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Pakistan Army
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The Pakistan Army (Urdu: ) is the largest branch of the Pakistan military, and is mainly responsible for protection of the state borders, the security of administered territories and defending the national interests of Pakistan within the framework of its international obligations.
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.
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The Pakistan Army (Urdu: ) is the largest branch of the Pakistan military, and is mainly responsible for protection of the state borders, the security of administered territories and defending the national interests of Pakistan within the framework of its international obligations.
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 650,000 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
Pakistan Army has a doctrine of limited "offensive-defense" which it has tried to refine consistently ever since 1989 when it was pushed out to the formations during "Exercise Zarb-e-Momin". The main purpose of this strategy is to launch a sizeable offensive into enemy territory rather than wait to be hit from the enemy's offensive attack. The doctrine is based on the premise that while on the offensive, the enemy can be kept off-balance while allowing Pakistani Army to be able to seize enemy territory of strategic importance which can be used as a bargaining chip on the negotiating table. In order to do this, currently Pakistani Army maintains two sizable Strike Corps which will be backed up by Defensive Corps forming the defensive tier behind the strike corps. By pushing the offensive into enemy territory, the Pakistani Army hopes to consolidate its gains inside the enemy's territory. Pakistan will attempt to keep the enemy on its of the border rather than giving ground on the Pakistani side.
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.
Motto
The motto of the Pakistani Army reads: "Iman, Taqwa, Jihad fi Sabilillah". Translated into English, it means "Faith, Piety, to strive in the path of Allah putting aside all your physical needs".
Organisation
The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), formerly called the Commander in Chief (C in C), is challenged 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.
List of Chiefs of Army Staff
Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army
- General Sir Frank Messervy (15 August 1947 - 10 February 1948)
- General Sir Douglas Gracey (11 February 1948 - 16 January 1951)
- Field Marshal Ayub Khan (16 January 1951 - 26 October 1958)
- General Musa Khan (27 October 1958 - 17 June 1966)
- General Yahya Khan (18 June 1966 – 20 December 1971)
- General Gul Hassan (20 December 1971 - 3 March 1972)
- General Tikka Khan (3 March 1972 – 1 March 1976)
- General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (1 April 1976 - 17 August 1988)
- General Mirza Aslam Beg (17 August 1988 - 16 August 1991)
- General Asif Nawaz (16 August 1991 - 8 January 1993)
- General Wahid Kakar (8 January 1993 - 12 January 1996)
- General Jehangir Karamat (12 January 1996 - 6 October 1998)
- General Pervez Musharraf (7 October 1998 - 28 November 2007)
- General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (28 November 2007 - present)
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
- Defence Security Group (DSG)
And Services include:
- Army Ordnance Corps
- Corps of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering (EME)
- Army Supply & Transport Corps (ASC)
Regiments
- The President's Bodyguard
- Armour
- 4th Cavalry
- 5th Horse
- 6th Lancers
- 7th Lancers
- 8th Cavalry
- 9th Lancers
- Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force)
- 11th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
- 12th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
| 13th Lancers14th Lancers15th Lancers (Baloch)16th Horse17th Lancer18th Horse19th Lancers20th Lancers22nd Cavalry23rd Cavalry (Frontier Force)24th Cavalry (Frontier Force)25th Cavalry (Frontier Force)26th Cavalry27th Cavalry | 28th Cavalry29th Cavalry30th Cavalry31st Cavalry32nd Cavalry33rd Cavalry34th Lancers37th Cavalry41st Horse (Frontier Force)52nd Cavalry53rd Cavalry54th Cavalry56th Cavalry57th Cavalry58th Cavalry |
*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 strategic corps (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. Fearing that India would take over the disputed region of Kashmir, the newly created Pakistani Army sent in irregulars and tribal groups in 1947 which lead to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. Regular army units joined the invasion later on but were stopped on UK pressure but not before occupying the northwestern part of Kashmir. 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, in which the Indian Army was repulsed with moderate casualties. 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. However, the military generally considers the 1965 war as a victory over a rival that outnumbered it by almost 3 to 1 in all military aspects. In that regard, the valour of Major Raja Aziz Bhatti of thwarting an entire Indian Brigade planning to break into Lahore and the Battle Of Chawinda are considered to be one of the most courageous feats in the army. At Chawinda the Pakistan Army was vastly outnumbered in terms of personnel and equipment but it is said that victory was achieved when Pakistani East Bengal Regiment soldiers tied bombs to their bellies in order to stop the advancing Indian tanks. 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 50,000 Pakistani Armed forces personnel (army, air force and navy) around 40,000 government and civil employees surrendered to the Indian forces and Bangladesh became a republic. Consequently, the Pakistan army was modernized at a faster pace than ever before. After the war, General Yahya Khan resigned and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto took over the reins.
