Muhammad Aziz Khan
Encyclopedia
General Muhammad Aziz Khan, NI(M), SBt, HI(M), (born January 1, 1947) is a retired four-star general in the Pakistan Army
who served as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Pakistan
. Before the former appointment, he had served as Chief of General Staff (CGS)
and Colonel Commandant
IV Corps
, Lahore
. He was instrumental in bringing General
Pervez Musharraf
to power in the 1999 coup d'état that overthrew the democratic government of prime minister
Nawaz Sharif
, along with the then Colonel Commandant
X Corps
Lieutenant General
Mahmud Ahmed.
, and studied in High School Palandri (now Post Graduate College Palandri). He belongs to the Sudhan (Sadozai, Pathan) tribe of Azad Kashmir
.
in 1966 in the 1st War Course (thus junior to 37th PMA, but senior to 38th PMA) in the Infantry's Punjab Regiment
. He was a graduate of Command and Staff College
, Quetta and National Defence College
, Rawalpindi.
As a Colonel, Aziz was the Personal Military Secretary to the former President of Pakistan, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
. He also served as the Military Personnel at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC in late 1980s. Returning ot Pakistan, as a brigadier, Aziz worked as the Chief of Staff (COS) of the X Corps under the then Corps Commander Lt Gen Ghulam Muhammad Malik and also commanded an infantry brigade in the Siachen area around the same time. After that, he served as the deputy director of Inter-Services Intelligence
. He was then posted as the Commander Force Command Northern Areas (FCNA), Gilgit
who is responsible for the entire Kashmir region and Northern Areas operations (It is worthy to mention that the entire Pakistani forces in Kargil War
was conducted by then Commander FCNA Maj Gen Javed Hassan).
and posted as Chief of General Staff (CGS)
. During the Kargil War
in 1999, General Aziz Khan was serving as the CGS under General Pervez Musharraf. Secret recordings of alleged conversations between General Musharraf and General Aziz were apparently "intercepted" by the Indian intelligence during the Kargil Campaign. Said recordings proved that Pakistan Army had secretly invaded Kashmir.
When Aziz Khan was made the Chief of General Staff (CGS), the posting was contrary to norms of Army, as generally the senior most Lieutenant General occupy it and is considered the second-in-command of the Army. In August 2000, Aziz Khan was transferred as Corps Commander Lahore
(August 2000 - October 2001).
, General Aziz Khan was transferred to the ceremonial post Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. While being promoted, Aziz Khan was sixth in the seniority list of Lt Gens. Lieutenant Generals Muzaffar Usmani, Yusaf Khan
(who was also promoted to four-star and made VCOAS), Mahmud Ahmed, Khalid Maqbool
, and Hamid Javaid
were all senior to him, all of whom stood superseded. He also stayed as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Punjab Regiment
appointed by General Pervez Musharraf
on 21 March 2003.
General Aziz is currently writing his memoirs. He belongs to the influential Sudhan tribe of Azad Kashmir. He is married and has three daughters and one son.
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Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
who served as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Pakistan
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Pakistan
The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee , is a military administrative body of high-ranking and senior uniformed military leaders and officers in the Pakistan Defense Forces who advises the civilian Government of Pakistan, National Security Council, and Defence Minister on important military matters...
. Before the former appointment, he had served as Chief of General Staff (CGS)
Chief of General Staff (Pakistan)
Chief of General Staff, shortly abbreviated as CGS, is the most coveted position within the Pakistan Army. Although four-star Chief of Army Staff is the nominal head of the land forces, CGS is the operational and intelligence lead of the institution...
and Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels...
IV Corps
IV Corps (Pakistan)
The IV Corps is one of military administrative corps of Pakistan Army. Having established in 1965 after the Indo-Pakistani September War, it is currently stationed in Lahore, Punjab Province of Pakistan. Its current core commander is Lieutenant-General Rashad Mahmood.-History:The corps was formed...
, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. He was instrumental in bringing General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
to power in the 1999 coup d'état that overthrew the democratic government of prime minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani conservative politician and steel magnate who served as 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from November 1990 to July 1993, and from February 1997 to October 12, 1999...
, along with the then Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels...
X Corps
X Corps (Pakistan)
The X Corps is an active military administrative corps of Pakistan Army, currently assigned in Rawalpindi, Punjab Province of Pakistan. Its one of two brigades are currently active in Kashmir. One of its brigades, the 111th Infantry Brigade in Rawalpindi, has been frequently involved in military...
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Mahmud Ahmed.
