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All Information About PAKISTAN ARMY:

Introduction:

PAKISTAN ARMY is the ground based attacking force of PAKISTAN. The creation of the PAK ARMY goes way back to the British India that resulted in the creation of the Islamic Republic of PAKISTAN on 14th Aug, 1947. PAKISTAN ARMY has approximately 555,000 active or on-duty soldiers and nearly about 500,000 reserve soldiers.

PAK ARMY LOGO
PAK ARMY LOGO

The voluntary military service age of the country’s youth is kept at 16-23 years and soldiers are not sent to combat until he is at least about 18 years old.The primary objective of the PAKISTAN ARMY is to maintain the law and order situation in the country, to make sure the territorial integrity of its host country and to protect it against foreign aggression and all types of external threats, especially its archenemy, India.

Moreover, the constitutional responsibilities of the PAKISTAN ARMY are to conduct various humanitarian relief operations in the host country against nearly all types of natural calamities and disasters, including flooding, earthquake, etc.

PAKISTAN ARMY regularly contributes in various United Nations Peacekeeping Missions and it also played a major role in rescuing the trapped American forces from nearly a sure death at two occasions, in Bosnian War during the era of 1992-1995 and in Somalia in 1993.

Since the 1960s, several elements of the PAKISTAN ARMY were kept in various Middle East Countries that act as military advisors. Moreover, PAKISTAN ARMY has also chiefly contributed in various events of 1960s, Arab-Israeli War along side with the PAKISTAN AIR FORCE.

The PAKISTAN ARMY is divided into various Command Zones that act as the basic ground of the Corps. According to the constitution of PAKISTAN, the Commander-in-Chief of the PAKISTAN ARMY is the acting President of the country.

By ranks, the PAKISTAN ARMY is led by senior 4 Star General as CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF (COAS) or ARMY CHIEF. The Army Chief of the country is also the senior member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee is appointed by the Prime Minister of the country and it is endorsed by the President of the country. Currently, the command of the PAKISTAN ARMY is led by the Four Star General, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who was appointed the CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF (COAS) on 29th Nov, 2016, succeeded the PAKISTA’s beloved General Raheel Sharif NI(M), HI(M).

History of PAKISTAN ARMY:

The traces of the PAKISTAN ARMY go way back to the division of the British Indian Army on the basis of ethnic and religious influence on the different areas in Subcontinent. Due to the biased, unholy and discriminatory approach of the Chandulal Madhavlal Trivedi, who was a civil servant in British india, has made sure that the strong 260,000 soldiers would be given to India, while newly created PAKISTAN would be given about 150,000 soldiers at the time on independence on the night of 14/15 August of 1947.

PAKISTAN ARMY 1947
FOUNDER OF PAKISTAN, QUAID E AZAM MUHAMMAD ALI JINNAH IS MEETING WITH THE SOLDIERS OF NEWLY BORN COUNTRY

Right from the beginning, the British and Indian Government tried its level best keep to deprive PAKISTAN from keeping and creating a strong Army. Due to this very reason, the starting years on the total command and control of this new nation Army were extremely difficult. Moreover, the British and Indian monopoly also showed their discriminatory and biased approach during the distribution of military hardware and regiments.

The newly born country, PAKISTAN received only 8 infantry, 8 artillery and only 6 armored regiments along with 150,000 soldiers, while its adversary, India gets 21 infantry, 40 artillery and 12 armored regimens that were almost twice in number from PAKISTAN. Moreover, a number of commanding positions were retained by the British Army officers that were led by the Lieutenant General Frank Messervy, who served as the very first Commander-in-Chief.

In 1947, India sent troops illegally to hold the Kashmir and this led to the first ever Indo-PAKISTANI war of 1947. The intervention of the UN resulted in dividing the Kashmir by giving the Northwestern parts to PAKISTAN, while leaving the rest with India. During the 1950s, PAKISTAN ARMY signed a two mutual defense treaties with the US and UK that resulted in a large amount of military and economic aid from these countries.

The mutual defense treaties also led to the formation of SEATO (South Asia Treaty Organization and CENTO (Central Treaty Organization) in 1950s. This aid helps to expand the horizon of PAKISTAN ARMY both in numbers and military hardware.

War at Rann of Kutch in 1965.

The political instability forced the PAKISTAN ARMY to take control of the Government and the General Muhammad Ayub Khan came to power as very first military leader of the country through a bloodless coup in 1958.

The ear of 1960s witnessed the series of border skirmishes between PAKISTAN and India and it was led to the brief Rann of Kutch war in 1965. The Indian Army declares war against PAKISTAN on the night of 6th Sep, 1965.

PAK ARMY PRAYING DURING 1965 WAR
Brave PAKISTANI Soldiers are offering Prayers during the War MASHALLAH

Indian forces began to move towards PAKISTANI Punjab province and they’ve almost reached at the door of Lahore. The Indian Army captured 360-500 Square Kilometers PAKISTANI land near the outskirts of Lahore.

