten successive times between 1982 and 1991.

World Open final appearances
Wins (6)
Year Opponent in final Score in final
1981 Geoff Hunt 7-9, 9-1, 9-2, 9-2
1982 Dean Williams 9-2, 6-9, 9-1, 9-1
1983 Chris Dittmar 9-3, 9-6, 9-0
1984 Qamar Zaman 9-0, 9-3, 9-4
1985 Ross Norman 9-4, 4-9, 9-5, 9-1
1988 Jansher Khan 9-6, 9-2, 9-2
Runner-ups (3)
Year Opponent in final Score in final
1986 Ross Norman 9-5, 9-7, 7-9, 9-1
1991 Rodney Martin 14-17, 15-9, 15-4, 15-13
1993 Jansher Khan 14-15, 15-9, 15-5, 15-5

British Open final appearances
Wins (10)
Year Opponent in final Score in final
1982 Hiddy Jahan 9-2, 10-9, 9-3
1983 Gamal Awad 9-2, 9-5, 9-1
1984 Qamar Zaman 9-0, 9-3, 9-5
1985 Chris Dittmar 9-3, 9-2, 9-5
1986 Ross Norman 9-6, 9-4, 9-6
1987 Jansher Khan 9-6, 9-0, 9-5
1988 Rodney Martin 9-2, 9-10, 9-0, 9-1
1989 Rodney Martin 9-2, 3-9, 9-5, 0-9, 9-2
1990 Rodney Martin 9-6, 10-8, 9-1
1991 Jansher Khan 2-9, 9-4, 9-4, 9-0
Runner-ups (1)
Year Opponent in final Score in final
1981 Geoff Hunt 9-2, 9-7, 5-9, 9-7

Training Regime
In a documentary on himself telecast on GEO Super, Jahangir revealed that he never had any fixed training regime particularly designed for him, nor had he any specially formulated diet – he would eat anything hygienic but never miss two glasses of milk every day.

For his training, he would often start his day with a 9 mile jog which he would complete in 60-120 minutes at a moderate pace, followed by short bursts of timed sprints. Later he would weight train in the gym finally cooling down in the pools. He would follow this routine 5 days a week. On the 6th day he would match practice and rest on the 7th day.

He also said that he has experienced running on every surface – from custom-built tracks to asphalt roads, grass & farm fields to sea shores & knee-deep waters. Sometimes he would also visit the northern areas of Pakistan to train in high altitude fields under low oxygen conditions. All in all it made Jahangir one of the most physically and mentally fit athletes in the world.

Personal life
Jahangir currently lives in Karachi, with his wife, Rubina, and their two children, Omar, and Marium.

Awards, services & recognition
Jahangir retired as a player in 1993 after helping Pakistan win the World Team Championship in Karachi. The Government of Pakistan honored Jahangir with the awards of Pride of Performance and civil award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz for his achievements in squash. They also awarded him the title of Sportsman of the Millennium.

“ Hashim Khan, Jahangir Khan, and Jansher Khan are the best squash players the world has ever known, with Jahangir the best of the three. If Hollywood only knew his story of tragedy, grit and determination it would make another movie like Chariots of Fire. Many of those who know him consider him the best athlete who ever lived. ”
— Former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf on Jahangir’s achievements.

In 1990, Jahangir was elected Chairman of the Professional Squash Association, and in 1997, Vice-President of the Pakistan Squash Federation. He was elected as Vice-President of the World Squash Federation in November 1998, and in October 2002 was elected WSF President. In 2004, he was again unanimously re-elected as President of the World Squash Federation at the International Federation’s 33rd Annual General Meeting in Casa Noyale, Mauritius.

Jahangir is listed in Guinness Book of World Records as having the most world championship squash titles.

Time Magazine has named Jahangir as one of Asia’s Heroes in the last 60 years.

Jahangir Khan was conferred with a Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by London Metropolitan University for his contributions to the sport.

Due to his immense and absolute dominance in squash he was nicknamed “The Conqueror” (a loose translation of his first name).

In his book, In the Line of Fire: A Memoir the former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf states: “If Hollywood only knew his story of tragedy, grit and determination it would make another movie like Chariots of Fire. Many of those who know him consider him the best athlete who ever lived.”

اپنی تقدیریں اور دوسروں کا حال بھی بدلے  گا

بدل کے رہ جاہیں گے سارے نظام

تو خود ہی سوچو کہ کیا کچھ بدلے گا

نہ ہو گا مظلوم عدالتوں میں خوار

نہ گلی گلی انصاف بکے گا

امیر کے دل میں خوف ے خدا ہو گا

اور غریب بھی  خودداری سے سرشاد  ہو گا

کیا تم چاہتے ہو اسا نظام ؟

تو تمہیں خود کو بدلنا ہو گا

تم خود کو بدلو گے تو پاکستان بدلے گا ، بدلے گا پاکستان تو بوہت  کچھ بدلے گا

کیا تم بھول بیٹھے تھے  اپنی خودی کو ہی

اسی لئے تمہارا وقار تم سے چھینا گیا  ہو گا

تم  تو حاکم تھے دنیا کے لئے

آج ہو  نوکر تم نے کچھ تو ایسا کیا ہو گا

خود پے کرتے رہے  ظلم اور دوسروں پے الزام

تم سے ظالم انسان دنیا نے نہ دیکھا ہو گا

تم ڈھونڈتے رہے دوسروں کی  ترقی کے راز

تم نے خود اپنے ہی نظام کو ٹھوکرایا ہو گا

تم جو بھٹکے غیر کی چاہت میں ،تم نے اپنے چاہنے والوں کو کتنا رولایا ہو گا

لوٹ آؤ کہ ا ب بھی وقت ہے

ورنہ ساری زندگی پشتانا ہو گا

نہ ہو مایوس کہ مایوسی گناہ ہے

تمہیں اپنے گناہوں کا ازالہ کرنا ہو گا

پلٹ سکتے ہو تم دنیا کو ایک اشارے سے

تمہیں اپنے خا لق سے دل لگانا ہو گا

تم روتے تھے دنیا کے آگے ذرا سے کام کے لئے

اب دیکھنا دنیا کا ہر فصیلہ تم کو کرنا ہو گا

بدلو گے تم تو یہ نظام بدلے گا

یہ زمین یہ آسمان بدلے گا

تمھارے بدلنے کے انتظار میں ہے یہ دنیا

یہ سورج بھی کسی اور انداز سے چمکے گا

تم بدلو گے تو پاکستان بدلے گا

پاکستان بدلے گا تو بوہت کچھ بدلے گا

ہاں ضرور بدلے گا

شہزاد عقیل قریشی

SMILING Gulzar Ahmed – the world’s friendliest car park attendant – has attracted thousands of fans on a website page set up by a mall visitor amazed by his cheerful endeavours. The ‘Legend of the Bahrain City Centre’ has been attracting hundreds of new ‘members’ each day to a page on the social networking site Facebook. By early this week a staggering 8,265 people have joined his fan club and management have been so overwhelmed by the positive feedback by customers that they have awarded the jolly security guard with a medal of appreciation.

Bashful Gulzar, 45, was totally unaware his car park antics had created such a storm of satisfaction and said it came naturally to him to offer people a warm wave and a genuine friendly smile.

Gulzar, from Salmabad, a former corporal in the Pakistan Army, broke into tears of happiness when GulfWeekly told him about the adoration he has been building in the hearts of the island’s shoppers.

