Pakistan Army

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 state of Kashmir, irregulars, scouts and tribal groups joined the Kashmiris opposing the maharaja in 1947. This lead to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.[verification needed] Regular army units joined the invasion later on but were stopped after the refusal of the Pakisatan army C-in-C to obey Pakistani leader Jinnah's orders to move the army into Kashmir. Ceasefire followed on UN intervention with Pakistan occupying the northwestern part of Kashmir and India the rest. Later, during the 1950s, the Pakistani Army received large amounts of economic and military aid from United States and Great Britain after signing two Mutual Defense Treaties, Central Treaty Organization, (Cento) also known as the Baghdad Pact and SEATO, (South East Asian Treaty Organization) in 1954. This aid greatly expanded the Army from its modest beginnings.

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

1958 - 1969

The Army seized control of Pakistan for the first time when General Ayub Khan came to power through a bloodless coup in 1958. Tensions with India continued in the 1960s and a brief border skirmish was fought near the Rann of Kutch area during April 1965, in which the Indian Army was repulsed with heavy 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 90,000 Pakistani Armed forces personnel (army, air force and navy) around 40,000 government and civil employees surrendered (which is the highest number of POW's after World War II)to the Indian forces and Bangladesh became a republic. Consequently, the Pakistan army was modernized at a faster pace than ever before.

1977 - 1999

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.At that time General Mohammad Iqbal Khan was an other great general of Pakistan who served as a joint chief from 1980 to 1984.he was also the Chief Martial Law Officer at that time.if general zia ul haq would have resigned at that time he would be the next COAS.

Pakistani army also helped the Saudi Arabian Government in regaining the control of the Kaaba with the help of French Commandos. Pakistani and French security forces retook 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 CIA sponsored Afghan Mujahideen (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, overthrew a democratically elected government which resulted in additional sanctions being placed against Pakistan, resulting in General Pervez Musharraf coming to power in a bloodless coup. Musharraf stepped down as President in August 2008. On July 30, 2009, the Pakistan Supreme Court ruled that General Musharraf's imposition of the Emergency Rule in 2007 was unconstitutional.

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

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

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

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

Pakistan Army Role in Peacekeeping

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







The Pakistan Army (Urdu: پاک فوج) 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 700,000 personnel and 528,000 men in reserve that continue to serve until the age of 45 and several other groups functioning under its many umbrella organisations.The Pakistani Army is a volunteer force and has been involved in many conflicts with India. Combined with this rich combat experience, the Army is also actively involved in contributing to United Nations peacekeeping efforts. Other foreign deployments have consisted of Pakistani Army personnel as advisers in many African, South Asian and Arab countries. The Pakistani Army maintained division and brigade strength presences in some of the Arab countries during the past Arab-Israeli Wars, and the first Gulf War to help the Coalition. The Pakistani Army is led by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Combat Doctrine

Pakistan Army has a doctrine of limited "offensive-defense"[citation needed] 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 into enemy territory, the Pakistani Army hopes to consolidate its gains inside the enemy's territory. The Pakistan Army will attempt to keep the enemy off 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.

Organization

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

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

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

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

List of Chiefs of Army Staff

1.General Sir Frank Messervy (15 August 1947 - 10 February 1948)
2.General Sir Douglas Gracey (11 February 1948 - 16 January 1951)
3.Field Marshall Muhammad Ayub Khan (16 January 1951 - 26 October 1958)
4.General Mohammad Musa Khan (27 October 1958 - 17 June 1966)
5.General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan (18 June 1966 – 20 December 1971)
6.Lt General Gul Hassan Khan (20 December 1971 - 3 March 1972)
7.General Tikka Khan (3 March 1972 – 1 March 1976)
8.General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (1 April 1976 - 17 August 1988)
9.General Mirza Aslam Beg (17 August 1988 - 16 August 1991)
10.General Asif Nawaz (16 August 1991 - 8 January 1993)
11.General Abdul Waheed (8 January 1993 - 12 January 1996)
12.General Jehangir Karamat (12 January 1996 - 6 October 1998)
13.General Pervez Musharraf (7 October 1998 - 28 November 2007)
14.General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (29 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
And Services include:

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

Regiments

Infantry:
Frontier Force (FF)
Punjab
Sindh
Baloch
Azad Kashmir (AK)
Northern Light Infantry (NLI)
The President's Bodyguard
Armour
4th Cavalry
5th Horse
6th Lancers
7th Lancers
8th Cavalry
9th Horse
10th Cavalry (Guides Cavalry)
11th Cavalry
12th Cavalry
13th Lancers
14th Lancers
15th Lancers
16th Horse
17th Lancer
18th Horse
19th Lancers
20th Lancers
21st Horse
22nd Cavalry
23rd Cavalry
24th Cavalry
25th Cavalry
26th Cavalry
27th Cavalry
28th Cavalry
29th Cavalry
30th Cavalry
31st Cavalry
32nd Cavalry
33rd Cavalry
34th Lancers
37th Cavalry
38th Cavalry
40th Horse
41st Horse
42nd Lancers
51st Lancers
52nd Cavalry
53rd Cavalry
52nd Cavalry
53rd Cavalry
54th Cavalry
55th Cavalry
56th Cavalry
57th Cavalry
58th 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 Army Strategic Forces Command (2004) and Army Air Defence Command located at various garrisons all over Pakistan

Corps HQ Location Major Formations under Corps Commander

I Corps Mangla, Azad Kashmir 6th Armoured Division (Kharian), 17th Infantry Division (Kharian), 37th Infantry Division (Gujranwala) Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmad

II Corps Multan, Punjab 1st Armoured Division (Multan), 40th Infantry Division (Okara) Lt Gen Sikandar Afzal

IV Corps Lahore, Punjab 10th Infantry Division (Lahore), 11th Infantry Division (Lahore) Lt Gen Ijaz Ahmed Bakhshi.

V Corps Karachi, Sindh 16th Infantry Division (Pano Akil), 18th Infantry Division (Hyderabad), 25th Mechanized Division (Malir) Lt Gen Shahid Iqbal

X Corps Rawalpindi, Punjab Force Command Northern Areas (Gilgit), 12th Infantry Division (Murree), 19th Infantry Division (Mangla), 23rd Infantry Division (Jhelum) Lt Gen Tahir Mahmood

XI Corps Peshawar, North West Frontier Province 7th Infantry Division (Peshawar), 9th Infantry Division (Kohat) Lt Gen Muhammad Masood Aslam

XII Corps Quetta, Balochistan 33rd Infantry Division (Quetta), 41st Infantry Division (Quetta) Lt Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne

XXX Corps Gujranwala, Punjab 2nd Artillery Division (Gujranwala), 8th Infantry Division (Sialkot), 15th Infantry Division (Sialkot) Lt Gen Nadeem Taj

XXXI Corps Bahawalpur, Punjab 14th Infantry Division (Okara), 26th Mechanized Division (Bahawalpur), 35th Infantry Division (Bahawalpur) Lt Gen Muhammad Yousaf
Strategic Corps Rawalpindi, Punjab 47th(AZADI, meaning Independence) Artillery Brigade (Sargodha), others Lt Gen Syed Absar Hussain

Air Defence Command Rawalpindi, Punjab 4th Air Defence Division (Karachi), 5th Air Defence Division (Sargodha),46th Independent Air Defence Brigade (Kahuta) Lt Gen Muhammad Ashraf Saleem

Personnel Training

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

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


Officer Ranks

Following are the Officer ranks in Pakistan Army[16]:

Field Marshal
General
Lt-General
Major-General
Brigadier
Colonel
Lt-Colonel
Major
Captain
Lieutenant
2nd lieutenant
About 320 men enter the army bi-annually through the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul in Abbottabad in the North West Frontier Province; a small number—especially physicians and technical specialists—are directly recruited, and these persons are part of the heart of the officer corps. The product of a highly competitive selection process, members of the officer corps have completed twelve years of education and spend two years at the Pakistan Military Academy, with their time divided about equally between military training and academic work to bring them up to a baccalaureate education level, which includes English-language skills.

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

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

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

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

Awards for Valor

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

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

1.Captain Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed (1910–27 July 1948)
2.Major Tufail Muhammad Shaheed (1914–7 August 1958)
3.Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed (1928–10 September 1965)
4.Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed (1938–1971)
5.Major Shabbir Sharif Shaheed (1943–6 December 1971)
6.Jawan Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed (1949–10 December 1971)
7.Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz Shaheed (1944–17 December 1971)
8.Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed (1970–5 July 1999)
9.Lalak Jan Shaheed (1967–7 July 1999)
10.Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed (Day of martyrdom : 21 August 1971)
Two Pakistani pilots belonging to the army aviation branch of Pakistan army who carried out a daring rescue of a mountaineer are to be given Slovenia's top award for bravery. Slovenian, Tomaz Humar got stranded on the western end of the 8,125m Nanga Parbat mountain were he remained for around a week on top of the world's ninth-highest peak. The helicopter pilots plucked the 38-year-old from an icy ledge 6,000m up the peak known as "killer mountain".