PAK ARMY 1965 WAR
PAKISTAN ARMY Victory Sign of 1965 War

At that time the proud PAKISTANI began to fight with their Soldier brothers against the Indian Aggression. The people began to tie a bomb on their body and lay under the Indian tanks to destroy them.

PAK ARMY 1865 WAR WITH PAF
Brave PAKISTAN AIR FORCE Pilot during 1965 PAKISTAN india War

Hundreds of Indian tanks were destroyed in this way and Indian soldiers began to run back by leaving their Tanks stationed there. Thousands of Indian soldiers killed during the war. That was the humiliating defeat of the Indian forces by brave PAKISTANI nation and its forces.

The intervention of the United Nations led to the halted of the war on the both the sides. PAKISTAN ARMY captured 550 square kilometers of Indian Territory during that conflict. Notably, 8 Pass Charlie also stun the indian air force with its lethal moves.

8-Pass Charlie Main Picture
PAKISTAN AIR FORCE 8-Pass Charlie Canberra Aircraft

1980 AFGHAN WAR:

During the 1980s, PAKISTAN ARMY worked with the United States to equip and train the Afghan Mujahideen who were fighting against the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan.

ISI INSIGNIA HD
INSIGNIA OF PAKISTAN’S PREMIER MOST RESPECTED AND FEARED INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, INTER-SERVICES INTELLIGENCE (ISI)

PAKISTAN ARMY also provided weapons and critical intelligence assistance that helped the Afghan Mujahideen to continue their fight against foreign aggression.

AFGHAN MUJHAIDEENS ARE OFFERING PRAYERS DURING WAR TIME
AFGHAN MUJHAIDEENS ARE OFFERING PRAYERS DURING WAR TIME

This entire program was systematically controlled and executed by PAKISTAN’s premier Intelligence Agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

AFGHAN MUJHAIDEEN STANDING ON A CAPTURED SOVIET ARMORED VEHICLE
AFGHAN MUJHAIDEEN STANDING ON A CAPTURED SOVIET ARMORED VEHICLE

During that era, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE also engages in this War with the co-ordination and support of Afghan Air Force.

AFGHAN MUHIDEEN WITH STINGER LAUNCHER
AFGHAN MUHIDEENS WITH STINGER LAUNCHER

The successful co-ordination and active participation of the PAKISTAN Armed forces along with the ISI has resulted the division of the USSR in 20 different countries and it ended in the humiliated defeat of the Soviet Union.

LAST TROOPS OF THE SOVIET ARMY CROSSES THE BRIDGE TO COME HOME FROM DEFEAT IN AFGHANISTAN
LAST BATCH OF TROOPS OF THE SOVIET ARMY CROSSES THE BRIDGE TO COME HOME FROM HUMILIATING DEFEAT IN AFGHANISTAN

First Gulf War:

PAKISTAN ARMY also chiefly contributed for the defense of Saudia Arabia during the first Gulf War. PAKISTAN ARMY deployed a regiment of 153 SP Air Defense Command in Tabuk.

First Gulf War Pictures
First Gulf War Pictures

This Air Defense Regiment has saved the Saudia Arabia from being attacked by a number of Iraqi Scuds missiles.

FIRST GULF WAR
FIRST GULF WAR

The PAKISTAN ARMY actively participated in the war by proving round the clock total Air Defense Protection to the soldiers of Saudia Arabia that were positioned in the area in large numbers.

Yugoslavian and Bosnian Wars:

During the Yugoslav and Bosnian wars, PAKISTAN sent its UN peacekeeping mission in the war area and supported Bosnia by providing critical technical and military support to the Bosnian Mujahideen.

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ISI INSIGNIA HD
INSIGNIA OF PAKISTAN’S PREMIER INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, INTER-SERVICES INTELLIGENCE (ISI)

According to the reports, PAKISTAN sent almost 90,000 of its personnel to the war area. PAKISTANs premier Intelligence Agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) actively participated in the war.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA SHOWING THEIR MILITARY POWER DURING WAR
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA SHOWING THEIR MILITARY POWER DURING WAR

PAKISTAN’S Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) run an active intelligence gathering program, primarily, military intelligence, which was started in 1992 and lasts till 1995.

MUJAHIDEEN IN BOSNIA
MUJAHIDEEN IN BOSNIA

This active military intelligence program resulted in the systematic co-ordination and distribution of arms, ammunition to warring parties, Bosnian Mujahideen during the war.

7TH MUSLIM BRIGADE MARCHING DURING BOSNIAN WAR
7TH MUSLIM BRIGADE MARCHING DURING BOSNIAN WAR

With the active support and participation of the ISI, the Bosnian Mujahideen managed to defeat the aggressor, Serbs and it resulted to end the Siege of Sarajevo.

Participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Missions:

PAKISTAN ARMY has served in a number of peacekeeping missions under the banner of the United Nations.

GENERAL RAHEEL SHARIF ADDRESSING THE PAK ARMY UN MISSION
COAS GENERAL RAHEEL SHARIF ADDRESSING THE PAK ARMY UN MISSION

The total number of PAKISTANI soldiers participated in UN peacekeeping mission is around 7533, in august 2015.

PAK SSG MISSION IN UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION
PAK SSG MISSION IN UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION

It is the biggest number of participants among the contribution from the rest of the countries of the world.

PAK ARMY SSG SOLDIERS IN UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION
PAK ARMY SSG SOLDIERS IN UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION

PAKISTAN ARMY has participated in following UN Peacekeeping Missions in different countries that are mentioned below:

  1. United Nations Operation in Congo (ONUC) during 1960-1964
  2. United Nations Security Force in New Guinea during 1962-63
  3. United Nations Yemen Observer Mission (UNYOM) during 1963-64
  4. United Nations Transition Assistance Group in Namibia (UNTAG) during 1989-90
  5. United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM) during 1991-2003
  6. United Nations Missions in Haiti (UNIMIH) during 1993-96
  7. United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) during 1992-93
  8. United Nations Operations in Somalia (UNOSOM) during 1992-95
  9. United Nations Protection Forces in Bosnia (UNPROFOR) during 1992-95
  10. United Nations Observer Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) during 1993-96
  11. United Nations Verification Mission in Angola (UNAVEM III) during 1995-97
  12. United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES) during 1996-97
  13. United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP) during 1996-2002
  14. United Nations Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) 2001-05
  15. United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) 1999-till date
  16. United Nations Interim Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) 1999-till date
  17. United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) during 1999-till date
  18. United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) during 2003-till date
  19. United Nations Operations in Burundi (ONUB) during 2004-till date
  20. United Nations Operations in Côte D’Ivoire (UNOCI) during 2004-till date
  21. United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) during 2005-till date

Command and Structure of PAKISTAN ARMY:

By statute, the Supreme Commander of the PAKISTAN ARMED FORCES is the acting president of the country. The Highest military officer of the PAKISTAN ARMY is a four star General named as the CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF (COAS) or ARMY CHIEF.

PAK ARMY BADGES COMPLETE
PAK ARMY RANK BADGES

Another four star General acted as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF (COAS) also acted as the operational and field commander and it directs all the combat and non-combat operation by PAKISTAN ARMY from the General Headquarters based in Rawalpindi, PAKISTAN.

The CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF(COAS) is assisted by a number of high ranking officers, including the Principal Staff Officer (PSO) and Chief of General Staff (CGS). The Chief of General Staff coordinates all the military operation conducted by the PAK ARMY and he also co-ordinates all the functions of the Intelligence Directorates.

Another high level military officers include the Adjutant General (AG), the Chief of Logistics Staff (CLS), the Inspector General Training and Evaluation (IGT and E), the Quarter-Master General (QMG), the Engineer in Chief, the Military Secretary, the Inspector General Communications and IT and the Inspector General Arms.

The General Headquarter also includes the Engineer-in-Chief of the Corps of Engineer. The Corps of Engineers also controls the Military Engineering Service (MES) and the Corps of Engineer reports to the acting Chief of the Army Staff (COAS).

Rank of Commissioned Officers:

The basic structure of the PAKISTAN ARMY is based on the very structure on the model of the British Army. The basic PAKISTAN ARMY structure includes the Commissioned Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and the Junior Commissioned Officers.

PAKISTAN ARMY BADGES
PAKISTAN ARMY BADGES

All the Non-Commissioned Officers of the PAKISTAN ARMY wear the different color and patterns chevrons on their right sleeve. All the battalions and Company also wear the badges on their right wrist.

Structure of the PAKISTAN ARMY Commissioned Officers Ranks:

(From Ascending to Descending order:

  1. Second Lieutenant (SLt)
  2. Lieutenant (Lt)
  3. Captain (Capt)
  4. Major (Maj)
  5. Lieutenant-Colonel (Lt.Col)
  6. Colonel (Col)
  7. Brigadier (Brig)
  8. Major-General
  9. Lieutenant-General (Lt-Gen)
  10. General (Gen)

Structure of the PAKISTAN ARMY Non-Commissioned Officers Ranks:

  1. QR-1
  2. Sepoy (QR-2)
  3. Lance Naik (QR-3)
  4. Naik (NK) (QR-4)
  5. Havildar (Hav) (QR-5)
  6. Company Quartermaster Havildar (CQMH) (QR-6)
  7. Company Havildar Major (CQMH) (QR-7)
  8. Battalion Quartermaster Havildar (BQMH) (QR-8)
  9. Battalion Havildar Major (BHM) (QR-9)

Structure of the PAKISTAN ARMY Junior Commissioned Officers Ranks:

  1. Naib Subedar (For Infantry and other type of Arms)
  2. Naib Risaldar (For Cavalry and Armor)
  3. Subedar (For Army and Infantry)
  4. Risaldar (For Armor and Cavalry)
  5. Subedar Major (For Arms and Infantry)
  6. Risaldar (For Armor and Cavalry)

Subdivision of PAKISTAN ARMY:

The PAKISTAN ARMY is further divided into two different branches as the Arms and Services.

