II Corps (Pakistan)
| II Corps | |
|---|---|
 Badge of 2 Corps, Multan | |
| Active | November 1968[1] - Present |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan Army |
| Branch | Active Duty |
| Type | Army Corps |
| Role | Combined arms formation |
| Size | 50,000 approximately (though this may vary as units are rotated) |
| HQ/Command Control Headquarters | Multan, Multan District, Punjab |
| Nickname(s) | II Strike Corps, Multan Corps[2] |
| Colors Identification | Red, white and black |
| Engagements | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Indo-Pakistani War of 1999 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff War in North-West Pakistan |
| Decorations | Military Decorations of Pakistan Military |
| Commanders | |
| Corps Commander |   Lt. Gen. |
| Chief of Staff |   Brig. |
| Notable commanders | Gen. Tikka Khan Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Gen. Rahimuddin Khan Lt. Gen. Hamid Gul Gen. Jehangir Karamat |
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 Muhammad Chirag Haider.[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[]
Headquarters of the II Corps was formed in November 1968 in Lahore.[4] Later in 1969 it was transferred to Multan.[5]
During the 1965 war with India the army had only one corps headquarters, the I Corps in Kharian and the IV Corps was being raised in Multan which was later transferred to Lahore in 1969. 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.[6]
1971 War[]
The Corps was commanded by Lt. Gen. Tikka Khan during the war. Controversially one of its divisions; the 18th Infantry Division,[7] 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,[8] 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.[5]
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:[4]
| Structure of II Corps | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corps | Corps HQ | Corps Commander | Assigned Units | Unit HQ | |||||
| II Corps | Multan | Lt.Gen Syed Haider Bukhari 
|
Multan | ||||||
| 40th 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[]
| # | Lieutenant-General  
|
Name | Start of tenure | End of tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khwaja Wasiuddin | November 1968 | September 1971 | |
| 2 | Tikka Khan | September 1971 | March 1972 | |
| 3 | Muhammad Shariff | March 1972 | 1975 | |
| 4 | Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq | 1975 | March 1976 | |
| 5 | Rahimuddin Khan | September 1978 | March 1984 | |
| 6 | Raja Saroop Khan | March 1984 | March 1988 | |
| 7 | Shamim Alam Khan | March 1988 | May 1989 | |
| 8 | Hamid Gul | May 1989 | January 1992 | |
| 9 | Jehangir Karamat | January 1992 | June 1994 | |
| 10 | Mohammad Maqbool | June 1994 | January 1996 | |
| 11 | Salahuddin Tirmizi | February 1996 | October 1998 | |
| 12 | Yusaf Khan | October 1998 | August 2000 | |
| 13 | Syed Mohammad Amjad | August 2000 | April 2002 | |
| 14 | Shahid Siddiq Tirmizi | April 2002 | September 2003 | |
| 15 | Mohammad Akram | September 2003 | October 2004 | |
| 16 | Afzal Muzaffar | October 2004 | May 2005 | |
| 17 | Syed Sabahat Hussain | May 2005 | April 2006 | |
| 18 | Sikandar Afzal | April 2006 | November 2009 | |
| 19 | Shafqat Ahmed | November 2009 | November 2012 | |
| 20 | Abid Parvaiz | November 2012 | April 2015 | |
| 21 | Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad | April 2015 | December 2016 | |
| 22 | Sarfraz Sattar | December 2016 | September 2017 | |
| 23 | Abdullah Dogar | September 2017 | September 2018 | |
| 24 | Muhammad Naeem Ashraf | September 2018 | December 2020 | |
| 25 | Muhammad Waseem Ashraf | December 2020 | September 2021 | |
| 26 | Muhammad Chirag Haider | September 2021 | Present |
References[]
- ^ a b Riza, Shaukat (1977). The Pakistan Army (1966-71), by Maj Gen (Retd) Shaukat Riza. ISBN 9788185019611.
- ^ "Pakistan Army makes top level transfers and postings, several Corps Commanders reshuffled". timesofislamabad.com. 24 August 2018.
- ^ "One-third of corps commanders replaced in major reshuffle". Dawn. 25 August 2018.
- ^ a b Global Security
- ^ a b Brian Cloughley- A History of the Pakistan Army, ISBN 0-19-579507-5, Page 200.
- ^ Khan, Agha Muhammad Yahya (1997). The breaking of Pakistan. Lahore: Liberty Pubsihers.
- ^ Brian Cloughley- A History of the Pakistan Army, ISBN 0-19-579507-5 Page 205-207.
- ^ Brian Cloughley- A History of the Pakistan Army, ISBN 0-19-579507-5 Page 206.
- ^ [1] Daily Times Article
- ^ "FATA Timeline 2017".
- ^ https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081227/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan[dead link]
External links[]
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- 1971 establishments in Pakistan
- Corps of the Pakistan Army
- Military units and formations established in 1971