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

Special Forces and Alliances

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

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

Weapons and Equipment

Small Arms

The light weapons include

Handguns

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

Sub-machine guns and carbines.

Heckler & Koch MP5 9 mm Parabellum sub-machine gun
Heckler & Koch MP5K 9 mm Parabellum sub-machine gun
FN P90 5.7x28mm sub-machine gun
Heckler & Koch MP5 & MP5Ks are contemporarily being manufactured by Pakistan Ordinance Factories under license from HK. MP5-K is in use by Airport Security Force or Personal Security Detail of VIPs.

Assault rifles

G3 Types A3 & P4 Assault Rifle*
Type 81 Assault Rifle
Type 56 Assault Rifle
AK-101Assault Rifle
AK-103 Assault Rifle
Steyr AUG
M4A1 Carbine
HK G36
FN 2000
Grenades

M67 grenade

Sniper rifles

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

Machine guns

MG3 Machine Gun*
FN MAG
FN Minimi PARA
DShK

Projectile launchers

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

Pakistan Army Inventory
Vehicle/System/Aircraft Firm Number in Service Status
Al Khalid Main Battle Tank 600 In Service.
T-80UD Main Battle Tank 320 320 Delivered by Ukraine between 1997 and early 2002.
Type 85IIAP Main Battle Tank 300 In Service. Being phased out
Al-Zarar Tank Main Battle Tank 350 Currently under production
Type 79IIAP 250 Being phased out by Al Khalid
Type 69 150 Being phased out by Al Khalid
Type 63 850 Amphibious tank
Type 59 500 Being phased out by Al Zarrar & Al Khalid II
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 1100+ In Service
BTR-70 Armoured Personnel Carrier 169 In Service
Mohafiz Light Armoured Personnel Carrier ??? In Service & Additional APCs being procured
Scorpion Light Jeep 1260 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
M109A5 155 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer 265 115 Ordered along with 150 A5 upgrade kits
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
T-155 Fırtına Self-Propelled Artillery 12 Produced and Delivered byTurkey
Eurocopter Tiger Attack Helicopter 18 Being Inducted[9]
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 90 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

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

Army Air Defence

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

Missiles

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

Missiles in Service of Pakistan



Surface-to-Surface Ballistic Missiles Intermediate Range Ghauri-III* · Shaheen-III*

Medium Range Ghauri-I · Ghauri-II · Shaheen-II

Short Range Hatf-I · Abdali · Ghaznavi · Shaheen-I · M-11


Cruise Missiles Land Attack Babur

Anti-Ship C-802 · C-803 · Exocet · AGM-84 Harpoon · C-201 · C-801


Anti-Tank Missiles Baktar-Shikan · BGM-71 TOW · MILAN · Cobra 2000

Torpedoes Mk-46 · F17P Mod 2 · Tp 43X2 · A244-S · SUT Mod 2 · ECAN L5 Mod 3 · ASROC · VL-ASROC


Air-to-Surface Cruise Missiles Land Attack Babur · Ra'ad · AS-30L · AGM-65 Maverick

Anti-Ship C-802 · C-803 · Exocet · AGM-84 Harpoon

Anti-Radiation AGM-88 HARM · AGM-45 Shrike · MAR-1


Anti-Tank Missiles Baktar-Shikan · BGM-71 TOW

Glide Bombs H-2 · H-4

Torpedoes Mk-46 · A244-S


Surface-to-Air Medium Range Area Defence SAMs HQ-2B (S-75) · RIM-66 SM-1MR

Short Range Point Defence SAMs Crotale · MBDA Spada 2000 · LY-60N · FM-90

Man Portable SAMs Anza · FIM-92 Stinger · FIM-43 Redeye · RBS 70 · Mistral


Air-to-Air Beyond Visual Range AAMs SD-10 · AIM-120 AMRAAM

Within Visual Range AAMs PL-5 · PL-9 · AIM-9 Sidewinder · AIM-7 Sparrow · Matra R550 Magic · Matra R530 · Matra Super 530


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

Future Plans
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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

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