  1. Arms:

The Arms division of the PAKISTAN ARMY includes all the combatant divisions of the PAKISTAN ARMY. It includes:

  1. Armored
  2. Infantry
  3. Artillery
  4. Air Defense
  5. Signals
  6. Aviation
  7. Airborne
  8. Chemical
  9. Engineers
  1. Services:

The Services Division of the PAKISTAN ARMY includes the following main branches:

  1. Military Police (MP)
  2. Military Intelligence
  3. Army Services Corps (ASC)
  4. Medical
  5. Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME)
  6. Dental
  7. Ordinance
  8. Information and Communication Technology
  9. Remount Veterinary and Farms
  10. JAG Branch
  11. Army Education Corps (AEC)
  12. Clerical

Operational Commands of the PAKISTAN ARMY:

During peacetime, the PAK ARMY usually operates two commands. Each Command is headed by a General Officer Commanding-in-Chief who is a senior 3 Star Lieutenant General (Lt. Gen.) Both of the commands are directly reports to the General Headquarters (GHQ) based in Rawalpindi, PAKISTAN.

Two new commands have also been formed in the PAKISTAN ARMY namely as the Southern Command and the Northern Command.

The Southern Command basically controlled the PAKISTAN’s Southern part, while the Northern Command is being raised and will control the northern part of PAKISTAN.

  • Corps: 

A Corp is basically a formation of ARMY field and it is responsible for a respective zone or region within the command theatre. PAKISTAN ARMY consists of basically 3 different types of Corps, including the Strike Corps, Holding Corps and Mixed Corps.

The command of the PAKISTAN ARMY generally includes two or more corps. A corps consists of a number of ARMY divisions under its direct command. The highest field formation of the PAK ARMY is the Corps HQ.

Main Corps Commanders Conference
CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF GENERAL QAMAR BAJWA MEETING WITH CORPS COMMANDERS OF PAKISTAN ARMY

The PAKISTAN ARMY totally consists of 10 corps and from which 9 corps consists of a mix of Armored, Infantry, Artillery and Mechanized divisions. While, the 10th Corps includes the mix of Strategic Forces Command, Aviation and Air Defense it is considered as the entirely separate and different Corps from the other nine Corps. This Strategic Forces Command Corps is chiefly responsible for the training and deployment of PAKISTAN’s Nuclear Assets, including Missiles.

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Peace Time Allocation of Commands and Corps:

  • Central Command:

It is located at Kharian. It further includes:

  1. I Corps:

It’s headquarter is located at the Mangla Cantonment. It further includes:

  1. 6th Armored Division: It is headquartered at Gujranwala
  2. 17th Infantry Division: It is headquartered at Kharian
  • 37th Infantry Division:
  1. 11th Independent Armored Brigade:
  2. Independent Air Defense Brigade
  3. Independent Artillery Brigade:
  • Independent Infantry Brigade
FLAG OF CORPS COMMANDER 1 UNIT MANGLA
FLAG OF CORPS COMMANDER 1 UNIT MANGLA
  1. IV Corps:

Its headquarter is located in the Provincial Capital of Punjab, Lahore. It further includes:

  1. 10th Infantry Division: Based at Lahore
  2. 11th Infantry Division: Based at Lahore
  • Independent Artillery Brigade
  1. 3rd Independent Armored Brigade
  2. 212th Infantry Brigade
FLAG OF CORPS COMMANDER UNIT 4 LAHORE
FLAG OF CORPS COMMANDER UNIT 4 LAHORE
  1. XXX Corps: 

It is located in Gujranwala. It further includes:

  1. 2nd Artillery Division: It’s headquarter is located at Gujranwala
  2. 8th Infantry Division: Headquarter located at Sialkot
  • 15th Infantry Division: Headquarter located at Sialkot
  1. 54th Independent Infantry Brigade: Headquarter located in Sialkot
  2. 2nd Armored Brigade
  3. Independent Artillery Brigade

 

  • Southern Command:

The headquarter of the Southern Command is located in the Provincial Capital of Baluchistan, Quetta

  1. II Corps: Its Headquarter is located at Quetta. It further includes:

 

  1. 1st Armored Division: It’s headquarter is located at Multan
  2. 14th Infantry Division: It’s headquarter is located at Okara
  • 40th Infantry Division: It’s headquarter is also located at OKARA
  1. Independent Air Defense Brigade
  2. Independent Armored Brigade
  3. Independent Infantry Brigade
  • Independent Artillery Brigade

