The appointment of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) has always been an intriguing process in Pakistan. The position is considered the most powerful and influential in the country. Currently, all attention is fixed on who the new COAS is going to be after Qamar Jawaid Bajwa retires on 29^th November 2022. Let us peek back in the past to see the appointments of Pakistan’s COAS and their tenures from 1947 until this day.

Frank Messervy (August 1947-February 1948)

After partition, the first Commander in Chief appointed in Pakistan was a British General, Sir Frank Messervy.
Douglas Gracey (February 1948- January 1951)

The second Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan was Sir Douglas Gracey appointed by Jinnah. Gracey succeeded Messervy in 1948. Gracey is known for opposing Jinnah’s orders by not sending troops to Kashmir during the 1948 war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. He claimed that the British Crown appointed him and Jinnah, being the Governor General also represented it. Even after gaining independence, Pakistan was still under the influence of colonial rule since the major high posts in the armed forces belonged to British officers. Gracey took retirement in 1951.

Ayub Khan (January 1951- October 1958)

The first one to introduce Martial Law in Pakistan was Ayub Khan. Iskander Mirza, the President, dissolved the constitution with the assistance of the military and named General Ayub Khan the Chief Martial Law Administrator. Ironically, Ayub Khan exiled Mirza and became the President himself. Khan’s tenure included the introduction of the “Basic Democracies” in 1960 through which he was reelected in 1965 against Miss Fatima Ali Jinnah. Khan received a lot of criticism, especially from the students over the restrictions on suffrage and he eventually had to resign in October 1958.

Muhammad Musa (October 1958- June 1966)

General Muhammad Musa became the fourth Commander-in-Chief after Ayub Khan in 1958. Musa was known for being a respectable and professional man. He was the Chief of Staff in East Pakistan’s army and actively contributed to the operations in 1965 War. During the war, he led the military and played his strategies through the classic trench method. General Musa was a popular figure in the military. He retired in June 1966 and did not recommend General Yahya Khan to be his successor but despite that, Yahya Khan still succeeded him.

Yahya Khan (June 1966- December 1971)

One of the most remembered Commander-in-Chief is Yahya Khan. He took the office in June 1966. He became the Chief Martial Law Administrator after Ayub Khan stepped down in 1969. The two most important events during Khan’s tenure are the General elections held in 1970 and the loss of the Eastern wing of Pakistan. When Awami League won the elections in the Eastern part of the country, it became unacceptable to the West, which eventually led to the 1971 war and the birth of Bangladesh. In December 1971, Bhutto succeeded Yahya Khan and became the President as well as the Chief Martial Law Administrator of whatever was left of Pakistan.

Gul Hassan Khan (December 1971- March 1972)

The last Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan was Gul Hassan Khan who served for just a few months under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He was deposed from his position and relieved from retirement benefits by Bhutto. General Tikka Khan was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff in his stead.

Tikka Khan (March 1972- March 1976)

General Tikka Khan became the first Chief of Army Staff in March 1972. Khan was known for his loyalty to Bhutto and for his active participation in countering the Baloch insurgency in Balochistan. Khan left the office in 1976.

Zia-ul-Haq (March 1976- August 1988)

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto appointed Zia-ul-Haq as the Chief of Army Staff in 1976. Zia-ul-Haq later deposed Bhutto due to the “civil disorder”. Eventually, in 1977 Zia imposed martial law in the country and became the President. In 1979, Bhutto was tried in court for permitting the murder of a political opponent and was hanged to death. Zia was known for his martial law in 1977 and the Soviet-Afghan war.  He is also remembered for the “Islamization of Pakistan” for the different religious policies he introduced. Zia died in a plane crash in 1988.

Mirza Aslam Baig (August 1988- August 1991)

Baig succeeded Zia-ul-Haq in August 1988. He was the COAS during Benazir Bhutto’s tenure. He worked with Bhutto to maintain national security during the Soviet-Afghan war. He was not able to convince Nawaz Sharif’s government to an extension and hence retired in 1991.

Asif Nawaz (August 1991- January 1993)

Asif Nawaz became the fourth COAS of Pakistan. Frequent interference in politics was tarnishing the army’s image. Nawaz committed to the prevention of the military’s involvement in politics through a press release from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). Nawaz passed away in 1993 due to cardiac arrest and was succeeded by Abdul Waheed Kakar.

Abdul Waheed Kakar (January 1993- January 1996)

Kakar became the COAS after the unexpected death of Asif Nawaz in January 1993. Due to the political and constitutional crises in 1993, Kakar persuaded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Ghulam Ishaq Khan to resign. General elections of 1993 were conducted in which Benazir Bhutto became the Prime Minister. Kakar retired in January 1996.

Jehangir Karamat (January 1996- October 1998)

Benazir Bhutto appointed the sixth COAS, Jehangir Karamat, in January 1996. After Benazir’s dismissal and Nawaz Sharif’s appointment, Karamat shared the proposition of formally setting up a body for armed forces to have representation in politics. Sharif considered this as political interference and forced Karamat to resign in 1998.

Pervaiz Musharaf (October 1998- November 2007)

In 1998, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed General Pervaiz Musharaf as COAS as well as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. The Prime Minister and the General had their differences and in 1999 after Sharif refused his plane to land in Pakistani territory, the General suspended the constitution and adopted the powers of the Chief Executive. A military coup was imposed and Sharif was put under house arrest. In 2002, Musharaf made himself the President and made various changes to the constitution. In 2007, Musharaf became unpopular among the locals and protests broke out in the country. Consequently, Musharaf resigned from the army and appointed Pervaiz Kiyani as the COAS in his succession.

Ziauddin Butt (October 1999- October 1999)

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed General Ziauddin Butt as COAS. The appointment only lasted for a few hours as the then Chairman of Joint Chiefs and COAS, Pervaiz Musharaf, returned, suspended the constitution and took the position of the Chief Executive.

Pervaiz Kiyani (November 2007- November 2013)

After Musharaf’s resignation, Kiyani was appointed as the COAS in 2007. Kiyani instructed the pullout of the military officers from the civil sectors. General elections were held in which Pakistan’s People’s Party won the majority votes and came into power in 2008. Kiyani retired in 2013.

Raheel Sharif (November 2013- November 2016)

Sharif came into power in 2013. Sharif actively worked on operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorists, safeguarded CPEC and discouraged military intervention in politics. Sharif completed his three years and retired in November 2016.

Qamar Javaid Bajwa (November 2016- Present)

General Bajwa became the COAS in November 2016. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed him. In 2019, He got a three-year extension considering the regional security at that time. Bajwa is known for initiating operation Raddul-ul-Fasad against terrorists in Pakistan. Bajwa is the current COAS of Pakistan and is about to retire on the 29^th of November 2022 and a new COAS is expected to be appointed on the same day.