Muhammad Shariff
Encyclopedia
General
Muhammad Shariff (22 February 1921 – 6 August 1999) was retired four-star general in the Pakistan Army
who was the first Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
since its inception in 1976 till his retirement in 1978. General Muhammad Shariff was the first Supreme Commandant of the Pakistan Defense Forces who was succeeded by Admiral Mohammad Shariff
in 1978.
, the Muslim companies of which were amalgamated into 1 Punjab after partition.He and Aslam Khan Afridi took part in Indonesia operations as well as kashmir 1947-48 operations.He was one of few ethnic kashmiri officers to join pak army at partition as seniormost kashmiri officers Hiralal Atal and Md Karimullah Sheriff joined Indian army. Shariff then moved to 3 Punjab Regiment.His bravery in kashmir operations was noted and he was rapidly promoted. He became Lieutenant Colonel in 1952 and was promoted to Brigadier-General eight years later in 1959. Then Brigadier-General Shariff took part in the 1960 Dir Operations when the army removed the Nawab of Dir when he was commanding the Shariff Force.
, Quetta
in May 1968 continuing till January 1970. In 1970 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and posted as Pakistan's Permanent Representative at CENTO
HQ in Ankara
, Turkey
.
During the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War
then Lt Gen Shariff took over the 33rd Infantry Division from Maj Gen Chaudhry Naseer Ahmed who was wounded on 12 December 1971. After the war he handed over command to Maj Gen Iqbal Khan
and headed back to Turkey. He soon returned in 1972 as Corps Commander at II Corps
at Multan, overseeing the Aid-to-Civil Power during the language disturbances in Sindh in mid-1972. He ensured that not a shot was fired while restoring complete calm and quiet.
General Shariff wanted to rotate the chairmanship among the three services (i.e., Army, Navy and Air Force) if the system of military governance was to evolve as intended. Because initially, Gen Shariff, the senior most officer was chosen as the Chairman JCSC (overlooking all the three services including the army) and Gen Zia-ul-Haq the Army chief. However, even before the system could evolve itself into a cohesive working structure the July 1977 coup disturbed the power balance totally, and tilted it heavily in favor of the army chief.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Muhammad Shariff (22 February 1921 – 6 August 1999) was retired four-star general in the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
who was the first Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Pakistan
The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee , is a military administrative body of high-ranking and senior uniformed military leaders and officers in the Pakistan Defense Forces who advises the civilian Government of Pakistan, National Security Council, and Defence Minister on important military matters...
since its inception in 1976 till his retirement in 1978. General Muhammad Shariff was the first Supreme Commandant of the Pakistan Defense Forces who was succeeded by Admiral Mohammad Shariff
Mohammad Shariff
Admiral Mohammad Shariff, , , is a retired four-star naval officer and a career war veteran. Admiral Mohammad Shariff took over the command of Pakistan Navy on 21 March, 1979, when a three-star vice-admiral, Hasan Hafeez Ahmed, died in office...
in 1978.
Early military career
Shariff was commissioned in the British Indian Army in 1942 into a battalion of 3rd Punjab RegimentPunjab Regiment (Pakistan)
The Punjab Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in 1956 from an amalgamation of the 1st Punjab Regiment, 14th Punjab Regiment, 15th Punjab Regiment and 16th Punjab Regiment...
, the Muslim companies of which were amalgamated into 1 Punjab after partition.He and Aslam Khan Afridi took part in Indonesia operations as well as kashmir 1947-48 operations.He was one of few ethnic kashmiri officers to join pak army at partition as seniormost kashmiri officers Hiralal Atal and Md Karimullah Sheriff joined Indian army. Shariff then moved to 3 Punjab Regiment.His bravery in kashmir operations was noted and he was rapidly promoted. He became Lieutenant Colonel in 1952 and was promoted to Brigadier-General eight years later in 1959. Then Brigadier-General Shariff took part in the 1960 Dir Operations when the army removed the Nawab of Dir when he was commanding the Shariff Force.
Later career
As a major general, a rank to which he was promoted in 1966, Gen Shariff served in the GHQ, commanded an infantry division and then became Commandant, Command and Staff CollegeCommand and Staff College
The Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, British Raj, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta...
, Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
in May 1968 continuing till January 1970. In 1970 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and posted as Pakistan's Permanent Representative at CENTO
Cento
Cento is a city and comune in the province of Ferrara, part of the region Emilia-Romagna . In Italian "cento" means 100.-History:The name Cento is a reference to the centuriation of the Po Valley...
HQ in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
During the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
then Lt Gen Shariff took over the 33rd Infantry Division from Maj Gen Chaudhry Naseer Ahmed who was wounded on 12 December 1971. After the war he handed over command to Maj Gen Iqbal Khan
Iqbal Khan (general)
General Muhammad Iqbal Khan, NI, SBt, is a former four star general of the Pakistan Army who stayed as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1980 to 1984 during the martial regime of Chief Martial Law Administrator and Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army General Zia-ul-Haq...
and headed back to Turkey. He soon returned in 1972 as Corps Commander at II Corps
II Corps (Pakistan)
The II Corps, known as II Strike Corps or Army Reserve South, is army corps of Pakistan Army stationed in Multan, Punjab Province of Pakistan. The II Strike Corps is one of Pakistan's four heavy armoured corps...
at Multan, overseeing the Aid-to-Civil Power during the language disturbances in Sindh in mid-1972. He ensured that not a shot was fired while restoring complete calm and quiet.
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
In 1974, he became Colonel Commandant of the Punjab Regiment and in 1976 was promoted to full General taking over as the first Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, a position he served in till his voluntary retirement in 1978. It is said that he made the decision to retire after General Zia repeatedly delayed Parliamentary Elections and extended the military coup, to which he was opposed to. After his retirement he faded from public life, refusing to accept any post in government, living off his pension and savings.General Shariff wanted to rotate the chairmanship among the three services (i.e., Army, Navy and Air Force) if the system of military governance was to evolve as intended. Because initially, Gen Shariff, the senior most officer was chosen as the Chairman JCSC (overlooking all the three services including the army) and Gen Zia-ul-Haq the Army chief. However, even before the system could evolve itself into a cohesive working structure the July 1977 coup disturbed the power balance totally, and tilted it heavily in favor of the army chief.