Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers

History

The engineering arm of the Pakistan Army was commissioned as an administrative branch when it was partitioned from the former British Indian Army's Royal Indian Engineers in 1947. The Bengal and Bombay engineer group laid the foundation of establishing the engineering arm of the Pakistan Army.

From 1947 till 1956, the engineering arm was known as "Royal Pakistan Engineers" since it was under the royal patronage, with many British officers serving in the engineering arm.

In 1956, Royal Pakistan Engineers changed its designation to the Corps of Engineers. From 1947–69, the Corps of Engineers were an instrument for Pakistan Army to engage in building massive infrastructure, dams, canals, roads, and variety of other important public works projects as part of its nation-building mission. The education and training for the personnel to be commissioned in the corps of engineer is provided at the Military College of Engineering (MCE).

The Corps of Engineers is commanded by the Engineer-in-Chief (E-in-C), usually at active-duty three-star rank, Lieutenant-General, who serves as the chief topographer and principle engineer in advising the Army GHQ and the Government of Pakistan on important matters on civil engineering, construction, surveys, and topography.

Current units

1 Engr (Yakta Sappers)

2 Engr (ICHDEIN)(Makran Sappers)(1803)

3 Engr (Behtreen)

4 Engr (Jurrat o Istaklaal)

5 Engr (Laraka Panja)(VC)(King George V's Own)(1799)

6 Engr (The Mighty Six)

7 Engr (Sath Har Dum Sath)

8 Engr

9 Engr (65 Punjabis)

10 Engr

11 Engr (The Builders)

12 Engr (Shaheen)

13 Engr

14 Engr (As Sabiqoon) (Honour dignity pride) (Re builders of NWA)

16 Engr (Al Muqadim)

18 Engr (Dheshat)

19 Engr (Chaghai Sappers)

20 Engr (Hama Tan Tyar Sappers)

21 Engr

22 Engr

23 Engr ( Kashmir Sappers)

24 Engr ( Surkhroo)

25 Engr (The Strikers)

26 Engr (Desert Sappers) (1st to Enter in Chumak Glacier, Makran Coastal Highway and Op Zarb e Azab, Best Sports Regt)

35 Lt Br Bn Engr (EL MECHILI)(The ARMOUR Bourne)

45 Engrs Division

55 IND Fd Coy

62 Engr (Allah Ho)

100 Engr

101 Engr (Khunjrabees)

102 Engr (Quaid Sappers)

103 Engr (Allah O Akbar)

104 Engr (The Star Fighter Brigade)

105 Engr (Unthak Sappers)(Skardu 1967)

106 Engr

107 Engr (Tigers of KKH)

108 Engr

109 Engr (Al Azb Sappers)

122 Fd Coy Engr

129 Fd Coy Engr

151 Pioneer Bn

173 Engr (Paka 71)

174 Engr (Pioneers of KKH)

176 Engr (Ek So chehatar Sab Se Behter)

177 BR Engr (The Chronicle of Tayyar Barq Raftar)

313 Assault Engr (Al Badr Sappers)

314 Assault Engineer Battalion (FAL Mugheerat) "By stallions that charge with panting breath, And hooves that spark the fiery death, They raid at dawn with thunderous pace, Stirring dust in wild embrace, They storm into the heart of foe Amid the clash and battle roar."

316 Mechanised Engr

474 Engr

477 ASGE (Army Survey Group Engineers)

479 Bridge Battalion Engineers (Mahidoon Sappers)

495 Engr

518 Engr (The Zone Seizures)

630 EOD (Daring Saviours)

651 Search & EOD Unit

652 Search & EOD Unit( Sher Jawans Paltan)

653 Search & EOD Unit

654 Search & EOD Unit

655 Search & EOD Unit(Sohails Own)

662 Engr (Chakdara Sappers / Rekodiq Miners)

752 CT Engr

Public works

The Corps of Engineers has been commissioned by the Government of Pakistan to undertake massive civil engineering projects by designing and building the Karakoram Highway which, in 1960s in Pakistan, was the largest public works initiative in the country that connected China and Pakistan across the Himalayas mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of 4693 m as confirmed by both SRTM and multiple GPS readings. During the Kashmir earthquake in 2005, the Corps initiated the massive and one of the largest rehabilitation and reconstruction operations in Corps history, rebuilding and redesigning the entire cities of Gilgit and Muzaffarabad as well as Azad Kashmir. Its speedy rehabilitation operation was completed in record time and the entire city was rebuilt in 2008. As more recently, the Corps undertook the intensive rehabilitation and reconstruction operations in deluge in southern parts as well as recent earthquake in Western parts.

Since its inception, the Corps has built extensive military and civilian infrastructure of Pakistan Armed Forces as well as Pakistan Government, ranging from building bridges, dams, military regional headquarters and civil corporate architectural buildings. The Corps mission has been extended with time passes, and is renowned to have designed, construct, and built the GHQ, ammunition plants, regional army headquarters, as well as supporting the nuclear weapons program related national defense's weapons laboratories and its related test sites.

References

References

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2. PA, Pakistan Army. "Corps of Engineers". Directorate General for Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR).
3. (16 April 2011). "Major-General Ashfaq Nadeem made Director General Military Operations". [[The Nation (Pakistan)]].
4. Sandes, E. W. C.. (1956). "The Indian Engineers 1939–47". Institution of Military Engineers.
5. Rego, CJ. (2012). "Cradle of Valour - The History of the Regimental Centre of The Bombay Sappers". Headquarters Bombay Engineer Group and Centre.
6. (2014). "Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army's Way of War". Oxford University Press.
7. "Corps of Engineers". Government of Pakistan.
8. "Engineers – Pakistan Army".
9. (1979). "Nation Building and the Pakistan Army, 1947-1969". Aziz Publishers.
10. (2002). "The Armed Forces of Pakistan". NYU Press.
11. (1 January 2023). "Army- Real Rulers of Pakistan". Neha Publishers & Distributors.
12. (2013). "The Armed Forces: Instrument of Peace, Strength, Development and Prosperity". Author House.
13. [http://www.lonelyplanet.com/shop_pickandmix/previews/karakoram%20highway-preview.pdf Lonely Planet Karakoram] {{webarchive. link. (11 October 2012)
14. Khalid, [[Pakistan Army, Brigadier Mumtaz. "History of KKH". Brigadier (retired) Khalid Mumtaz, Commander of 158th Engineers Brigade.
15. Rahman, Shahidur. (1999). "Long road to Chagai§ The Background". Printwise Publications.