Dabbing at his wet eyes, he said: “I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined I would be coming to Bahrain and would be gathering so much praise and appreciation for my work. I feel so happy and grateful.”

Gulzar captured shoppers’ affection at his regular station in the heat saying farewell as drivers queue to exit the mall visitors heading towards Manama.

They are usually tired and irritable after hours shopping and desperate to get on the road to home.

SHOPPER Hanan Ali Marhoon was so overwhelmed by the courteous behaviour of a security guard she encountered that she created a Facebook page entitled ‘We love the legend of City Centre’.

Hanan, 19, a third year banking and finance student at BIBF, from Sehla, never thought the open group would exceed more than around 60 members from her friends list, but overnight the response was amazing.

She said: “My friend and I noticed him the first time we went to the city centre. He had the biggest smile and the smoothest of waves… and you couldn’t help but start smiling too!

“I soon found out that all my friends had noticed him as well and really liked him. I decided he definitely deserved something and created the Facebook group so that others could join and comment on how lovely he is.

“I woke up the next day and was shocked to find 300 people had joined! Within the next four days the site attracted 2,000 people and within a short space of time hit 6,000.

“I thought that would be it … but a night later it reached more than 8,000 with 914 comments left on the profile page!

“Everyone was taking about how their grandfather, mother, brother, children and wives love to wave back and how they drive as carefully as they can to catch up with Gulzar.

“He is an amazing example of what any human being should be… he is 100 per cent loyal to his work.

“You can roam around any comfortable air-conditioned mall all day long and not get a single genuine smile from anyone that is similar to Gulzar’s, and he works outside no matter what the temperature!”

Ever since Gulzar joined the shopping centre 13 months ago, the Bahrain City Centre shopping complex has received a stack of feedback on his amusing mannerisms.

General Manager Derek Rossel said: “We get feedback from our customers on a daily basis. They contact our customer service desk and people even phone me directly! To have customers track down a general manager and offer this kind of feedback is really unheard of and exceptional.

“He has been based in the car park, a tough location, and has done a brilliant job. He is a role model for all our team. I have been working in shopping centres for a long time and have seen a lot of traffic management crews and he has got to be the single best operator I have ever seen.

“He is one in a million and we are very proud of him.

“We try and give a lot of guidelines to our staff and what we expect from them. All the staff strive to do their best and we as managers try to tell them what their responsibilities are.

“Gulzar is the epitome of that. We demonstrated it to him how we want him to operate but then he added all his panache, style and charisma to what he does. He has made a difference.”

Visitors amused by his friendliness and hard work have started to shower him with chocolates and tips to show their appreciation.

Gulzar said: “Sometimes people stop their cars and tell me it is a pleasure seeing my happy face and that I please the children as well. Some give me small gifts and so on.

“When I wave at the mall visitors, I like to smile as well. Seeing me smile, makes them smile, parents and their children, and that pleases me.”

Gulzar hails from Mirpur in Pakistan, and had been in the army for 20 years before retiring in 2004.

He then joined the Muslim Commercial Bank for four years before being offered a job by Batsco Security Services which is commissioned to carry out the mall’s security.

Anudeep Beniwal, the centre’s senior operations manager, explained: “He was offered the job by the general manager of Batsco who was an ex colonel in the Pakistan Army. And, with Gulzar’s army background, he was trusted to do a good job here.”

For Gulzar the move to Bahrain meant being able to save money for his children’s education.

He said: “I have two daughters aged 10 and 15 and one son aged 17, all of whom go to school. I wasn’t able to complete my education but I want my children to finish theirs.”

Facebook fans have also started collecting money so that they can buy him something for Eid as a token of appreciation for his hard work and high spirits.

Other security staff are also following Gulzar’s example and it is hoped the smile culture could soon swamp the kingdom.

Source: http://www.gulfweeklyworldwide.com/article.asp?Sn=6812&Article=23077

PAF made a humble beginning with two fighter and one transport Squadrons, a negligible infrastructure, non-existent command structure, and almost nil maintenance facilities. All it had was the courage and determination of a handful of its personnel, who left no stone unturned, in shaping PAF into the Air Force of today.

The modernization programme taken up by PAF in 1952 paid dividends in times to come. In a phased programme, the ‘Halifax’, ‘Tempest’, ‘Attacker’, ‘Tiger Moth’, ‘Viking’, ‘Dakota’ and ‘Fury’ aircraft were progressively retired. With American, French and Chinese acquisitions, the PAF started flying F-86s, B-57s, F-104 Starfighters, F-6s and Mirages. This modernization programme started with the induction of F-86 Sabre, which changed the whole system of training, maintenance and operations. Air Power, was thus a major player in 1965 war, where the role played by both rival Air Forces, directly influenced outcome of the conflict. Particularly for the PAF, 1965 war brought out its fighting spirit, and implanted a culture of devotion and sacrifice.

Six years later, PAF once again met the call of duty for defence of the motherland. During 1971, separation of East Pakistan was a serious blow to the country. However, PAF fought valiantly on both fronts, and sacrificed blood for honour of the country.

Keenly learning from its war-experience and global developments, PAF embarked on a modernization programme for its Air Defence system. Pakistan Air Defence System known as ‘PADS’ was inducted to bolster PAF’s Air Defence Ground Environment. F-16 induction in the early 80s, brought in another era of technological resurgence for the PAF. Modern machines enabled PAF to master latest Air Power capabilities and techniques. These capabilities were put to good use during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The long period of mid and late 80s, was another test for PAF’s fighting elements. Air Defence Alerts and Day / Night scrambles continued throughout the conflict, resulting in the shooting down of numerous intruding Soviet aircraft.

The post-Afghan war period for the PAF is a story of sanctions and of determination, to survive in a sanctioned environment. However, the ‘Pressler’, ‘Glenn’ and other Amendments, failed to dampen PAF’s spirit. Induction of F-7P and A-5 aircraft, was meant to offset the impact of these sanctions. Indigenization and integral strength of the organization, resulted in generating even more flying during the sanctioned period, in order to maintain operational preparedness.

Today PAF has 20 fighter Squadrons, an automated network of Air Defence Radars, complex maintenance facilities and an elaborate administration setup. In order to accomplish its mission in war, and to train for it in peacetime, PAF has evolved an adaptable and responsive organisation.

Source: Pakistan Air Force

The Pakistan Army, combined with the Navy and Air Force, makes Pakistan’s armed forces the sixth largest military in the world. The Army is modelled on the United Kingdom armed forces and came into existence after the independence in 1947. It has an active force of 700,000 personnel and 528,000 men in reserve that continue to serve until the age of 45 and several other groups functioning under its many umbrella organisations. The Pakistani Army is a volunteer force and has been involved in many conflicts with India. Combined with this rich combat experience, the Army is also actively involved in contributing to United Nations peacekeeping efforts. Other foreign deployments have consisted of Pakistani Army personnel as advisers in many African, South Asian and Arab countries. The Pakistani Army maintained division and brigade strength presences in some of the Arab countries during the past Arab-Israeli Wars, and the first Gulf War to help the Coalition. The Pakistani Army is led by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Combat Doctrine

In the 1990s, the Army created a strong centralized corps of reserves for its formations in the critical semi-desert and desert sectors in southern Punjab and Sindh provinces. These new formations were rapidly equipped with assets needed for mechanized capability. These reserve formations are dual-capable, meaning they can be used for offensive as well as defensive (holding) purposes.

