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30-478: His appointment came in response to the sudden death of tenuring army chief , General Asif Nawaz , and notably superseded five senior high ranking army generals with more years of seniority. General Kakar oversaw the national general elections , after he secured the resignations of President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resolve the Constitutional crisis in 1993. Abdul Waheed Kakar

60-699: A psc . He was later selected to attend a staff course program. Upon returning from Canada , he continued his education when he was selected to attend the National Defence University (NDU) where he studied and attained graduation in War studies degree at the Armed Forces War College of the National Defence University . He has commanded 27 Azad Kashmir Regiment as Lieutenant Colonel in Azad Kashmir region before war studies. In 1976–78, Brig. Kakar

90-672: A way to be settled in Peshawar. His uncle, Abdur Rab Nishtar , was listed as one of the founding fathers of Pakistan who would later serve as the Governor of Punjab as well as serving as the President of Pakistan Muslim League . After graduating from local high school in 1955, Kakar went to attend the Edwardes College where he secured his graduation. He joined the Pakistan Army in 1956, and

120-530: Is commanded by a brigadier . Some brigades are independent of divisions and report either to Corps HQ or Army HQ (e.g. 111 Bde). The independent brigades include seven mechanised infantry brigades, eight armoured brigades , four artillery brigades, and nine engineer brigades: Captain There are nine corps (each including an independent signals brigade) and three corps-level formations ( Air Defence , Aviation and Strategic Forces ). In Pakistani military terminology,

150-773: The Army Medical College but he refused despite direct orders from the President General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq , as they did not meet the minimum criteria. The President then ordered the increase of overall seats from 60 to 100. In 1989, Lieutenant-General Kakar was posted as field commander of the XII Corps , stationed in Quetta . In summer of 1993, the MoD announced the names of retiring army generals who were due retirement, and such list included Lt-Gen. Kakar as he

180-730: The CGS , the QMG , and the DG ISI , opted to stay to serve on their assignments despite being overlooked for the promotions. After his appointment, a member of the National Assembly who belonged to PMPA was quoted: " the era of the Pakhtoons has begun. The president belonged to the Frontier province and so did the new Chief of Army Staff ." After assuming the command of the army as its army chief and contrary to

210-783: The Cold Start strategy of Indian Army, the army formed regional commands to protect the North—South regions by establishing the first the Southern Command in 1999 and later the Northern Command in 2008. Other active regional formations includes the Army Strategic Forces Command and the Army Air Defence Command that serves as a platform of missile defense. Regional formational commands The Pakistan Army

240-603: The brigade major of an independent infantry stationed at the Sulemanki sector , and fought against the Indian Army . His combat duty during the actions of both wars served his reputation as did scenes of major battles in the respective wars. After the war, Major Kakar was selected to attend the Command and Staff College in Canada, where he stood first in the examinations and qualified as

270-482: The 9th Infantry Division, 14th Infantry Division, and 16th Infantry Division. These divisions are still active duty with their respected Regiments. To further support the Eastern Command, the 36th Adhoc Division and 39th Adhoc Division were commissioned to support the paramilitary units and police ; and subsequently decommissioned after Eastern Command was de-activated. To address the challenges and issues faced by

300-716: The Army Staff ( COAS ) is a position in the Pakistani Army held by a four-star general . As the highest-ranking officer, it is the most powerful position in the army. This is the senior most appointment in the army who is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee in a separate capacity, usually consulting with the Chairman joint chiefs to act as a military adviser to the Prime Minister and its civilian government in

330-580: The Army Staff is based in the GHQ , and the current Chief is General Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah , serving in this capacity since 29 November 2022. The designation of the Chief of the Army Staff was created from the previous title Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army in 1972. Since 1972, there have been 10 four-star rank army generals to be appointed as chief of army staff by statute. The Prime Minister approved

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360-782: 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 Controller 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. A brigade usually comprises three or more battalions of different types and

390-645: The Pakistan 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: The Military Operations and Intelligence Directorates function under the Chief of General Staff (CGS) . A major reorganization in GHQ was done in September 2008 under General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani , when two new PSO positions were introduced:

420-619: The President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif who both were endangering national security by creating conditions that could have led to civil war. Instead of taking over power himself, the then COAS moved the Chairman Senate Waseem Sajjad constitutionally upwards to be the interim President and formed an interim government of capable technocrats, retired bureaucrats and ex-servicemen to successfully govern and oversee free and fair elections. While

450-463: The expectations of President Ghulam Ishaq, General Kakar played a decisive role in resolving the constitutional crises by securing first the resignation of President Ghulam Ishaq and later Prime Minister Sharif in 1993. This allowed the holding of the nationwide general elections that witnessed the return of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led by Benazir Bhutto , who eventually became the Prime Minister of Pakistan . During his tenure, General Kakar

480-458: The line of defending the land borders of the country. The Chief of the Army Staff exercises responsibility of command and control of the operational, combatant, logistics, and training commands within the army. The appointment, in principle, is constitutionally subjected to be for three years after the approval by the President on the recommendations of the Prime Minister. The Chief of