 

  1. IV Corps:

    It’s headquarter is located at Provincial Capital of Sindh, Karachi

  1. 16th Infantry Division: Its headquarter is located at Pano Aqil
  2. 18th Infantry Division: its headquarter is situated at Hyderabad
  • 25th Mechanized Division: Its headquarter is based at Malir Cantonment
  1. 2nd Armored Brigade
  2. 31st Mechanized Brigade
  3. Independent Artillery Brigade
FLAG OF CORPS COMMANDER UNIT 4 KARACHI
FLAG OF CORPS COMMANDER UNIT 4 KARACHI
  1. XII Corps:

Its headquarter is also located in the Baluchistan Provincial Capital, Quetta. It further includes:

  1. 33rd Infantry Division: Its headquarter is located at Quetta
  2. 41st Infantry Division: Headquartered at Quetta
  • Independent Infantry Brigade: Its headquarter is located at Turbat, Baluchistan

 

  1. XXXI Corps:

Its headquarter is located in Bahawalpur. It further includes:

  1. 26th Mechanized Division: Its Headquarter is located at Bahawalpur
  2. 35th Infantry Division: Its headquarter is located at Bahawalpur
  • 101st Independent Infantry Brigade
  1. 13th Independent Armored Brigade
FLAG OF CORPS COMMANDER UNIT 2 MULTAN
FLAG OF CORPS COMMANDER UNIT 2 MULTAN
  1. X Corps:

Its headquartered is situated in Rawalpindi, PAKISTAN

  1. 12th Infantry Division: It headquarter is situated at Murree
  2. 19th Infantry Division: Its headquarter is located at Mangla
  • 23rd Infantry Division: Its headquarter is located at Jhelum
  1. Force Command Northern Command: Its headquarter is located at Gilgit
  2. 34th Light Infantry Division (SSD): Its headquarter is situated at Rawalpindi
  3. 8th Armored Brigade: Its headquarter is located at Kharian
  • 111th Infantry Brigade: it’s headquarter is located at Rawalpindi
  • Independent Artillery Brigade
FLAG OF CORPS COMMANDER UNIT 10 RAWALPINDI
FLAG OF CORPS COMMANDER UNIT 10 RAWALPINDI

 

  1. XI Corps:

Its headquarter is located in the KPK Provincial Capital, Peshawar. It further includes:

  1. 7th Infantry Division: Its headquarter is located at Peshawar
  2. 9th Infantry Division: Its headquarter is situated at Kohat
FLAG OF CORPS COMMANDER UNIT 11 PESHAWAR
FLAG OF CORPS COMMANDER UNIT 11 PESHAWAR
  • Other Commands of the PAKISTAN ARMY:

  1. Army Air Defense Command: Its headquarter is situated in Rawalpindi. It further includes:

 

  1. 3rd Air Defense Division: its headquarter is situated at Sargodha
  2. 4th Air Defense Division: Its headquarter is located at Malir

 

  1. Army Strategic Forces Command: Its headquarter is located at Rawalpindi

 

  1. Strategic Forces North (SFN): It is located at Sargodha
  2. Strategic Forces South (SFS): It is located at Petaro

Other Field Formations of the PAKISTAN ARMY:

  • Division:

The division of the PAKISTAN ARMY can simply be termed as the intermediate between the Corps of the Army and its Brigade. The largest striking force of the ARMY is the division. Each division of the PAKISTAN ARMY is lead by General Officer Commander (GOC) who has the rank of Major General.

PAKISTAN ARMY FORMATION LIST
PAKISTAN ARMY FORMATION LIST

The division of the PAKISTAN ARMY consists of about 14,000-15,000 combat troops and about 7,000-8,000 support elements. Currently, the PAKISTAN ARMY has 30 divisions, including the 19 Infantry Division, 2 Mechanized Division, 1 Light Infantry Division, 2 Artillery Division, 2 Armored Divisions, 2 Strategic Divisions and an Air Defense division. Each division of the PAKISTAN ARMY consists of several Brigades.

  • Brigade:

A Brigade of the PAKISTAN ARMY usually consists of 3000 combat soldiers along with several supporting elements. Usually 3 battalions of the PAKISTAN ARMY included in an infantry brigade. The Infantry battalion consists of several supports of the different services and arms.

The Infantry Battalion of the PAKISTAN ARMY is headed by the senior military officer with a rank of Brigadier.

PAKISTAN ARMY also managed other brigades as the 7th Independent Armored Brigades, 5 Independent Artillery Brigades, 3 Anti-Tank Brigades and 3 Independent Infantry Brigades. All the three independent Brigades are controlled directly by the Corps Commander of the General Officer Commanding Corps (GOC Corps).

  • Regiment:

A regiment of the PAKISTAN ARMY is usually commanded by the senior military officer with a rank of Colonel.