 Organization

The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), formerly called the Commander in Chief (C in C), is charged with the responsibility of commanding the Pakistani Army. The COAS operates from army headquarters in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. The Principal Staff Officers (PSO’s) assisting him in his duties at the Lieutenant General level include a Chief of General Staff (CGS), under whom the Military Operations and Intelligence Directorates function; the Chief of Logistics Staff (CLS); the Adjutant General (AG); the Quarter-Master General (QMG); the Inspector General of Training and Evaluation (IGT&E); and the Military Secretary (MS). A major reorganization in GHQ was done in September 2008 under General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, when two new PSO positions were introduced: the Inspector General Arms and the Inspector General Communications and IT, thus raising the number of PSO’s to eight.

The headquarters function also includes the Judge Advocate General (JAG), and the Comptroller of Civilian Personnel, the Chief of the Corps of Engineers (E-in-C) who is also head of Military Engineering Service (MES), all of them also report to the Chief of the Army Staff.

The current Principal Staff Officers (PSO’s) assisting the COAS in his duties at the Lieutenant General level include:

• Chief of General Staff (CGS) — Lt Gen Mohammad Mustafa Khan
• Chief of Logistics Staff (CLS) — Lt Gen Shafaat Ullah Shah
• Inspector General Arms — Lt Gen Jamil Haider
• Adjutant General (AG) — Lt Gen Javed Zia
• Quarter-Master General (QMG) — Lt Gen Zahid Hussain
• Inspector General Training and Evaluation (IGT&E) — Lt Gen Ahsan Azhar Hayat
• Military Secretary (MS) — Lt Gen Mohsin Kamal
• Inspector General Communications and IT — Lt Gen Tanvir Tahir

Structure of Army units

The Pakistani Army is divided into two main branches, which are Arms and Services. Arms include:

• Army Infantry Regiments
• Regiment of Artillery
• Armoured Corps Regiments
• Regiment of Air Defence
• Corps of Engineers
• Army Medical Corps
• Corps of Signals
• Army Aviation Corps

And Services include:

• Army Ordnance Corps
• Corps of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering (EME)
• Army Supply & Transport Corps (ASC)

Regiments

*The President’s Bodyguard formed at independence from members of the Governor General’s Bodyguard, itself successor to the Governor’s Troop of Moghals raised in 1773
*5th Horse is the successor to the 1st Sikh Irregular Cavalry (Wales’s Horse), and the 2nd Sikh Irregular Cavalry, both raised in 1857
*6th Lancers is the successor to The Rohilkhand Horse raised in 1857, and the 4th Sikh Irregular Cavalry raised in 1858
*Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to the Corps of Guides raised in 1846
*11th Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to 1st Regiment of Punjab Cavalry and 3rd Regiment of Punjab Cavalry, both raised in 1849
*13th Lancers is the successor to the 1st Native Troop raised in 1804, and the 2nd Native Troop raised in 1816. It is also the senior most armour regiment of the Indian Sub-Continent.
*15th Lancers is the successor to the Multani Regiment Of Cavalry raised in 14 January 1858.
*19th Lancers is the successor to the 2nd Mahratta Horse (Tiwana Horse) raised in 1858, and Fane’s Horse raised in 1860
*25th Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the famous unit which stopped Indian armour thrust in Chawinda in 1965
*The Punjab Regiment formed in 1956 from the 1st, 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments; can be traced back to the 3rd Battalion of Coast Sepoys raised in 1759
*The Baloch Regiment formed in 1956 from the 8th Punjab Regiment, The Baloch Regiment, and The Bahawalpur Regiment; can be traced back to the 3rd Extra Madras Battalion raised in 1798
*The Frontier Force Regiment is the successor to the Frontier Brigade raised in 1846
*The Azad Kashmir Regiment was raised in 1947, became part of the army in 1971
*The Sindh Regiment was raised in 1980 from battalions of the Punjab Regiment and Baloch Regiment
*The Northern Light Infantry was formed in 1977 from various paramilitary units of scouts, became part of the army in 1999 after the Kargil War
*The Special Service Group was formed in 1959 around a cadre from the Baloch Regiment

Corps

There are 11 Corps including the newly formed Army Strategic Forces Command (2004) and Army Air Defence Command located at various garrisons all over Pakistan.

History of the Pakistan Army

1947 – 1958

The Pakistani Army was created on 30 June 1947 with the division of the British Indian Army and Pakistan received six armoured, eight artillery and eight infantry regiments compared to the forty armoured, forty artillery and twenty one infantry regiments that went to India.^{[8][verification needed]} Fearing that India would take over the state of Kashmir, irregulars, scouts and tribal groups joined the Kashmiris opposing the maharaja in 1947. This lead to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.^{[verification needed]} Regular army units joined the invasion later on but were stopped after the refusal of the Pakisatan army C-in-C to obey Pakistani leader Jinnah’s orders to move the army into Kashmir. Ceasefire followed on UN intervention with Pakistan occupying the northwestern part of Kashmir and India the rest. Later, during the 1950s, the Pakistani Army received large amounts of economic and military aid from United States and Great Britain after signing two Mutual Defense Treaties, Central Treaty Organization, (Cento) also known as the Baghdad Pact and SEATO, (South East Asian Treaty Organization) in 1954. This aid greatly expanded the Army from its modest beginnings.

The sole division HQ that went to Pakistan was the 7th. 8th and 9th Divisions were raised in 1947; 10, 12 and 14 Divs were raised in 1948. 15 Div was raised in 1950. At some point before 1954, 6 Div was raised and 9 Div disbanded. 6 Div was disbanded at some point after 1954 as US assistance was available only for 1 armd and 6 inf divs. 1st Armoured Div was raised in 1956.

1958 – 1969

The Army seized control of Pakistan for the first time when General Ayub Khan came to power through a bloodless coup in 1958. Tensions with India continued in the 1960s and a brief border skirmish was fought near the Rann of Kutch area during April 1965. Emboldened, the Pakistan Army leaders carried out Operation Gibraltar, an attempt to take Kashmir, that was launched later in the year, resulting in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, after the Pakistani infiltrators were discovered, India counter-attacked. The 3-week war ended in a U.N. mandated ceasefire culminating in the Tashkent Declaration.The war was at a stalemate as both countries had similar amount of land in possesion in the other’s territory,while Pakistan has taken over huge tracts of land in the Rann Of Katchh,India had similarly taken over land in the Punjab province of Pakistan and was nearing Lahore.While both countries claim the war to be a victory for the,neutral observers say that India’s holding in the more hospitable areas of Punjab than the deserts and swamps of Rann gave it a slight upper hand and also if the war continued the Indian army because of its better resources would have gained a more decisive position . An uprising against General Ayub Khan, during 1968 and 1969 resulted in Ayub Khan relinquishing his office as President and Chief of Pakistan Army in favor of General Yahya Khan who assumed power in 1969.6 Armoured and 11 Infantry Divisions were raised in adhoc form 1964-65. 16, 18 and 23 Divisions were raised at some point between 1966-69; and 9 Division was re-raised in this period.

1969 – 1977

During the rule of General Yahya Khan, the Bengalis protested their poor conditions and civil unrest broke out in East Pakistan amidst incidents of massive human rights abuses carried out and genocide by the Pakistani Army and military. India joined the war on the side of Bangladesh following seven months of civil war in November 1971, and on the 16th of December, 1971, over 90,000 Pakistani Armed forces personnel (army, air force and navy) around 40,000 government and civil employees surrendered (which is the highest number of POW’s after World War II)to the Indian forces and Bangladesh became a republic. Consequently, the Pakistan army was modernized at a faster pace than ever before.

