Pakistan has appointed 17 Chiefs including Gen Syed Asim Munir, so far. In comparison, Indian Army has 28 Chiefs, including Gen Manoj Pande. Average tenures work out to 4.5 years for Pakistan vis a vis 2.85 years for Indian Army Chiefs.
The Commander-in-Chief Era
Both Indian and Pakistan Armies started with a Commander-in-Chief (Cs-in-C) at the apex, with British Generals as first two Chiefs. After, Gens- Lockhart and Bucher, India appointed Gen Cariappa as the first Indian COAS, on 15 Jan 1949 realizing British complicity in Kashmir conflict. India had only four Cs-in-C and transited in April 1955 (in less than eight years) to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) appointment, with Gen Maharaj Rajendrasinhji Jadeja being re-designated from C-in- C to COAS.
Pakistan continued with British Cs-in-C (Frank Messervy and Douglas Gracey) till Jan 1951. It also persisted with Cs-in-C system till Mar 1972 (for nearly 25 years) but had only six incumbents. Leaving out, first two British incumbents and Gen Gul Hasan Khan (the last one), the other three Generals- Ayub Khan, Muhammad Musa and Yahya Khan, enjoyed 5 to 7 years tenures.
Extension of Tenures Common: Truncating a Rarity
Pakistan Chiefs grant themselves or organize extensions, some multiple ones like Gen Zia. Amongst recent incumbents, cases of extension to Gen Pervez Kayani and Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa were even contested in courts. On the other hand, extensions for Indian Army COAS are most rare.
Gen Raheel Sharif though denied extension, fixed a tenure for himself as Chief of Saudi anchored, International Task Force for conflict in Yemen.
Gen Gul Hassan was removed with less than three months (74 days) in appointment. Gen Zia-ul-Haq and Gen Asif Nawaz Janjua died in harness, both deaths remain a matter of speculation regarding being engineered accident and poisoning, respectively, by external intelligence agency. Gen Jehangir Karamat was eased out and forced to resign by PM Nawaz Sharif after nuclear tests.
Martial Law Proponents
Three Pakistan Army COAS (Ayub Khan, Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf) applied martial law, taking over the reins. Gen Ayub promoted himself as Field Marshal. Gen Yahya Khan replaced Ayub Khan becoming the fourth one to rule under martial law, concurrently with being COAS for two years and nine months.
Pakistan Chiefs, who took over as Martial Law rulers (except Ayub), like Yahya, Zia and Musharraf carried on as Army Chiefs concurrently, Gen Ayub had two surrogate Chiefs- Musa and Yahya. While Zia didn’t risk any one as Chief for the entire ten years span as Martial Law Administrator. Gen Musharraf appointed Pervez Kayani, only after six years as concurrent COAS and in his contrived political avatar as President, which lasted less than one year.
| Civilian Government | Military Regime | Total |
| 40 years | 36 years | 76 years |
Army House More Attractive than Presidential Palace
Double-hatters like Zia-ul-Haq and Musharraf continued to occupy the Army House in Rawalpindi rather than Aiwan-e-Sadar, Presidential Palace. Eviction of Pervez Musharraf by Gen Kayani from Pindi House in May 2009 (nine months after he ceased to be President) became an ugly spat and was covered in media also.
Length of Tenures
The longest tenure was of Gen Zia-ul-Haq (12 years) and the shortest was Gen Khawaja Ziauddin, less than six hours. Even Gen Gul Hassan had less than three months tenure becoming a casualty of post Bangladesh shake-up. In Indian Army, Gen Thimmaya had the longest, 4 years tenure.
Civil and Military Confrontations
After Kargil fiasco, Nawaz Sharif tried to sack Gen Musharraf, returning from overseas trip and appoint Ziauddin as Chief. In a counter coup, Musharraf took over the reins and PM Nawaz Sharif was packed-off to exile.