  • Battalion:

A battalion of the PAKISTAN ARMY is commanded by the senior military office with a rank of Lieutenant Colonel (Lt. Col). Almost 900 combat troops are headed by the Battalion.

  • Company:

The company of the PAKISTAN ARMY is usually headed by a military officer with a rank of Captain or Major. Normally, the company of the PAKISTAN ARMY consists of 130-150 combat troops.

  • Platoon:

Platoon of the PAKISTAN ARMY usually consists of the 30-36 combat troops and it is headed by Lieutenant from the commissioned officers and if he is not available, then it is headed by Junior Commissioned Officer with the rank of Subedar or Naib-Subedar.

  • Sections:

The section is considered as the smallest contingent of the PAKISTAN ARMY that usually consists of 9-13 combat troops and it is usually commanded by the both the commissioned or Non-Commissioned officers with the rank of Major or Subedar Major.

Regiments of the PAKISTAN ARMY:

The PAKISTAN ARMY regiment usually consists of several Battalions in an Infantry Regiment.

FLAG OF PAKISTAN ARMY INFANTRY CORPS FLAG
FLAG OF PAKISTAN ARMY INFANTRY CORPS FLAG

The Infantry Regiment is not the field formation of the PAKISTAN ARMY and it is usually considered as the administrative military branch of the PAKISTAN ARMY. The different regiments of the PAKISTAN ARMY usually include:

  • Punjab Regiment: Its Regimental Centre is located at Mardan, KPK, PAKISTAN
  • Baloch Regiment: Its Regimental Centre is located at Abbottabad, KPK, PAKISTAN
  • Frontier Force Regiment: Its Regimental Centre is also situated at Abbottabad, KPK, PAKISTAN
  • Azad Kashmir Regiment: Its Regimental Centre is located at Mansar, Punjab, PAKISTAN
  • Sind Regiment: Its Regimental Centre is located at Hyderabad, Sindh, PAKISTAN
  • Northern Light Infantry: Its Regimental Centre is located at Gilgit, Gilgit Baltistan, PAKISTAN

Special Forces of the PAKISTAN ARMY:

The PAKISTAN ARMY has an elite Commando Unit known as the Special Services Group (SSG).

SSG LOGO
LOGO OF PAKISTAN ARMY SPECIAL SERVICES GROUP (SSG)
PAKISTAN ARMY SSG SOLDIERS
PAKISTAN ARMY SSG SOLDIERS

It is the top of the line Commando Unit of the country and it is similar to US Army Green Berets or British Army’s Special Air Service (SAS).

PAKISTAN ARMY SSG
PAKISTAN ARMY SSG

The Special Services Group (SSG) are also known by their nickname as the Blackstorks which was given to them by the Russian Elite Commando Unit, Spetsnaz during the Afganistan-Soviet war in 1980-90s.

PAKISTAN SSG PERSONNELS
PAKISTAN SSG PERSONNELS
PAKISTAN ARMY SSG ZARRA COMPANY SOLDIERS
PAKISTAN ARMY SSG ZARRA COMPANY SOLDIERS

Combat Doctrine of PAKISTAN ARMY:

The PAKISTAN ARMY has developed a combat doctrine called the limited “offensive-Defense” doctrine. The PAKISTAN ARMY doctrine has been developed and fully focused by keeping in view its archenemy, India. Some important factors of this doctrine are as under:

  1. A large number of PAKISTAN urban areas and its population centers are situated very close to the Indian border, so it is always vulnerable to a full scale Indian attack and India can gain access to its urban territories.
  2. The friendly and cordial relations with Afghanistan are imperative for strategic depth and long-term peace in the region.
  3. India has developed Cold Start Doctrine that has increased its offensive capabilities tremendously. This has led to the development of the PAKISTAN State of the art Tactical Nuclear Weapons (TNW), including the NAS’R Missile.
  4. In a time of full conflict with India, all the PAKISTANI ARMED FORCES could be mobilized in less than 24 hours due to the shorter distance, whereas its counterpart, Indian forces would require 24-72 hours at least to get their maximum strength in terms of troops and arms.

The Combat Doctrine of the PAKISTAN ARMY further reveals that if India showed any aggression, then the PAKISTANI side would not wait for any longer and PAKISTAN ARMED FORCES would launch a large scale offensive of its own.

The offensive that would be launched by the PAKISTAN ARMY also included the capturing of enemy territory by going deep into enemy lands for about 40-50 kilometers. Since, the Indian armed forces will not reach their maximum strength unite the gap of 1-3 days, so PAKISTAN would be in a better position to hold the commanding stick in the war.

The PAKISTAN ARMED FORCES hopes to achieve three strategic goals under this strategy as:

  1. Since, the launched of a full scale attack by the PAKISTAN ARMED FORCES, the Indian forces would not go for offensive and the Indian forces will solely focus on retake the lands captured by the PAKISTAN ARMED FORCES.
  1. The PAKISTAN ARMY hopes to take the war on the other side of the border, so that the consequences of any collateral damage would only be suffered by its adversary, India.
  1. The capturing of Indian lands will give PAKISTAN ARMY the commanding stick for negotiation after the implementation of ceasefire due to international pressure.