1977 – 1999

Two Pakistani Army AH-1S Cobras at AVN Base,Multan

Tail Wings of Pakistani Army’s IAR-330 PUMA helicopters

In 1977 the Pakistan Army took over the government of Pakistan after a coup by General Zia ul-Haq, which saw the end of another democratically elected government leading to the hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, after he was tried and found guilty of conspiracy of murdering a politician named Kasuri. General Zia ul-Haq ruled as a military dictator until his death in an air crash in 1988. At that time General Mohammad Iqbal Khan was a powerful general of Pakistan. He served as a joint chief from 1980 to 1984 and was the Chief Martial Law Officer at that time. If general Zia would have resigned at that time he would be the next COAS.

Pakistani army also helped the Saudi Arabian Government in regaining the control of the Kaaba with the help of French Commandos. Pakistani and French security forces retook Kaaba in a battle which left approximately 250 dead, and 600 wounded. The Pakistanis and French were called in after poor results from assaults by the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG). 127 were reported to have been killed.

In the mid-1970s the Pakistani Army was involved in fighting an uprising in Balochistan. Various Balochi factions, some with the oblique support of the USSR, wanted independence or at least greater provincial rights. The rebellion was put down but the Army suffered heavy casualties.

1999 – Present

The Pakistani Army is currently deployed in the Swat Valley

Pakistan is Acquiring 18 Eurocopter Tiger Attack Helicopters^[9]

In October 1999 the Pakistan Army for the fourth time, overthrew a democratically elected government which resulted in additional sanctions being placed against Pakistan, resulting in General Pervez Musharraf coming to power in a bloodless coup. Musharraf stepped down as President in August 2008. On July 30, 2009, the Pakistan Supreme Court ruled that General Musharraf’s imposition of the Emergency Rule in 2007 was unconstitutional.^[10]

Since the 9/11 incident, Pakistan unrecognized the Taliban and has become a key ally of the United States in the fight against terrorism. As part of the U.S.’s War on Terrorism, the army has moved over 100,000 troops to the Pakistan-Afghan border to patrol against extreme elements cross border infiltration.

The Pakistan Army commenced operations in Balochistan during 2006, resulting in the killing of the leader of the Balochis, Nawab Akbar Bugti and has resulted in the crushing of a rebellion by the Balochistan Liberation Army.

On February 21,2009, the Pakistani government and armed forces decided to implement a truce with the Taliban rather than engage in on-off guerrilla warfare to the dismay of many of Pakistan’s Western allies including the United States. As a result of this truce, Shariah or Islamic law was to be implemented in the Malakand division – a region in North-West Pakistan that includes the one time tourist haven, Swat Valley. However, when Taliban did not lay down their weapons as part of the deal which would result in the implementation of Islamic law, the Pakistan army supported by the country’s parliament embarked on a full-scale military operation in order to ‘eliminate’ militants that challenge the writ of the state.

Recent press releases by military spokespersons claim to have already killed over 1,000 militants. The militants, on the other hand, claim to have taken less losses than the military. However, due to the intensity of the conflict and the curfew imposed by the government in the area, it is difficult to verify this independently. Most observers believe that the military is regaining territory that was in control of the militants, although the speed of this progress is considerably slow. Notable defence analysts believe that if the Pakistan army is serious about tackling the threat of militancy, it will be successful in quelling this insurgency.

Pakistan Army Role in Peacekeeping

See also UN peacekeeping missions involving Pakistan

In the wake of the new world power equilibrium a more complex security environment has emerged. It is characterized by growing national power politics and state implosions which have necessitated involvement of the United Nations peace keeping forces for conflict resolution.

The United Nations has been undertaking peace keeping operations since its inception, but the need for employment of peace keeping forces has increased manifold since the Gulf War. In 1992 there were 11000 Blue Berets deployed around the world, by the end of the year the figure rose to 52000. Presently it exceeds a staggering figure of 80,000 troops.

Pakistan Contribution in UN Peace Keeping Missions

• UN Operation in Congo (ONUC) 1960-1964
• UN Security Force in New Guinea, West Irian (UNSF) 1962-1963
• UN Yemen Observer Mission Yemen (UNYOM) 1963-1964
• UN Transition Assistance Group in Namibia (UNTAG) 1989-1990
• UN Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM) 1991-2003
• UN Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) 1993-1996
• UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) 1992-1993
• UN Operations in Somalia (UNOSOM) 1992-1995
• UN Protection Forces in Bosnia (UNPROFOR) 1992-1995
• UN Observer Mission for Rawanda (UNAMIR) 1993-1996
• UN Verification Mission in Angola (UNAVEM III) 1995-1997
• UN Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES) 1996-1997
• UN Mission of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP) 1996-2002
• UN Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) 2001-2005
• UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) 1999-to-date
• UN Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) 2003-to-date
• UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) 2003-to-date
• UN Mission in Ivory Coast (ONUCI) 2004-to-date
• UN Mission in Burundi (ONUB) 2004-to-date
• UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) 2005-to-date
• UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) 1999-to-date

Currently, Pakistan has the most operational army in UN peace keeping missions. Notable are its achievements in DRC and Somalia

Political and corporate interests of the Army

The Pakistani army has always played an integral part of the Pakistan government since its inception mainly on the pretext of lack of good civilian leadership. It has virtually acted as a third party that has repeatedly seized power in the name of stabilizing Pakistan and ending corruption. However political instability, lawlwssness and corruption are seen as direct consequenses of army rule. with the last military dictator, Gen. Musharraf making off with state gifts worth millions instead of depositing them with the state tresury as per law besides other reported instances of corruption. Earlier similar precedent was also setup by general Ziaulhaq who retained expensive vehicles and state gifts.

The tradition of insubordination of the army towards the legitimate leadership of can be traced back to Frank Messervy who had resisted the orders of Pakistan’s founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah. This was described as the main reason for his early retirement. However it did not prevent him being honored and promoted to general. Later Douglas Gracey, the C in C of the Pakistan Army did not send troops to the Kashmir front and refused to obey the order to do so given by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Governor-General of Pakistan. Gracey argued that Jinnah as Governor-General represented the British Crown of which he himself was an appointee. The same tradition was continued by their successors, Ayub Khan, Zia and Musharraf, all of whome received honours instead of being tried for indiscipline and insubordination.

General Ayub Khan came to power in 1956 due to political wrangling engineered by the bureaucracy and the military after the assassination of prime minister Liaqat Ali Khan. The situation was so dire that the speaker of the National Assembly was beaten to death right in front of the assembly hall. Later on, owing to pulic pressure, Ayub Khan transferred power to General Yahya Khan rather than the speaker of the national assembly as stipulated in the constitution. The prolonged military rule finally resulted in the dismemberment of Pakistan with the independence of Bengladesh. After the 1971 war, democracy was restored only to be cut short in 1977 after a coup which saw the hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the Pakistani Premier. General Zia ul-Haq ruled as a dictator virtually unopposed until his death in 1988. His rule resulted in lawlessness, bomb blasts and influx of weapons and refugees. Despite the exit of the army from mainstream politics, the political muscle of the military is everpresent. The former President, General (ret) Pervez Musharraf, came to power in a bloodless coup in October 1999 overthrowing the last democratically elected government led by Nawaz Sharif.

