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In 1967 this corps headquarters was established in [[Multan]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Khan|first1=Gul Hassan Khan|title=Memoirs of Lt. Gen. Gul Hassan Khan|year=1993|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Lahore|isbn=978-0-19-577447-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FRVuAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>
In 1967 this corps headquarters was established in [[Multan]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Khan|first1=Gul Hassan Khan|title=Memoirs of Lt. Gen. Gul Hassan Khan|year=1993|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Lahore|isbn=978-0-19-577447-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FRVuAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>


The II corps was the 3rd newly created corps of the Pakistan Army as necessity of corps formations were being earnestly felt by the [[General Headquarters (Pakistan Army)|General Headquarters (GHQ)]], they wanted more decentralization of the army units, therefore intermediates between divisions and the GHQ were to be created and it were more corps headquarters.<ref name="General Yahya">{{cite book|last1=Khan|first1=Agha Muhammad Yahya|title=The breaking of Pakistan|year=1997|publisher=Liberty Pubsihers|location=Lahore|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5wluAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>
The II corps was the 3rd newly created corps of the Pakistan Army as necessity of corps formations were being earnestly felt by the [[General Headquarters (Pakistan Army)|General Headquarters (GHQ)]], they wanted more decentralization of the army units, therefore intermediates between divisions and the GHQ were to be created and it were more corps headquarters.<ref name="General Yahya">{{cite book|last1=Basit|first1=A.|title=The breaking of Pakistan|year=1997|publisher=Liberty Pubsihers|location=Lahore|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5wluAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>


==1971 War==
==1971 War==

Revision as of 11:20, 25 October 2023

II Corps
Formation sign of II Corps, Multan
Active1967[1] - Present
Country Pakistan
Allegiance Pakistan Army
TypeCorps
Size50,000 approximately (though this may vary as units are rotated)
HQ/Command Control HeadquartersMultan, Multan District, Punjab
Nickname(s)II Strike Corps, Multan Corps[2]
Colors IdentificationRed, white and black
   
EngagementsIndo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1999
2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff
War in North-West Pakistan
DecorationsMilitary Decorations of Pakistan Military
Commanders
Corps Commander
Lt. Gen. Akhtar Nawaz Satti
Chief of Staff
Brig. Ahmad Nadeem Bajwa
Notable
commanders
Gen. Tikka Khan
Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
Gen. Rahimuddin Khan
Lt. Gen. Hamid Gul
Gen. Jehangir Karamat
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States Military) Admiral Mike Mullen speaks with Pakistan Army Lt. Gen. Shafqat Ahmed, the commander of II Corps, in Multan, Pakistan (2 September 2010)

The II Corps, also known as II Strike Corps is a corps of Pakistan Army stationed in Multan, Punjab Province of Pakistan. The corps was active in Pakistan's theatre in War on Terror where its administrative divisions and brigades led numerous operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The corps is currently commanded by Lieutenant-General Akhtar Nawaz .[3] The longest-serving commander of this corps was Lieutenant-General Rahimuddin Khan who commanded for five and half years (from September 1978 to March 1984).

History

In 1967 this corps headquarters was established in Multan.[4]

The II corps was the 3rd newly created corps of the Pakistan Army as necessity of corps formations were being earnestly felt by the General Headquarters (GHQ), they wanted more decentralization of the army units, therefore intermediates between divisions and the GHQ were to be created and it were more corps headquarters.[5]

1971 War

The Corps was commanded by Lt. Gen. Tikka Khan during the war. Controversially one of its divisions; the 18th Infantry Division,[6] was taken out of II Corp's command and sent on an ill-fated offensive towards Ramgarh; which led to the debacle at the Battle of Longewala, the fact it was under GHQ rather than II Corps, spared the corps of any blame, but was later deemed one of the causes of failure. A major Indian attack towards Umerkot would be defeated[1] by two of the corps divisions; the 18th after its return from Ramgarh and to II Corps command, and the 33rd Infantry Division, a task for which they were commended,[7] after the war. In the final analysis its performance in the war; while commended by many parties, would be controversial, since at no time was its most powerful formation, 1st Armoured Division, committed to action.[8]

War in North-West Pakistan

As a heavy armoured and mechanized formation, it was unsuited for the mountain warfare that characterized the army's commitments over the next three decades in Kashmir, Siachen and Kargil, although it a few units did see action attached to other corps. As Pakistan's main strategic reserve, it was also not sent on overseas operations under the UN and with allies (such as Gulf War I and Somalia) which the army was ordered to undertake.