Supersession has been the norm to build personal loyalty yet, however, loyalty, ironically has been transient.
Nawaz Sharif had a role in appointment of six CsOAS including Waheed Kakkar, Musharraf, Ziauddin, Raheel Sharif, Qamar Jawed Bajwa and Munir. With shifting loyalties, they contributed in his removal, too. Gen Kakkar in somewhat even-handed an approach got both President (main supporter) and PM Nawaz to resign after constitutional face-off. Musharraf not only executed coup but forced Nawaz into exile in Saudi Arabia. Gen Bajwa acquiesced in court dictated resignation of Nawaz and subsequent exile to London. Bajwa hoisted Nawaz’s bete-noir, Imran Khan as PM in a doctored elections, only to get him unseated.
Pre-eminence of Infantry Officers As Top Guns
Most Chiefs have been from Infantry though Armoured Corps had three – Gen Gul Hassan, Ziq-ul-Haq and Gen Jehangir Karamat. Coincidentally, all three had their tenures truncated, two were eased out, while Zia-ul-Haq not only became the military ruler but also carried on till his death in an air crash. Artillery had two incumbents -Tikka Khan and Pervez Musharraf- both became Martial law Administrators.
Baloch Regiment has the maximum- five on the coveted list- Gen Yahya, Aslam Beg, Kayani, Bajwa and Aseem Munir.
Demographic Count of Army Chiefs
Punjabis (56% population) account for only eight out of 17 Chiefs with a combined tenure of 36 out of 77 years (47% till 2024). Gen Tikka Khan, in 1972, was the first Punjabi Chief, (25 years after independence). Three Chiefs, Tikka Khan, Asif Nawaz and Raheel Shariff are Rajputs from Pothwar in Punjab. Zia-ul-Haq (though Punjabi speaking but part Mohajir) was Chief for 12 years.
Five chiefs (Ayub, Yahya, Gul Hasan, Waheed Kakkar, Jehangir Karamat) with combined tenures of 16 years (21%) have been Pushtuns (16 % population).
Muhajirs (6% population) have contributed two – Musharraf and Aslam Beg, both Urdu speaking, accounting for 12 years (15%) In essence, Pushtuns and Mohajirs have punched above their weight class. Trends may be changing as last three and the current one (Aseem Munir) are all Punjabis.
No Sindhi (17% population) or Baluchi (3%) has made it to be COAS, though Gen Muhammad Musa Khan was born in and a resident of Baluchistan. Gen Mohammed Musa, Hazara (miniscule population of Shias of Afghan descent) was C-in-C for eight years (10% tenure share).
Besides, Musa, Yahya Khan and current incumbent, Aseem Munir belong to Shia community, which make 17% population in Sunni (90%) dominated country with unending Sunni-Shia strife. Shias have been at the apex for 12 years (16% tenure share). Musa led Pakistan Army in 1965 operations and Yahya in ill-fated 1971 war. Gen Bajwa, as per some reports, was alleged to have distant familial links with Ahmediya community, now declared heretic.
Ayub and Yahya were both Pushtuns and even ruled the country for 14 years. Non-Punjabis (Ayub, Yahya and Musharraf) at the helm for 25 out of 34 years of military rule. Zia-ul-Haq, part-Punjabi accounted for balance nine years.
The Indian Connection
Three Chiefs- Zia-ul-Haq (Jullundur born, St Stephen’s educated, IMA commissioned); Mirza Aslam Beg (Azamgarh born and Shibli College graduate) and Pervez Musharraf (born in Neharwali Haveli, Old Delhi) had Indian connections. Zia put Pakistan on radical path, Aslam Beg initiated proxy-war in Kashmir and Musharraf launched the failed Kargil operations.
Miscellaneous
Pervez Musharraf lived and died in exile in Dubai. His successor Pervez Kayani lives abroad in Australia. Almost all former Chiefs have interests and assets abroad.
Lt Gen KJ Singh (Retd)
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