Repeated army coups have served to strengthen and build-up the military’s corporate interests in real estate, security-related businesses, hotels, shopping malls, insurance companies, banks, farms and airline sectors. Pakistan has been ruled by the Army for about half of the period of its existence. During this period of its dictatorial rule the army has authorized some unbelievable perks and privileges for itself. Expansion of these interests occurred most prominently via welfare foundations, under the guise of providing for the needs of the troops and their families, whether with bakeries, real estate or beauty parlors. A civilian government, as and when formed, could hardly change or challenge these perks. Once Prime Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo attempted to cut defence expenditure and tried to put generals and admirals in small cars in place of more luxurious vehicles, General Zia promptly sacked him. Besides handsome pay package and fringe benefits, army officers in Pakistan are given many colonial privileges. The biggest perk is land. In addition to land grants, pensions five times the civilian level and post-retirement jobs were designed to make military service lucrative. In fact its is said that every general retiring from the army is transformed into a feudal lord, thanks to the prime agrarian lands alloted to them.In the Pakistan Army a Major General on promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General gets fifty acres of land. On the contrary out of the 46 housing schemes directly built by the armed forces, none is for ordinary soldiers or civilian officers and personnel employed by the army.

Personnel Training

Enlisted ranks

Most enlisted personnel used to come from rural families, and many have only rudimentary literacy skills, but with the increase in the litracy level the requirements have been raised to Matriculate level (10th Grade). Recruits are processed gradually through a paternalistically run regimental training center, taught the official language, Urdu, if necessary, and given a period of elementary education before their military training actually starts.

In the thirty-six-week training period, they develop an attachment to the regiment they will remain with through much of their careers and begin to develop a sense of being a Pakistani rather than primarily a member of a tribe or a village. Enlisted men usually serve for eighteen years, during which they participate in regular training cycles and have the opportunity to take academic courses to help them advance.

Officer Ranks

Following are the Officer ranks in Pakistan Army:

• Field Marshal
• General
• Lt-General
• Major-General
• Brigadier
• Colonel
• Lt-Colonel
• Major
• Captain
• Lieutenant
• 2nd lieutenant

About 320 men enter the army bi-annually through the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul in Abbottabad in the North West Frontier Province; a small number—especially physicians and technical specialists—are directly recruited, and these persons are part of the heart of the officer corps. The product of a highly competitive selection process, members of the officer corps have completed twelve years of education and spend two years at the Pakistan Military Academy, with their time divided about equally between military training and academic work to bring them up to a baccalaureate education level, which includes English-language skills.

The army has twelve other training establishments, including schools concentrating on specific skills such as infantry, artillery, intelligence, or mountain warfare. A National University of Science and Technology (NUST) has been established which has absorbed the existing colleges of engineering, signals, electrical engineering and medicine. At the apex of the army training system is the Command and Staff College at Quetta, one of the few institutions inherited from the colonial period. The college offers a ten-month course in tactics, staff duties, administration, and command functions through the division level. Students from foreign countries, including the United States, have attended the school but reportedly have been critical of its narrow focus and failure to encourage speculative thinking or to give adequate attention to less glamorous subjects, such as logistics.

The senior training institution for all service branches is the National Defence University. Originally established in 1971 at Rawalpindi, to provide training in higher military strategy for senior officers, the school house was relocated to Islamabad in 1995. It also offers courses that allow civilians to explore the broader aspects of national security. In a program begun in the 1980s to upgrade the intellectual standards of the officer corps and increase awareness of the wider world, a small group of officers, has been detailed to academic training, achieving master’s degrees and even doctorates at universities in Pakistan and abroad.

Pakistani officers were sent abroad during the 1950s and into the 1960s for training in Britain and other Commonwealth countries, and especially to the United States, where trainees numbering well in the hundreds attended a full range of institutions ranging from armored and infantry schools to the higher staff and command institutions. After 1961 this training was coordinated under the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program, but numbers varied along with vicissitudes in the United States-Pakistan military relationship. Of some 200 officers being sent abroad annually in the 1980s, over two-thirds went to the United States, but the cessation of United States aid in 1990 entailed suspension of the IMET program. In 1994 virtually all foreign training was in Commonwealth countries. However, after the 9/11 attacks, Pakistan again has begun sending officers to US Army schools. Today there are more than 400 officers serving in foreign countries.

Officers retire between the ages of fifty-two and sixty, depending on their rank.

Relief Operations and Economic Development

Pakistani Soldiers carry tents away from an American Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter October 19, 2005

In times of natural disaster, such as the great floods of 1992 or the October 2005 devastating earthquake, army engineers, medical and logistics personnel, and the armed forces played a major role in bringing relief and supplies.

The army also engaged in extensive economic activities. Most of these enterprises, such as stud and dairy farms, were for the army’s own use, but others performed functions beneficial to the local civilian economy. Army factories produced such goods as sugar, fertilizer, and brass castings and sold them to civilian consumers.

Several army organizations performed functions that were important to the civilian sector across the country. For example, the National Logistics Cell was responsible for trucking food and other goods across the country; the Frontier Works Organization built the Karakoram Highway to China; and the Special Communication Organization maintained communications networks in remote parts of Pakistan. Pakistan Army is involved in relief activities not only in Pakistan but also in many other countries of the world, like they went for relief activities after Bangladesh was recently hit by floods. The Pak Army also went to Indonesia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka after they were hit by tsunami. Pakistan Army and Navy sent ships and helicopters to the friendly nations for the tsunami relief operation.

2009 Refugee Crisis

Women and Minorities in the Army

Women have served in the Pakistani Army since its foundation. Currently, there is a sizable number of Women serving in the army. Most women are recruited in the regular Army to perform medical and educational work. There is also a Women’s Guard section of Pakistan’s National Guard where women are trained in nursing, welfare and clerical work and there are also women recruited in very limited numbers for the Janbaz Force. Only recently has Pakistan began to recruit women for combat positions and the Elite Anti-Terrorist Force In 2007, several female graduates were nominated to be Sky Marshalls for Pakistan based airlines. In addition recently eight of the 41 cadets from the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul became the first women guards of honour. Pakistan is the only country in the Islamic world to have female Major Generals in the Army.

Recruitment is nationwide and the army attempts to maintain an ethnic balance but most enlisted recruits, as in British times, come from a few districts in northern Punjab Province and the adjacent Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the North West Frontier Province. Pakistan’s Officer Corps are also mostly from Punjab and the North West Frontier Province and of middle-class, rural backgrounds.^{[citation needed]}

Minorities in Pakistan are allowed to sit in all examinations, including the one conducted by Inter Services Selection Board however the proportion of religious minorities in the Pakistan army is still considerably very less. As per day only one shikh is in the pakistani army. The army sees itself as a national institution although not many minorities have seen high ranks.

Uniforms

Pakistan Army troops wearing the standard sand fatigue uniform lead the Joint Services Parade in 2005.

Pakistani army uniforms closely resemble those of the British armed services. The principal color is greenish brown. Dress uniforms were worn mostly on formal occasions. The service uniform was worn for daily duty. The service uniform for the ground forces was khaki (sand/tan) cotton. Officers purchased their uniforms, but enlisted personnel received a standard uniform issue, which consisted of service and field uniforms, fatigues, and in some cases, dress uniforms. The uniforms consisted of shirt, trousers, sweater, jacket or blouse, and boots. There is also a white dress uniform. The fatigues were the same for winter and summer. Heavy winter gear was issued as needed. Headgear included a service cap for dress and semi-dress and a field cap worn with fatigues. Army personnel also wear berets, usually worn in lieu of the service cap.

