New leadership of Pakistan Army –A review
Agha Iqrar Haroon Regional political observer of South Asia and central Asia
Islamabad: On November 27, 2013, a new leadership of Pakistan Army has been placed in pursuance of Article 243/4(a) and 243/4(b) of the Constitution of Pakistan. Gen Rashad Mehmood is new Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Gen Raheel Sharif is the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS). Setting aside the rule of seniority, Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif picked again man of his choice as COAS. It may be mentioned he picked former dictator Gen. Musharraf as COAS although he was not senior most on the list of seniority. Musharraf threw Nawaz out of power on October 12, 1999.
Both new leaders of Pakistan Army and commanders have different background than their predecessors as both were green soldiers (officers) when 1977 martial law was clamped in Pakistan by Gen Ziaul Haq and concept of Strategic Depth was ruling the minds of top leadership and Jihad strategy was the driving force of Pakistan Army. Both were away from Afghan-Russian Jihad and its related high stakes games. Before 1977, the concept of fighting for the nation and for the country was rule of law and nationalism was the bread of soul of soldiers and officers but Gen. Ziaul Haq changed the entire concept of pakistan Army by puting Jihad Fisabeelullah (Jihad for nothing just for God) and and Pakistan Army was raised as soldiers of whole Muslim World instead of Pakistan and they were asked that they are soldiers of Allah and for the rule of Allah wherever it is needed. Nationalism was put at back burner and concept of Islamic Army was promoted instead of Pakistan Army. Therefore zia collected link minded officials around him but now this lot has gone away with new promotions during the last five year. Lieutenant General Rashad Mahmood was commissioned in May 1975 in Baloch Regiment while Lieutenant General Raheel Sharif was commissioned in Oct 1976 in 6th Battalion “The Frontier Force Regiment”. Both Generals have not been United States for higher education (courses) as Gen. Rashad Mahmood attended Company Commander Course from France and is a graduate of Command and Staff College Canada, National Defence College, Islamabad and Gen Sharif did Company Commander’s Course from Germany and Royal College of Defence Studies, United Kingdom.
Lieutenant General Raheel Sharif, Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) hails from a martial stock. He was born in Quetta on 16 June 1956 when his father Muhammad Sharif was posted there as Major of Pakistan army. He is younger brother of Major Shabir Sharif, (Nishan-i-Haidar) NH, SJ and Capt Mumtaz Sharif, Sbt. He is Ravian– an alumnus of Govt College Lahore, and Pakistan Military Academy from where he passed out with 54th PMA Long Course.
He was commissioned in Oct 1976 in The Frontier Force Regiment in which his elder brother had embraced Shahadat.
As a Young Officer, he performed his duties in Gilgit in an Infantry Brigade and also served as Adjutant of Pakistan Military Academy. He did Company Commander’s Course from Germany and subsequently served in the prestigious School of Infantry and Tactics as an instructor. He attended the Command and Staff College Canada, graduating with distinction.
He has a vast experience of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments. He served as the Brigade Major of an Infantry Brigade and has commanded two infantry units at Kashmir along LOC and 26 Frontier Force Regiment along the Sialkot Border (both Eastern border). He remained on the faculty of the Command and Staff College, Quetta and attended Armed Forces War Course at National Defence University, Islamabad in 1998. As a Brigadier, he has commanded two Infantry Brigades, including an Independent Infantry Brigade Group. He has had the honor of being the Chief of Staff of two Corps, i.e 30 Corps and 12 Corps. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Royal College of Defence Studies, United Kingdom.
He has been the General Officer Commanding of an Infantry Division and the Commandant of prestigious Pakistan Military Academy. As a Lieutenant General he served as Corps Commander 30 Corps for two years before taking over as Inspector General Training and Evaluation in which capacity he oversaw the training of Pakistan Army. His stewardship resulted in fructification of Pakistan Army’s operational thought and doctrinal response to the much vaunted Cold Start doctrine of Indian Army. Therefore he is writer of a new doctrine. Pakistan Army has conducted a series of war games and field exercises, codename; ‘Azm-e-Nau’. Four war games of this series (Azm-e-Nau – I-IV) were conducted from year 2009 to 2013.
These war games and exercises were conducted in two main phases. In Phase-I, military plans were evaluated and refined through indoor war games and maps exercises, where various scenarios were painted and executed while putting them through numerous operational constraints. In Phase-II, the operational plans prepared in phase-I were put through the physical trials by conducting the field exercises in the real time frame scenario. The plans prepared during the war games once put through the physical exercises with troops were then further refined upon finding the snags/ shortcomings. These war games and field exercises are fully supported by the other two services; Pak Navy (PN) and Pak Air Force (PAF). Some defence analysts are of the view that through this series of war games and field exercises, Pak Army has put a checkmate to India’s Cold Start Doctrine. Contrary to the traditional battle procedure of military mobilization followed by full scale war, the Cold Start concept focuses on reverse whereby Indian Army will go to war first and then mobilizes. Following the prolonged military escalation of 2002, Indian Army conceived this new concept to launch an offensive against Pakistan. This concept seeks to leverage India’s modest superiority in conventional forces to respond to Pakistan’s military preparedness. This doctrine necessitates reorganizing Indian Army’s offensive power away from the three large strike corps into eight smaller division-sized “Integrated Battle Groups” (IBGs) that combine mechanized infantry, artillery, and armour in a manner reminiscent of the former Soviet Union’s operational manoeuvre groups.
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