1977 - 1999
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 mysterious explosion aircraft death in 1988.
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 the 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.
With the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the United States began to provide large scale military and economic aid to Pakistan to modernize its conventional military capability and, ostensibly at least, prevent any Soviet attacks on it. This aid was also intended as an incentive for Pakistan to aid guerrilla forces (called "Army of GOD") in Afghanistan. The SSG created a unit called the Black Storks in which SSG commandos were dressed up as Afghan Mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan war. They were then flown into Afghanistan and provided the Mujahideen with support. The United States allocated about 40% of its assistance package to non-reimbursable credits for military purchases, the fourth largest program after Israel, Egypt and Turkey. The remainder of the aid program was devoted to economic assistance.
After the Soviets withdrew by 1989 and the Pakistani Nuclear weapons program nearing maturity, Pakistan was placed under sanctions by USA in 1990. Various weapon systems ordered by Pakistan such as F-16 Jets were not delivered but various amendments have authorized return of spare parts and end items already paid for by Pakistan. There was a period of international sanctions due to Pakistan's nuclear tests. During 1999 the Pakistan Army for the fourth time overthrew a democratically elected government which resulted in additional sanctions being placed against Pakistan
The Army fought a brief border skirmish with India in Kargil 1999 after the Pakistan Army sent in their para-military NLI troops dressed as mujahiddin into Indian territory. There was a danger of the war spiraling out of control when Nawaz Sharif, under immense pressure from Washington, eventually ordered a withdrawal. This decision and the resulting Pakistani casualties created great resentment in the Army against the Prime Minister and is rumored to have contributed to his eventual over throwing by the COAS.
40 and 41 Divs were raised in the 1980s; Two more divs have been raised under the rubric "Corps Reserves" for V and XXXI corps.
1999 - Present
In October 1999 the Pakistan Army for the fourth time, with popular support, 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.
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.
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 Power of the Army
The Pakistani army has always played an integral part of the Pakistan government since its inception. It has virtually acted as a third party that has repeatedly seized power in the name of stabilizing Pakistan. General Ayub Khan came to power in 1956 due to political turmoil within the ruling party. The situation was so dire that the speaker of the National Assembly was beaten to death right in front of the assembly hall. Ayub Khan reluctantly agreed to take power as a favour to the nation. Later on, General Yahya Khan would assume power in 1969. 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. 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.
Fauji Foundation
Fauji Foundation (established in 1954) is a charitable trust, operating on a completely self sustaining basis, channeling approximately 80% of the profits from commercial ventures into social protection programmes that serve a beneficiary population representing approximately 7% of the country’s population.
Spending more than Rs. 21 billion since inception on welfare, the Foundation provides services in the areas of healthcare, education, educational stipends, technical and vocational training.
- Over 2.1 million patients treated per year through the FF Healthcare System
- Approximately 38,000 students enrolled in the FF Education System
- Approximately 70,000 educational stipends dispersed each year
- Over 6,000 individuals trained annually through the Vocational & Technical Training Centres
Considered the most sustainable social protection mechanism in the country, Fauji Foundation provides welfare services to approximately 10 million individuals on a completely sustainable basis. Running autonomously for over 50 years, the foundation has been providing healthcare, education, vocational and technical training to over 7% of the country’s population through 294 welfare projects.
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
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
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.
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 women 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 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.
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.
The army sees itself as a national institution although not many minorities have seen high ranks.
Rank Structure and Uniform Insignia
Awards for Valor
The Nishan-e-Haider (Urdu: ???? ????) (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.