510-513: The military, he was popular among his colleagues as a flamboyant rider and a mountaineer. His reception as an army chief was hailed and celebrated by the Pashtuns nationalists when Mahmood Achakzai , then- MNA , reportedly remarked in the news media in 1993: " This is not a General from the Sandhurst colonial brand. I welcome an enlightened man from the rigid mountain ranges of Loralai . He has

540-628: The nomination and appointment of the Chief of Army Staff, with President confirming the Prime Minister's appointed choosing and nomination. The army leadership is based in the GHQ whose functions are supervised by the Chief of Army Staff, assisted by the civilians from the Army Secretariat of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Chief of Army Staff exercise responsibility of complete operational, training and logistics commands. There are several principle staff officers (PSO) who assist in running

570-523: The operations of the Army GHQ: Structure of the Pakistan Army The structure of the Pakistan Army is based on two distinct themes: operational and administrative. Operationally the Pakistan Army is divided into nine corps and three corps-level formations with areas of responsibility (AOR) ranging from the mountainous regions of the north to the desert and coastal regions of

600-590: The professional skills for improving the war performance of the Pakistan Army. But more than that, he is intelligent enough to comprehend politics and will promote the democratic process. General Waheed is not a religious extremist ." Published writer/author Ikram Sehgal mentioned the following in his article for Bol News, "Emulating The Kakar Model": Can the Army itself avoid its prime responsibility to confront any development endangering national security by remaining aloof from politics? The so-called “Bangladesh model” created by

630-642: The regional commands are the temporary military formations that are structure based upon the conventional corps , and troop rotations are constant and varies based on the Pakistani war strategists' calculations. The regional commands are led by the three-star rank general officer whose staff includes numbers of general officers. In past, the Eastern Command was organized at a corps -level conventional formation in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh ), consisting of

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660-570: The south. Administratively it is divided in several regiments (details below). The General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Army is located in Rawalpindi in Punjab province. It is planned to be moved to the capital city of Islamabad nearby. The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) , formerly called the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C of the Pakistan Army) , is challenged with the responsibility of commanding

690-463: The then Bangladesh COAS Gen Moyeenuddin Ahmad on June 11, 2007, was totally modelled on General Waheed Kakar’s 1993 model where not one single soldier went into civilian administration. Rescuing the political process from sliding the country into anarchy kept the army out of politics and the civil administration. In July 1993, the then COAS Pakistan Army General Waheed Kakar calmly and peacefully saw off both

720-759: The “Kakar Model” went beyond what the 90 days the Constitution allows, no one ever challenged this move, because it was done in good faith. Such was the respect for General Kakar and the Pakistan Army. (Military) (Order of Excellence) (Military) (Crescent of Excellence) (Star of Good Conduct) (War Star 1965) (War Star 1971) (War Medal 1965) (War Medal 1971) Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam (100th Birth Anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah ) 1976 (Hijri Medal) 1979 (Democracy Medal) 1988 (Resolution Day Golden Jubilee Medal) 1990 Grand Cordon ( Jordan ) Army Chief of Staff (Pakistan) The Chief of

750-532: Was also seeking the retirement. Without consulting the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif , President Ghulam Ishaq Khan nominated and approved the appointment papers of junior-most Lt-Gen. Kakar to the promotion of senior four-star rank when elevating him as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). The appointment was extremely controversial due to Lt-Gen. Kakar superseding at least six senior army generals, including: Among these listed army generals,

780-643: Was appointed as Chief of Staff of the II Corps , stationed in Multan , commanded by then- Lieutenant-General Rahimuddin Khan . In 1984, Major-General Kakar was subsequently given the command of the 16th Infantry Division in Quetta as its GOC . In 1987–89, Maj-Gen. Kakar was appointed as an Adjutant-General at the Army GHQ . At the time he was ordered to admit three students in

810-679: Was born into a Pashtun family of the Abdullah Zai (Male Zai), in the Shahab Zai Kakar tribe village of Zhob, Balochistan , in the suburbs of Peshawar , North-West Frontier Province in British India (now, Pakistan) on 23 March 1937. His tribe, Kakar , originally hailed from Zhob , Baluchistan in Pakistan , and was fluent in Pashto . His family later had migrated to North and eventually found

840-748: Was directed to attend the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul where he was expected to pass out from the academy in 1958 but was held back for a 6-month term. Eventually, Waheed gained commission in the Frontier Force Regiment in 1959 as a 2nd-Lt . His combat duty witnessed the military actions in Chawinda in Sialkot Punjab in Pakistan against the Indian Army during the conflict with India in 1965 . In 1971, Major Kakar served as

870-616: Was foiled by the Military Intelligence and the Military Police who initiated the operation to have those involved captured and arrested. In 1996, General Kakar reportedly declined the extension of his service and there was no public statement on the matter. After his retirement, he never appeared in public and lives a very quiet life in Rawalpindi. General Kakar had an imposing and robust personality that brokered no nonsense. In

900-628: Was instrumental in securing the government funding for the Shaheen project developed under the PAEC's scientists. In September 1995, General Abdul Waheed Kakar played a crucial role in sustaining the democracy by having discovered a plot by a group of army officers headed by Major-General Zahirul Islam Abbasi , acting in complicity with the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami a militant group, to assassinate him and Benazir Bhutto , to capture power. This plan

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