It would not be until 2008 when the elements of the corps would see action again. As the war in FATA heated up and militant activity increased to a hitherto unseen level, the government responded by launching a massive operation (code-named Operation Zalzala meaning earthquake) against the militant strongholds South Waziristan.[9] The operation would be spearheaded by 14th Infantry Division of II Corps, and would succeed in evicting the militants from their stronghold.[10] On December 26, 2008, elements of the 14th Infantry Division, were being redeployed to the Indian border.[11]

Structure

The Corps Order of Battle is:[12]

Structure of II Corps
Corps Corps HQ Corps Commander Assigned Units Unit HQ
II Corps Multan Lt.Gen Akhtar Nawaz Satti
1st Armoured Division Multan
40th Infantry Division Okara
14th Infantry Division Okara
Independent Infantry Brigade U/I Location
Independent Armoured Brigade U/I Location
Independent Artillery Brigade U/I Location
Independent Signal Brigade U/I Location
Independent Engineering Brigade U/I Location

List of corps commanders

# Name Start of tenure End of tenure
1 Lt Gen Khwaja Wasiuddin 1967 September 1971
2 Lt Gen Tikka Khan September 1971 March 1972
3 Lt Gen Muhammad Shariff March 1972 1975
4 Lt Gen Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq 1975 March 1976
5 Lt Gen Rahimuddin Khan September 1978 March 1984
6 Lt Gen Raja Saroop Khan March 1984 March 1988
7 Lt Gen Shamim Alam Khan March 1988 May 1989
8 Lt Gen Hamid Gul May 1989 January 1992
9 Lt Gen Jehangir Karamat January 1992 June 1994
10 Lt Gen Mohammad Maqbool June 1994 January 1996
11 Lt Gen Salahuddin Tirmizi February 1996 October 1998
12 Lt Gen Yusaf Khan October 1998 August 2000
13 Lt Gen Syed Mohammad Amjad August 2000 April 2002
14 Lt Gen Shahid Siddiq Tirmizi April 2002 September 2003
15 Lt Gen Mohammad Akram September 2003 October 2004
16 Lt Gen Afzal Muzaffar October 2004 May 2005
17 Lt Gen Syed Sabahat Hussain May 2005 April 2006
18 Lt Gen Sikandar Afzal April 2006 November 2009
19 Lt Gen Shafqat Ahmed November 2009 November 2012
20 Lt Gen Abid Parvaiz November 2012 April 2015
21 Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad April 2015 December 2016
22 Lt Gen Sarfraz Sattar December 2016 September 2017
23 Lt Gen Abdullah Dogar September 2017 September 2018
24 Lt Gen Muhammad Naeem Ashraf September 2018 December 2020
25 Lt Gen Waseem Ashraf December 2020 September 2021
26 Lt Gen Chiragh Haider September 2021 October 2022
27 Lt Gen Akhtar Nawaz October 2022 Present

References

  1. ^ a b Riza, Shaukat (1977). The Pakistan Army (1966-71), by Maj Gen (Retd) Shaukat Riza. ISBN 9788185019611.
  2. ^ "Pakistan Army makes top level transfers and postings, several Corps Commanders reshuffled". timesofislamabad.com. 24 August 2018.
  3. ^ "One-third of corps commanders replaced in major reshuffle". Dawn. 25 August 2018.
  4. ^ Khan, Gul Hassan Khan (1993). Memoirs of Lt. Gen. Gul Hassan Khan. Lahore: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-577447-4.
  5. ^ Basit, A. (1997). The breaking of Pakistan. Lahore: Liberty Pubsihers.
  6. ^ Brian Cloughley- A History of the Pakistan Army, ISBN 0-19-579507-5 Page 205-207.
  7. ^ Brian Cloughley- A History of the Pakistan Army, ISBN 0-19-579507-5 Page 206.
  8. ^ Brian Cloughley- A History of the Pakistan Army, ISBN 0-19-579507-5, Page 200.
  9. ^ [1] Daily Times Article
  10. ^ "FATA Timeline 2017".
  11. ^ "Pakistan redeploying troops to Indian border - Yahoo! News". news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008.
  12. ^ Global Security