Brown and black and more recently US BDU style camouflage fatigues are worn by army troop units.

Rank Structure and Uniform Insignia

Pakistani Officer Ranks
Rank	Field Marshal (5-Star)	COAS (4-Star)	General (4-Star)	Lieutenant General (3-Star)	Major General (2-Star)	Brigadier (1-Star)	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	2nd Lieutenant
NATO equivalent	OF-11	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1	OF-1
Uniform insignia

The rank structure is patterned on the British Army model. Following the British Indian Army traditions, there are three junior commissioned officer (JCO) grades between enlisted and officer rank, for those who rise by promotion from among enlisted recruits. The Junior Commissioned Officer is a continuation of the former Viceroy’s Commissioned Officer rank. During the early days of the Pakistan Army, there was a large cultural gap between officers and enlisted personnel. In the early 1990s, JCOs had wide responsibilities in the day-to-day supervision of lower grades, but they were a group that may have outlived its usefulness because officers have become “more Pakistani” and less dependent on British models and because the education level of enlisted men has risen. Promotion to JCO rank, however, remains a powerful incentive for enlisted personnel; thus, if JCO ranks are ever phased out, it will likely be a slow process.

Awards for Valor

The Nishan-e-Haider (Urdu: نشان حیدر) (Sign of the Lion), is the highest military award given by Pakistan.

Recipients Nishan-e-Haider recipients receive an honorary title as a sign of respect: Shaheed meaning martyr for deceased recipients.

1. Captain Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed (1910–27 July 1948)
2. Major Tufail Muhammad Shaheed (1914–7 August 1958)
3. Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed (1928–10 September 1965)
4. Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed (1938–1971)
5. Major Shabbir Sharif Shaheed (1943–6 December 1971)
6. Jawan Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed (1949–10 December 1971)
7. Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz Shaheed (1944–17 December 1971)
8. Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed (1970–5 July 1999)
9. Lalak Jan Shaheed (1967–7 July 1999)
10. Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed (Day of martyrdom : 21 August 1971)

Two Pakistani pilots belonging to the army aviation branch of Pakistan army who carried out a daring rescue of a mountaineer are to be given Slovenia’s top award for bravery. Slovenian, Tomaz Humar got stranded on the western end of the 8,125m Nanga Parbat mountain were he remained for around a week on top of the world’s ninth-highest peak. The helicopter pilots plucked the 38-year-old from an icy ledge 6,000m up the peak known as “killer mountain”.

The Slovenian president has presented Lt Col Rashid Ullah Beg and Lt Col Khalid Amir Rana with the Golden Order for Services in the country’s capital, Ljubljana, “for risking their lives during the rescue mission”, a Pakistan army statement said.

Special Forces and Alliances

See also Pakistan-China military relations.

Special Service Group (SSG) is an independent commando division of the Pakistan Army. It is an elite special operations force similar to the United States Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and the British Army’s SAS.

Official numbers are put at 2,100 men, in 3 Battalions; however the actual strength is classified.^[23] It is estimated to have been increased to 4 Battalions, with the eventual formation of 2 Brigades of Special Forces (6 Battalions).

Weapons and Equipment

Small Arms

The light weapons include:

Handguns

• Tokarov pistol

HK P7 Glock 17 Glock 26 (New entree as a backup weapon with the intelligence personnel. Steyr M9A1 (Recently acquired by the Airforce SSG)

Sub-machine guns and carbines

• Heckler & Koch MP5 9 mm Parabellum sub-machine gun
• Heckler & Koch MP5K 9 mm Parabellum sub-machine gun
• FN P90 5.7×28mm sub-machine gun

Heckler & Koch MP5 & MP5Ks are contemporarily being manufactured by Pakistan Ordinance Factories under license from HK. MP5-K is in use by Airport Security Force or Personal Security Detail of VIPs.

[edit] Assault rifles

G3A3

A M4A1 with SOPMOD package, including Rail Interface System (RIS) and Trijicon ACOG 4x.

The MG3

• G3 Types A3 & P4 Assault Rifle*
• Type 81 Assault Rifle
• Type 56 Assault Rifle
• AK-101Assault Rifle
• AK-103 Assault Rifle
• Steyr AUG
• M4A1 Carbine
• HK G36
• FN F2000

[edit] Grenades

• M67 grenade

[edit] Sniper rifles

• Anti Aircraft Machine Gun 12.7 mm, Type 54*
• Steyr SSG-4 and SSG-P2 sniper rifles*
• M82 Barrett rifle (US Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle .50 BMG)
• 0.50 Cal Range Master Rifle

[edit] Machine guns

• MG3 Machine Gun*
• FN MAG
• FN Minimi PARA
• DShK

[edit] Projectile launchers

• RPG-7
• Type 69 RPG
• RPG-29
• Mk 19 grenade launcher
• Carl Gustav recoilless rifle

Al Khalid MBT

Al-Zarrar MBTs

T-155 FIRTINA SP ARTY

M109 SP Howitzer

The M198 Howitzer

The M115 Howitzer

A M60AVLB

Mortars

• (Type) 81 mm
• AM-FFFF Series 120 mm
• Type 63-1

Anti-tank Guided Weapons

• TOW ATGM
• TOW II (recently procured)
• Bakter-Shikan ATGM
• FGM-148 Javelin

Army Air Defence

Trucks mounted with IRBMs at IDEAS 2008 Defense Expo in Karachi, Pakistan. They can carry nuclear weapons to a maximum range of 4000 km.

• Anti-aircraft guns: ZU-23/-33, -30, -36, -37, -57 mm
• Bofors RBS-23 BAMSE
• Bofors RBS-70
• SA-7 Grail
• General Dynamics FIM-92 Stinger
• General Dynamics FIM-43 Redeye
• Anza MKI, Anza MKII and Anza MKIII
• HQ-2B
• Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon
• Bofors 40 mm gun

Missiles

Below is the list of all missiles in service of Pakistan’s Armed Forces. This includes missiles produced indigenously, missiles produced under license and missiles procured from other countries.

It has been recently reported by the Pakistani Press (Daily Jang) that Pakistan has the ability to use MIRVs on its missiles. This has been seen as possibly the greatest achievement of Pakistani scientists and engineers to date. It has also been reported that Pakistan would likely use MIRVs on its Shaheen-II missiles.Pakistan is likley to be building a babur-2,with a range of 1000-2000 km range.

 Future Plans

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Throughout the International Defence Exhibition & Seminar (IDEAS) at Karachi in November 2006, Pakistani firms have signed joint development, production and marketing agreements with defence firms from South Korea, France and Ukraine. These agreements include new reactive armour bricks, 155 mm artillery shells, and other developments in armour and land weaponry. These agreements all relate to the Pakistan Army’s AFFDP-2019 modernization program of its armour, artillery and infantry.

A few months prior to IDEAS 2006, the Pakistan Army and Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) announced the development of the Al Khalid II Main Battle Tank (MBT). The Al Khalid II is poised to become the Pakistan Army’s backbone main battle tank from 2012; thus replacing 1200 obsolete Chinese T-59 and 300 T-85IIAP. Not much is known about this tank, but it is reported that the Al Khalid II is a very extensive upgrade of the current Al Khalid. Other reports suggest that it will be an entirely new tank based on Western designs. Turkish press reported that a Pakistani armour firm will participate in the Turkey’s new generation tank project. Turkey and Pakistan have signed many memorandums of understanding in various defence-related fields. Given that many Pakistani firms have signed joint agreements with Western firms, it is possible that a considerable part of the Al Khalid II’s design will be influenced from the Turkish tank design. Nonetheless, the new generation tank is expected to form the backbone of the Pakistan Army’s tank force; in the long-term.

