General Headquarters (Pakistan Army)

History

Main article: Second Anglo-Afghan War

In 1851, the British Army in India made an permanent headquarter in Rawalpindi when James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie decided to stationed the 53rd Infantry Regiment to protect India from Afghan intervention. In 1854, Robert Milman from the Diocese of Calcutta had built the city's first Garrison Church and a telegraph office. It is also the site where Robert Milman is buried following his death in Rawalpindi in 1876.

On 14 August 1947, Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army General Frank Messervy decided to establish the army headquarters of the Pakistan Army at the Rawalpindi, which was also the headquarter of the Northern Command of the former British Indian Army; Gen. Messervy established it as "GHQ Pakistan", which he derived from GHQ India. The Army's GHQ was viewed as a temporary post in Rawalpindi since its where Gen. Messervy was based in. Since its establishment, the Army GHQ in Rawalpindi has faced many problems in civil–military relations context and criticism at broader level since the nation's capital was based in Karachi in past, and now in Islamabad. Until 2006, the Army GHQ's command post was based in Rawalpindi but later moved to Chaklala, near the vicinities of the PAF Base Chaklala and the JS HQ military headquarters.

Since 2017, the Pakistan Army has been slowly moving its headquarters to nation's capital, Islamabad to be able to merge with the air force and the navy.

Gates

Secretariat

The Pakistan Army's GHQ is a command post of the Pakistan Army where the secretariat of the Chief of the Army Staff functions to ensure the ceremonial and operational command of the army.

There are ten branches of the Pakistan Army that are headed by the lieutenant-generals and multiple administrative corps that are commanded by the director-generals who are ranked at the major-general. Each of the army's branches and the director-generals of the administrative corps works under the Chief of the General Staff (CGS). The chief of general staff, who usually heads the Army GHQ Staff, reports directly to chief of army staff on daily routine basis.

Branches of the Pakistan Army

There are ten branches of the Pakistan Army that are headed by the lieutenant-generals and multiple administrative corps that are commanded by the director-generals who are ranked at the major-general.

The Chief of Army Staff Secretariat is not considered as a part of the army branch but functions separately as an office of the chief of army staff.

Security

Incidents and Breaches

Main article: Operation Janbaz

Main article: December 2009 Rawalpindi attack

Main article: May 9 riots

In 1970s, the Army's GHQ became a focal point of massive arrests and incidents of military police's baton charge on protestors when politicians Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (in 1970) and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (in 1977) were taken into custody.

The Pakistani Taliban have repeatedly attacked the headquarters. The first attack took place in 2007. Others followed in 2008, resulting in Operation Janbaz, the December 2009 Rawalpindi attack; and the 2014 Rawalpindi suicide bombing.

On 9 May 2023, the Army GHQ along with 40 administration buildings were attacked and vandalized after the National Accountability Bureau agents and Rangers were sent to deliver the arrest warrants to former Prime Minister Imran Khan during his appearance in Islamabad High Court.

Relocation efforts

To prevent the Taliban's repeated infiltration and to address the issue of increase security, the headquarters, together with Joint Staff Headquarters, has been slowly moving to Islamabad to integrate with the navy and air force's headquarters that are located in much safer zones of Islamabad, since 2017.

References

References

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9. (2002). "The Armed Forces of Pakistan". NYU Press.
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13. (2007). "Glimpses Into the Corridors of Power". Oxford University Press.
14. (October 11, 2009). "Deciphering the attack on Pakistan's Army headquarters". Foreign Policy.
15. Taylor, Sophia Saifi,Jerome. (2023-05-09). "Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan arrested by paramilitary police".
16. (27 December 2017). "Pakistan Army to get over 1,000 acres for new General Headquarters". The Economic Times.