- Captain Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed (1910–27 July 1948)
- Major Tufail Muhammad Shaheed (1914–7 August 1958)
- Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed (1928–10 September 1965)
- Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed (1938–1971)
- Major Shabbir Sharif Shaheed (1943–6 December 1971)
- Jawan Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed (1949–10 December 1971)
- Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz Shaheed (1944–17 December 1971)
- Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed (1970–5 July 1999)
- Lalak Jan Shaheed (1967–7 July 1999)
- 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. 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
Sub-machine guns and carbines
Assault rifles
Grenades
Sniper rifles
Machine guns
Projectile launchers
   style="color: green;"| Pakistan Army Inventory| Vehicle/System/Aircraft | Firm Number in Service | Status | | Al Khalid Main Battle Tank | 600 | In Service, Under production. 600 planned | | Type 85IIAP Main Battle Tank | 500 | In Service. Being phased out | | Al-Zarar Tank Main Battle Tank | 500 | Currently under production | | Type 79IIAP | 450 | Being phased out by Al Khalid | | Type 69 | 450 | Being phased out by Al Khalid | | Type 63 | ? | Amphibious tank | | Type 59 | 880 | Being phased out by Al Zarrar & Al Khalid II | | T-80UD Main Battle Tank | 320 + 250 | Delivered by Ukraine between 1997 and early 2002. 250 more were ordered in early 2002. | | Hamza Infantry Fighting Vehicle | ??? | Being procured | | Al-Fahd Infantry fighting vehicle | 140 | In Service | | Talha Armoured Personnel Carrier | 400+ | Final number to be around 2,000 | | Sa'ad Armoured Personnel Carrier | ??? | Currently in production | | M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier | 1500+ | In Service | | BTR-70 Armoured Personnel Carrier | 169 | In Service | | Mohafiz Light Armoured Personnel Carrier | ??? | In Service & Additional APCs being procured | | Scorpion Light Jeep | 260 | In Service | | Al Qaswa Logistical Vehicle | ?? | Being procured | | M88 ARV Armoured Recovery Vehicle | ??? | In Service | | M60A1 AVLB Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge | ??? | In Service | | M48 Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge | ??? | In Service | | Al-khalid II Main battle tank | 3000 planned | under development | | M109A5 155 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer | ??? | 115 Ordered along with 150 A5 upgrade kits | | M109A2 155 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer | 150 | In Service | | M110A2 203 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer | 40 | In Service | | Type 56 85 mm Towed Artillery | 200 | In Service | | M-56 105 mm Towed Artillery | 80 | In Service | | M101 105 mm Towed Artillery | 300 | In Service | | T-60 122 mm Towed Artillery | 200 | In Service | | Type 54 122 mm Towed Artillery | 400 | In Service | | Type 59I 130 mm Towed Artillery | 200 | In Service | | M-59 155 mm Towed Artillery | 30 | In Service | | M114 155 mm Towed Artillery | 60 | In Service | | M-198 155 mm Towed Artillery | 120 | In Service | | M-115 203 mm Towed Artillery | 40 | In Service | | Panther T-155 mm Towed Artillery | 12 | Produced and Delivered byTurkey | | AH-1S Cobra Attack Helicopter | 18 | In Service, | | AH-1F Cobra Attack Helicopter | 20 | In Service, | | Bell 412 Huey Transport Helicopter | 25 | In Service | | Bell 206 Jet Ranger Transport Helicopter | 5 | In Service | | UH-1 Huey Transport Helicopter | 10 | In Service | | Aérospatiale Puma Transport Helicopter | 25 | In Service | | Mil Mi-17 Transport Helicopter | 86 | Additional helicopters planned | | Bell 407 Light Transport Helicopter | 45 | | | Eurocopter AS-550 Light Transport Helicopter | 50 | Replacing Alouette III & Lama | | Aérospatiale Alouette III Light Transport Helicopter | 40 | Being phased out | | Aérospatiale SA-315B Lama Light Transport Helicopter (variant of Aerospatiale Alouette II) | 40 | Being phased out |
Mortars
- (Type) 81 mm
- AM-FFFF Series 120 mm
- Type 63-1
Anti-tank Guided Weapons
Army Air Defence
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 Pakistani Military achievement 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
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.
See also
Further reading
- Ayub, Muhammad. An Army, Its Role and Rule: A History of the Pakistan Army from Independence to Kargil, 1947–1999. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Rosedog Books. ISBN 0-8059-9594-3.
- Cloughley, Brian. "War, Coups and Terror - Pakistan's Army in Years of Turmoil" (from 1972 to 2008). UK, Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 184415795-4.
External links
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