| Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Deputy | Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee |
| Appointed by | The President of Pakistan |
| Incumbent | Ashfaq Parvez Kayani |
The Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army, (reporting name: COAS), is the four-star rank appointment in the Pakistan Army, held by the senior four-star rank officer appointed by the President of Pakistan, on a summary sent by Prime Minister of Pakistan . The Chief of Army Staff post has historically been vested with proportionately more powers because of the recurrent military takeovers in the country. It is the highest and most prestigious four-star assignment, unless the four-star officer is appointed as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The appointment is in principal for three years subject to extensions granted by The President of Pakistan on recommendation from The Prime Minister of Pakistan. The appointment is vested with complete operational, training and logistics commands unlike the pattern followed in Western Commands where the Chief of Army Staff is the training and logistics chief while operational command rests with the Ministry of Defense. The current Chief of Army Staff is General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The COAS operates from Army Combatant General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the twin city of the capital Islamabad. Under the Constitution of 1973 presently in vogue, the Chief of Army Staff is subordinate to the Defense Minister of Pakistan, Secretary General/Secretary Defense and reports directly to the civilian leadership.
List of Chiefs of Army Staff[]
| # | Name | Photo | Term | Unit of Commission | Decorations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | General Sir Frank Messervy | File:Gen Sir Frank Messervy.jpg | August 15, 1947 – February 10, 1948 | 9th Hodson's Horse | KCSI, KBE, CB, DSO |
| 2. | General Sir Douglas Gracey |  |
February 11, 1948 – January 16, 1951 | 1st Gurkha Rifles | KCB, KCIE, CBE, MC |
| 3. | Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan |  |
January 16, 1951 – October 26, 1958 | 1/14 Punjab Regiment | NPk, HPk, HJ, GCMG, MBE |
| 4. | General Muhammad Musa | File:Musa khan at school.jpg | October 27, 1958 – June 17, 1966 | 6/13 Frontier Force Rifles | HPk, HJ, HQA, MBE |
| 5. | General Muhammad Yahya Khan |  |
June 18, 1966 – December 20, 1971 | 4/10 Baluch Regiment | HPk, HJ, SPk |
| 6. | Lieutenant General Gul Hassan Khan | File:Lieutenant-General Gul Hassan Khan of Pakistan Army..jpg | December 20, 1971 – March 3, 1972 | Armoured Corps | SPk, SQA |
| 7. | General Tikka Khan | File:General.TikkaKhan.jpg | March 3, 1972 – March 1, 1976 | Artillery | HJ, HQA, SPk |
| 8. | General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq |  |
March 1, 1976 – August 17, 1988 | Armoured Corps | |
| 9. | General Mirza Aslam Beg |  |
August 17, 1988 – August 16, 1991 | Baloch Regiment | NI(M), SBt |
| 10. | General Asif Nawaz | File:Nawaz Shariff with General Asif Nawaz.jpg | August 16, 1991 – January 8, 1993 | Punjab Regiment | NI(M), SBt (Bar) |
| 11. | General Abdul Waheed | January 11, 1993 – January 12, 1996 | Frontier Force Regiment | NI(M), SBt | |
| 12. | General Jehangir Karamat | File:JKDC.gif | January 12, 1996 – October 6, 1998 | Armoured Corps | NI(M), TBt |
| 13. | General Pervez Musharraf |  |
October 6, 1998 – November 28, 2007 | Artillery | NI(M), TBt |
| 14. | General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani | |
November 29, 2007 – Present | Baloch Regiment | NI(M), HI |
List of Army Vice Chiefs[]
The post of Vice Chiefs of Army Staff existed whenever the Chief of Army Staff was also the President of Pakistan.
| No. | Name | Term of Appointment | Unit of Commission | Decorations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Abdul Hamid Khan | March 25, 1969 – December 20, 1971 | Baloch Regiment | HQA, SPk |
| 2 | General Mohammad Sawar Khan | April 13, 1980 – March 23, 1984 | Artillery | NI(M) |
| 3 | General Khalid Mahmud Arif | March 22, 1984 – March 29, 1987 | Armoured Corps | NI(M), SBt |
| 4 | General Mirza Aslam Beg | March 29, 1987 – August 17, 1988 | Baloch Regiment | NI(M), SBt |
| 5 | General Muhammad Yusaf Khan | October 8, 2001 – October 6, 2004 | Armoured Corps | NI(M) |
| 6 | General Ahsan Saleem Hyat | October 7, 2004 – October 7, 2007 | Armoured Corps | NI(M) |
| 7 | General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani | October 8, 2007 – November 28, 2007 | Baloch Regiment | NI(M), HI |
See also[]
- Pakistan Army
- Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (Pakistan)
- Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)
- Chief of Naval Staff (Pakistan)
- Chief of General Staff (Pakistan)
External links[]
- List of Army Chiefs at Pakistan Army website
- Official Pakistan Army website
- Inter-Services Public Relations
- PAF s' Chief of the Air Staffs
The original article can be found at Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan) and the edit history here.