The Pakistan Army will standardize its artillery capability to 155 mm by 2019. This can be seen by the acquisition of 115 M109A5 self-propelled howitzers from the United States, and joint production deals of 155 mm shells with French and South Korean firms. It is expected that the army will procure a range of light, medium and heavy towed and self-propelled howitzer artillery from China, Europe and the United States. These will replace all non-155 mm and older systems. The Army reportedly ordered and procured an undisclosed number of WS-1B Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS). As part of the artillery modernization program, the Army will likely procure a fair number of new MLRS systems of various ranges and shell sizes.

Modernization of the Army Aviation is underway with the procurement of new transport and attack helicopters from the United States, Russia and Europe. Finalized acquisitions include 26 Bell 412EP and at least a dozen Mi-17 medium-lift transport helicopters from the U.S and Russia, respectively. Forty Bell 407 and an unknown number of Fennec light helicopters from the U.S. and Eurocopter have also been ordered, respectively. Plans are underway to begin replacing the IAR 330 Puma, older Mil Mi-8/17, Bell Jet Rangers and older Huey helicopters; options include the Eurocopter NH-90 Tactical Transport Helicopter and UH-60M Blackhawk. The Pakistan Army has procured dozens of excess AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters since 2002; at least 20 have been brought into service to supplement the serving 18. These gunships are expected to add muscle to current counterterrorist support operations in NWFP.The army reportedly has upgraded its entire fleet with AH-1Z King Cobra avionics and new weapon systems such as the TOW-2 and Hellfire missiles. Up to 30 new-generation attack helicopters will be procured to further enhance the Army’s attack aviation arm; options include the Eurocopter Tiger, South African AH-2 Rooivalk and Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow. It is likley that Pakistan ordered 6 AH-64D Apache Longbows.ICBM missile are also planned by Pakistan Army.

Updated at: 2240 PST, Monday, September 22, 2008

KARACHI: The second indigenously built submarine Augusta 90-B Hamza, is set to be commissioned by the Pakistan Navy on September 26, the Navy announced today.

The Hamza has been indigenously constructed by the Submarine construction department at the Pakistan Navy Dockyard in Karachi.

It is the third of the Augusta 90-B contract submarines ordered from supplier DCNI in France.

The Hamza has gone through rigorous testing before its commissioning. It has undergone over 13 Hundred harbour and sea trials, as well as 20,000 quality control inspections.

It is the first submarine to be equipped with the special MESMA Air Independent Propulsion system. This increases diving duration compared to conventional submarines, and gives the Pakistan navy a tactical advantage.

Currently, the navy requires between 12 and 14 submarines with the transfer of technology achieved through this project, Pakistan will now be able to meet it’s future operations requirements.

With the induction of indigenously built submarine Hamza, Pakistan navy has now five operational submarines in its fleet enhancing its combat capabilities.

An evolution of Chinese and Soviet tanks, the Al-Khalid is considerably smaller and lighter than most Western main battle tanks. The design is based on the Chinese Type 90-II, which combined technologies from several Soviet/western tanks and is ultimately a descendant of the widely-produced Soviet T-54. The Al-Khalid is unusual in that it is was designed to be adaptable for manufacture, so that it can be easily integrated with a variety of foreign engines and transmissions. The current production variant of Al-Khalid utilises a diesel engine supplied by the KMDB design bureau of Ukraine.

The first production models entered service with the Pakistan Army in 2001 and there are plans to induct approximately 600 in total.

Development

In the 1970s, the leadership of China’s People’s Liberation Army was concerned about the Soviet threat and requested an improved main battle tank (MBT) to replace the old, obsolete Type 59. The existing Chinese tanks were direct descendants of the Soviet T-54A and were out-classed by more advanced Soviet models like the T-62 and T-64. Norinco and the Inner Mongolia First Machine Group Corporation were tasked to develop a series of new tanks.

After examining samples of T-72 tanks delivered by Iran in the late 1980s (captured from the Iraqi Army), the Chinese military realized contemporary Chinese tanks were still vulnerable. Design features of the T-72 and some western tanks were used to develop a second generation of Chinese tanks, eventually incorporating a redesigned hull and suspension, a new welded turret and 125 mm autoloaded tank gun. The Type 80 and Type 85 tanks led to the Type 90. The Type 90 was rejected for Chinese service in favour of other designs, but it influenced further development which would lead to China’s third-generation Type 98 and Type 99 tanks.

The Type 90 is an evolutionary design: the Type 90-II version shares 10% of its components with the Type 59, 15% with Type 69, 20% with Type 85/88C, and is built with 55% new components. This model was put up for sale on the international market.

A development deal was signed with Pakistan in January 1990. Initial Chinese-built prototypes were tested in Pakistan in August 1991. Pakistan spent more than US$20 million over the next ten years on the co-development of a model suitable for their needs and on creating a capability to manufacture it locally. Lt Gen Hamid Javed as Director General of Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) and Brigadier (now Major General) Mohammad Asaad supervised the project. The design team modified the tank to accept a foreign-built power pack (engine). A number of different prototypes were evaluated.

An early version was armed with a Chinese gun and fire-control system, but had a German-designed MTU-396 diesel engine which was built under licence in China. Another version was equipped with a more advanced western digital fire-control system and powered by a Perkins 1,200 hp (890 kW) Condor diesel engine (as in the British Challenger) and SESM ESM500 automatic transmission (as in the French Leclerc). This version was considered too expensive and under-performing in the extreme heat of southern Pakistan. Finally, a version was tested with the compact Ukrainian 6TD-2 1,200 hp diesel engine (Ukraine also supplied Pakistan with T-80UD tanks, powered by a similar engine). This configuration was chosen for the production version of the tank and came to be known as Al-Khalid.

Yet another version—employing more western technology had been envisaged as an export product for Pakistan. The prototype had a 1,200 hp (890 kW) German MTU-871/TCM AVDS-1790 diesel engine and an LSG-3000 transmission. But this concept was abandoned due to the arms embargo imposed on Pakistan after the 1998 Pakistani nuclear tests.

The final tank design resulting from a decade of co-operative development was designated Type 90-IIM. Chinese company Norinco showed the new Type 90-IIM during the March 2001 Abu Dhabi Defense Expo, under the export name MBT 2000. The version powered by the Ukrainian engine, intended for domestic production in Pakistan, was named Al-Khalid.

During the development period, Heavy Industries Taxila gained experience building the Chinese Type 85-IIAP and prepared to begin production of the Al-Khalid tank in 1999. A pilot batch of fifteen tanks was inducted into the 31st Cavalry Regiment of Pakistan’s Armoured Corps on 20 July 2001. Pakistan signed a contract with Ukraine’s Malyshev Factory in May 2002 for the delivery of 315 KMDB 6TD-2 diesel engines over three years. An additional batch of Al-Khalid tanks was delivered on 23 September 2004. Pakistan plans to build a total of 600 Al-Khalid MBTs for its armed forces.

In 2006 a U.S.-based market/special research organisation reported findings showing that the Al-Khalid, along with two other MBTs, would account for nearly 45% of all new MBTs built until 2015.