The areas around the Line of Control (LOC) which includes the Northern Punjab and Sindh areas are heavily militarized zones, so these areas would be totally ill-fated for a large scale offensive by india.

The area that is most likely to hold the conflict between the two sides probably would be semi and full desert areas of the Sindh Province and the parts of the Southern Punjab.

In 1990, the PAKISTAN ARMY has created a state of the art central Corps of reserves for all of its formations. This powerful reserve force of the PAKISTAN ARMY is known as the Army Reserve South and it is consists of the different power Corps from the PAKISTAN’s ARMY Order of Battle.

All of the formations included in the Army Reserve South are provided with the state of the art weaponry and other assets that needed by them to enhance its mechanized capability.

One of the best features of the Army Reserve South is that they trained for both-purposes, they can launch and offensive by going deep inside enemy territory and they can also be used to hold the enemy or defensive purposes.

Moreover, the PAKISTAN ARMED FORCES have also increased its warring assets, including the fuel, ammo and other military hardware to last for at least 45 days during a full conflict with India.  

Selection Procedures for Officers Ranks:

The PAKISTAN ARMY inducts about 650 men through its prestigious military academy, known as the PAKISTAN MILITARY ACADEMY (PMA) which is situated at Kakul, Abbottabad, KPK, PAKISTAN.

PAKISTAN MILITARY ACADEMY KAKUL
PAKISTAN MILITARY ACADEMY (PMA) KAKUL, ABBOTTABAD
PMA Kakul Flag
FLAG OF PAKISTAN MILITARY ACADEMY KAKUL (PMA KAKUL)

From the total strength of 650 men, a small number of Doctors, Technicians, Engineers and other specialists are inducted in PAKISTAN ARMY’s Medical Corps, EME, Signal and Engineers.

PMA KAKUL
PMA KAKUL CADETS

All the candidates are selected after a very robust selection procedure and the dropout rate is usually very high.

SOLDIERS DURING PASSING OUT PARADE IN PMA KAKUL
SOLDIERS DURING PASSING OUT PARADE IN PMA KAKUL

After the selection, all the candidates would require to acquire military training and to undertake various academic works to improve their skills.

PAKISTAN’s ARMY Academic Institutions:

The PAKISTAN ARMY operates and manages around 12 different prestigious schools, training centers and educational centers that provide centric, practical training to improve different skills such as intelligence, infantry, artillery, mountain warfare and Engineering.

One of the prestigious institutions is the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) that provide that has maintained its high standard in providing quality education in various disciplines, including the Electrical Engineering, Medicine, Signals and so on.

EMBLEM OF NUST UNIVERSITY
EMBLEM OF NUST UNIVERSITY
NUST CAMPUS
NUST CAMPUS

The top of the line and the world renowned training institute of the PAKISTAN ARMY is the Command and Staff College which is located in Quetta, PAKISTAN.

EMBLEM OF COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE QUETTA
EMBLEM OF COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE QUETTA

This prestigious institute of PAKISTAN offered 10 months course in tactics, administration, staff duties and command functions. This school is attended by various countries, including the Muslim countries.

PICTURE OF COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE QUETTA
PICTURE OF COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE QUETTA

Another quality training institute maintained by the PAKISTAN ARMY is the National Defense University (NDU) which is situated in Islamabad, PAKISTAN. This prestigious training institute was established in 1970’s and it provides strategic training for high level and senior military officers.

NDU LOGO
LOGO OF NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY (NDU)

A number of high level military officers of the PAKISTAN ARMY, including the Major, Colonel and Brigadier educate themselves about the broad range of political, social, strategic and the factors affecting the national security of PAKISTAN.

The PAKISTAN ARMED FORCES also sent its officers to other friendly countries for higher education in war and strategic studies, including the CHINA, TURKEY, UK, US and Commonwealth countries.

More than 350 PAKISTAN ARMED FORCES are serving in various foreign countries. The age of retirement in the PAKISTAN ARMY rests between the 52 and 60 years, depending on their rank and duties.

Domain of Science and Technology:

Apart from war, military and strategic studies, the PAKISTAN ARMY also manages and maintains a state of the art Science and Technology Corps and training institutes.

The top of the line training institute of the PAKISTAN ARMY for science and technology is the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (EME), Corps of Engineers, Military Engineering Service (MES) and Frontier Works Organization (FWO).

CEME CAMPUS PIC
Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (CEME) CAMPUS PIC

The primary military organization of the PAKISTAN ARMY is the ARMY STRATEGIC FORCE COMMAND (ASFC) that conducts researches on Nuclear and sensitive military hardware used in the satellite or space.