Personal
General Aziz khan was born at 1 January 1947 in a village Dhar Dhrach of PalandriPalandri
Pallandri is a small town, situated in the Sudhnati District, in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It was the first capital of Azad Kashmir and is about 94 kilometres away from - the capital of Pakistan....
, and studied in High School Palandri (now Post Graduate College Palandri). He belongs to the Sudhan (Sadozai, Pathan) tribe of Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
.
Military career
Aziz Khan was commissioned in the Pakistan ArmyPakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
in 1966 in the 1st War Course (thus junior to 37th PMA, but senior to 38th PMA) in the Infantry's Punjab Regiment
Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)
The Punjab Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in 1956 from an amalgamation of the 1st Punjab Regiment, 14th Punjab Regiment, 15th Punjab Regiment and 16th Punjab Regiment...
. He was a graduate of Command and Staff College
Command and Staff College
The Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, British Raj, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta...
, Quetta and National Defence College
National Defence University, Islamabad
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the Ministry of Defence of Government of Pakistan, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy...
, Rawalpindi.
As a Colonel, Aziz was the Personal Military Secretary to the former President of Pakistan, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq , was the 4th Chief Martial Law Administrator and the sixth President of Pakistan from July 1977 to his death in August 1988...
. He also served as the Military Personnel at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC in late 1980s. Returning ot Pakistan, as a brigadier, Aziz worked as the Chief of Staff (COS) of the X Corps under the then Corps Commander Lt Gen Ghulam Muhammad Malik and also commanded an infantry brigade in the Siachen area around the same time. After that, he served as the deputy director of Inter-Services Intelligence
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
. He was then posted as the Commander Force Command Northern Areas (FCNA), Gilgit
Gilgit
Gilgit is a city in northern PakistanGilgit may refer to other terms related with the area of the city:* Gilgit River* Gilgit Valley* Gilgit District* Gilgit Agency * Gilgit Airport...
who is responsible for the entire Kashmir region and Northern Areas operations (It is worthy to mention that the entire Pakistani forces in Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
was conducted by then Commander FCNA Maj Gen Javed Hassan).
Chief of General Staff
General Aziz was promoted to Lt Gen in October 1998 by the recently appointed COAS Pervez MusharrafPervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
and posted as Chief of General Staff (CGS)
Chief of General Staff (Pakistan)
Chief of General Staff, shortly abbreviated as CGS, is the most coveted position within the Pakistan Army. Although four-star Chief of Army Staff is the nominal head of the land forces, CGS is the operational and intelligence lead of the institution...
. During the Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
in 1999, General Aziz Khan was serving as the CGS under General Pervez Musharraf. Secret recordings of alleged conversations between General Musharraf and General Aziz were apparently "intercepted" by the Indian intelligence during the Kargil Campaign. Said recordings proved that Pakistan Army had secretly invaded Kashmir.
When Aziz Khan was made the Chief of General Staff (CGS), the posting was contrary to norms of Army, as generally the senior most Lieutenant General occupy it and is considered the second-in-command of the Army. In August 2000, Aziz Khan was transferred as Corps Commander Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
(August 2000 - October 2001).
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
After the September 11 attacks and the subsequent US invasion of AfghanistanWar in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
, General Aziz Khan was transferred to the ceremonial post Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. While being promoted, Aziz Khan was sixth in the seniority list of Lt Gens. Lieutenant Generals Muzaffar Usmani, Yusaf Khan
Yusaf Khan
General Muhammad Yusaf Khan Qaimkhani , is a retired four-star general of the Pakistan Army who served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff from October 8, 2001 until October 7, 2004...
(who was also promoted to four-star and made VCOAS), Mahmud Ahmed, Khalid Maqbool
Khalid Maqbool
Lieutenant General Khalid Maqbool Vohra, , , is a career Pakistan Army officer was the longest serving Governor of Punjab, the most populous province of Pakistan, under the General Pervez Musharraf government...
, and Hamid Javaid
Hamid Javaid
Lieutenant General Hamid Javaid, HI, HI, afwc, psc, is a former Pakistan Army general who served as Chief of Staff to President Pervez Musharraf for six years from September 2001 to December 2007...
were all senior to him, all of whom stood superseded. He also stayed as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Punjab Regiment
Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)
The Punjab Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in 1956 from an amalgamation of the 1st Punjab Regiment, 14th Punjab Regiment, 15th Punjab Regiment and 16th Punjab Regiment...
appointed by General Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
on 21 March 2003.
Post-retirement
Aziz Khan also stayed as the honorary president of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) from July 2000 to January 2005.General Aziz is currently writing his memoirs. He belongs to the influential Sudhan tribe of Azad Kashmir. He is married and has three daughters and one son.
External links
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