The Saudi Arabian Army began conducting trials of the Al-Khalid’s desert performance in April 2006, after expressing interest in purchasing a batch of the tank 2 years earlier. No order for the tank was placed.

During the first week of May 2008, Lt-Gen Fonseka of the Sri Lanka Army held talks with his Pakistan Army counter-parts regarding the sale of military equipment, weapons and ammunition. The sale of 22 Al-Khalid MBTs to the Sri Lanka Army was finalised during these talks in a deal worth over US$100 million. However the current status of this purchase is unclear as Sri Lanka has subsequently cancelled some orders for military equipment.

Design

Armament and fire control

Al-Khalid is designed with a 125 mm (length: 48 calibers) smoothbore, auto-frettaged and chrome-plated gun barrel which can fire APFSDS, HEAT-FS and HE-FS conventional ammunition and the Russian-designed 9M119 Refleks ATGM (AT-11 Sniper, produced in China under licence). Al-Khalid also fires a Pakistani DU round, the Naiza 125 mm DU round (armor penetration: 550 mm in RHA at 2 km).  Al-Khalid is equipped with a muzzle reference system and dual-axis stabilization system. Elevation and azimuth control is achieved by electro-hydraulic power drives. The automatic ammunition-handling system for the main gun has a 24-round ready-to-fire magazine and can load and fire at a rate of eight rounds per minute.

The tank is also equipped with a 7.62 mm-coaxial machine gun, a 12.7 mm externally-mounted air-defence machine gun that can be aimed/fired from within the tank and smoke grenade launchers.

The gunner is provided with a dual magnification day sight and the commander with a panoramic sight for all-around independent surveillance. Both sights are dual-axis image stabilized and have independent laser range-finders. The commander has the ability to acquire a target independently while the gunner is engaging another one thus giving it true hunter-killer capability. The automatic target-tracking system is designed to work when tank and target are both moving. Night vision for the gunner and commander is achieved through a dual-magnification thermal imaging sight. Both sights are integrated with the fire-control system.  The production Al-Khalid tank has a fire-control system of western origin. In the MBT 2000, the Chinese Norinco fire-control system has inputs from ten sensors. The ballistic computation time is less than one second. The manufacturer claims routine first round hits on standard 8 ft (2.4 m) square targets at ranges over 2,000 meters.

• Effective range: 200 m to 7,000 m
• Sensor: laser ranging from 200 m to 9,990 m
• French Auto-tracking, interfaced with gunner station, firing four types of munitions, gunner’s thermal imaging sight, commander’s image intensification night vision sight, gyro-stabilized and UPS power supply system.

Although prototypes were demonstrated with various fire-control systems of Chinese and western origin, it is believed that the production model Al-Khalid MBTs are equipped with a western fire-control system, along with Catherine FC Thermal Imaging sights from France. A modern Integrated Battlefield Management System (IBMS) developed by Integrated Defence Systems Pakistan (IDS Pakistan), including a data-link that facilitates secure communication of battlefield information between units, is also incorporated.

Mobility

The production model Al-Khalid is powered by a 6TD-2 liquid-cooled diesel engine, designed by the Kharkiv Morozov Design Bureau (KMDB) of Ukraine. The 6TD-2 is a supercharged 6-cylinder engine delivering 1,200 horsepower. The 2-stroke design, with the pistons arranged horizontally in an opposed piston configuration, makes the engine very compact and therefore more suitable for being fitted into relatively small vehicles such as the Al-Khalid MBT.

The 6TD-2 engine drives a France-designed hydro-mechanical automatic transmission, the SESM ESM500, also fitted to the Leclerc MBT. Capable of manual and fully automatic power-shifting, the transmission has 5 forward and 2 reverse speeds along with a braking system that incorporates carbon friction brakes and a secondary speed-retarding system. Gear shifts are controlled by a torque converter which is made more efficient by addition of an automatic lock-up clutch. There is also a mechanical back-up system for use in emergencies, able to shift 2 gears forward and reverse.

The suspension consists of torsion bars, hydraulic dampers and buffers, who’s role is to provide a stable firing platform while the tank is moving at speed over rough terrain and as smooth a ride as possible to reduce crew fatigue. The tracks are mounted on six dual wheels with rubber tyres, a drive sprocket at the rear and an idler at the front. They are protected by side skirts, the forward sections of which can be fitted with explosive reactive armour, and track wear is reduced by replaceable rubber track pads.

The Al-Khalid is fairly lightweight by Western standards, weighing 46 tonnes compared to the 60 tonne M1 Abrams and Leopard 2. A power-to-weight ratio of 26.66 hp/tonne gives acceleration from 0 to 32 km/h (0 to 20 mph) in 10 seconds and a maximum speed of 70 km/h, the speed and agility also helping to improve survivability.^[

A snorkel allows the tank to cross water obstacles up to 5 meters deep, after some preparation by the crew. Navigation is assisted by an inertial navigation system (INS) and a GPS satellite navigation system.

Protection

Al-Khalid has modular composite armour and explosive reactive armour, nuclear-biological-chemical defences, an effective thermal smoke generator, internal fire extinguisher and explosion-suppression system. The infra-red signature of the tank is reduced by infra-red reflective paint.

An advanced laser detection system from Al Technique Corporation (ATCOP) is present, the ATCOP LTS 1 laser threat warning system developed by Institute of Industrial Control Systems. LTS 1 consists of a mast-mounted sensor and operator’s control box, which includes a display showing threats 360 degrees around the tank. It can detect laser rangefinders and laser target designators as well as respond automatically by triggering acoustic alarms, smoke generators and other countermeasure systems. LTS 1 can detect laser devices operating in the 0.8 to 1.06 µm waveband, has a 360° field of view in azimuth (resolution of 15°) and a field of view in elevation of -15° to +90°. Operating voltage is 12 V or 24 V DC nominal with power consumption being 8 W nominal. The sensor head is 165 mm in diameter and 35 mm high while the control box is 80 x 130 x 55 mm in size.

Variants

Prototypes

• P1 — Prototype incorporating a Chinese 125 mm gun, autoloader and fire-control system, German MTU-396 diesel engine and Renk LSG-3000 automatic transmission.
• P2 — Prototype incorporating a Chinese 125 mm gun and autoloader, Western fire-control system, Perkins 1200 hp Condor diesel engine and French SESM ESM500 automatic transmission.
• P3 — Prototype fitted with Chinese 125 mm gun and autoloader, Western fire-control system, Ukrainian KMDB 6TD-2 1200 hp diesel engine and French SESM ESM500 automatic transmission.
• P4 — Prototype export variant incorporating German NATO standard 120 mm gun, Western fire-control system, German MTU-871/TCM AVDS-1790 diesel engine and Renk LSG-3000 automatic transmission.

Production variants

• Al-Khalid — Production variant now in service, based on P3.
• Al-Khalid I — Upgraded variant in testing as of April 2009. Incorporates modifications made to the fire-control system, sensors, IBMS, side-skirts, track pads, auto-loader (rate of fire increased to 9 rounds per minute), Ukrainian Varta electro-optical jammer (disrupts laser rangefinders, laser designators and anti-tank guided missile tracking systems), Sagem third-generation thermal imagers and improved air conditioning system.
• Al-Khalid II — In early stages of development and believed to incorporate re-designed turret, upgraded modular armour package and sensors, improved ammunition and new powerpack developing 1,500 hp.

 Operators

 Pakistan

• Pakistan Army