All the PAK ARMY officers who express their desire for higher studies are enrolled in the Military College of Engineering and College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (CEME) where the students taught the high level military and scientific education.

EMBLEM OF PAK ARMY CEME
EMBLEM OF PAK ARMY CEME

All of these colleges are also open to civilians to graduate with various science and engineering degrees and to serve the nation afterwards.

Uniform of the PAKISTAN ARMY:

The PAKISTAN ARMY has introduced arid camouflage pattern in their regular uniform. There are some changes made to the qualification badges as their sizes were resized considerably and all the ranks of military personnel are embroidered on the chest.

The name of the PAK ARMY Personnel is displayed on the right side; whereas the right side shows the different achievements earned by the PAK ARMY Personnel. The flag of the PAKISTAN is neatly placed over the black embroidered formation sign on the left arm of the personnel.

GENERAL RAHEEL SHARIF IS FIRING A GUN IN NEW PAK ARMY UNIFORM
GENERAL RAHEEL SHARIF IS FIRING A GUN IN NEW PAK ARMY UNIFORM

The Uniform of the PAKISTAN ARMY elite commando unit, the Special Forces Group (SSG) is American Woodland Camouflage pattern. The Anti-Terrorist unit of the SSG known as the ZARRAR COMPANY and it wear black dungarees during the operation.

Highest Military Award of the PAKISTAN ARMY:

The highest military award of the PAKISTAN ARMY is known as the NISHAAN-E-HAIDER which means Sign of the Lion.

PAK ARMY NISHAAN E HAIDAR AWARD
PAK ARMY NISHAAN E HAIDAR AWARD

The NISHAAN-E-HAIDER given by the PAKISTAN ARMY is equivalent to the Victoria Cross of UK and Medal of Honor of US. So far, PAKISTAN ARMY has awarded 11 NISHAAN-E-HAIDER to its Shaheed soldiers and all of the soldiers have embraced martyrdom during different engagement and battles with india. 

Recipients of the PAKISTAN ARMY NISHAAN E HAIDER:

  1. CAPTAIN RAJA MUHAMMAD SARWAR SHAHEED during the First Kashmir War in 1947
  2. NAIK SAIF ALI JANJUA SHAHEED during Indo-PAK War of 1948
  3. MAJOR TUFAIL MUHAMMAD SHAHEED during Indo-PAK War of 1958
  4. MAJOR ABDUL AZIZ BHATTI SHAHEED during Indo-PAK war of 1965
  5. PILOT OFFICER RASHID MINHAS SHAHEED during Indo-PAK war of 1971
  6. MAJOR SHABBIR SHARIF SHAHEED during Indo-PAK War of 1971
  7. SAWAR MUHMMAD HUSSAIN JANJUA SHAHEED during Indo-PAK War of 1971
  8. MAJOR MUHAMMAD AKRAM SHAHEED during Indo-PAK War of 1971
  9. LANCE NAIK MUHAMMAD MAHFOOZ SHAHEED during Indo-PAK of 1971
  10. CAPTAIN KERNAL SHER KHAN SHAHEED during Kargil War of 1999
  11. HAVALDAR LALAK JAN SHAHEED during Kargil War of 1999
RECIPIENTS OF PAKISTAN NISHAAN E HAIDER AWARD
RECIPIENTS OF PAKISTAN NISHAAN E HAIDER AWARD

Military Equipment used by PAKISTAN ARMY:

The PAKISTAN ARMY uses a wide range of military weapons and equipments, including the semi and automatic small arms, self propelled artillery, MLRS system, Air Defense System and so on.

PAKISTAN MISSILE PARADE
LETHAL PAKISTAN MISSILES

A quantity of the military equipment is imported by PAKISTAN from its all weather and brotherly country, CHINA. In fact, the biggest portion of CHINESE defense product exports goes mainly to its iron-friend ally, PAKISTAN.

PAK ARMY STRATEGIC FORCES
PAK ARMY STRATEGIC FORCES

PAKISTAN ARMY has state of the art Air Defense System, Self-propelled Artillery, Main Battle Tanks and ATGMS. By the Grace of ALLAH ALMIGHT, PAKISTAN has now manufactured about 80-90% of weapons in its own country and PAKISTAN has now self-sufficient in these types of Weapons.

PAK ARMY M110A2 Self Propelled Howitzer
PAK ARMY M110A2 Self Propelled Howitzer

Next, PAKISTAN is still relying on its Iron Brother CHINA for Weapons with Sophisticated Technology and CHINA easily gave PAKISTAN Transfer of Technology (ToT), which enabled the PAKISTANI Scientists and Engineers to manufacture the sophisticated weapons and devices in the country.

Moreover, PAKISTAN has also increases the production capacity of its ammo building factories significantly in recent years and these factories provide weapons for PAKISTAN’s Civil and Armed forces for their domestic needs.

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