Waheed Arshad
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Waheed Arshad, HI(M), TBt, afwc, fsc(t), psc, is a three-star
general in the Pakistan Army
who is currently serving as the Chief of General Staff (CGS)
at the General Headquarters. His previous appointments at the GHQ include; IG Training and Evaluation (IGT&E), Vice Chief of General Staff (VCGS) and DG Planning at COAS Secretariat. Arshad also served as the chief Army spokesman heading the Inter Services Public Relations
from 2007 to 2008.
in October 1975 in the 52nd PMA Long Course. He is a graduate of Command and Staff College
Quetta
; Turkish War College, Istanbul
, Turkey
; and National Defence College
, Islamabad
. He holds masters degrees in War and Strategic Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University
, Islamabad
and diploma in Turkish Language
from National University of Modern Languages
, Islamabad.
Kakul
, School of Infantry and Tactics, Quetta and National Defence College
, Islamabad.
He commanded an Armored Regiment and both an Armored and Infantry Brigades. He has also served as General Staff Officer Grade-1 and Director Military Operations at Military Operations Directorate.
where he served till April 2007. He then proceeded to relieve Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan as DG Inter Services Public Relations
.
In January 2008, Arshad was appointed as the DG Planning at COAS Secretariat, heading the army's think-tank. This post was established by the former Army Chief General Jehangir Karamat
. Maj-Gen Khalid Kidwai (who retired as Lt-Gen and chief of Strategic Planning Division) and Maj-Gen Ahsan Saleem Hyat (who retired as General in the capacity of VCOAS) held the appointments of DG Planning in the past. In October 2008, Waheed Arshad was appointed as the Vice Chief of General Staff (VCGS) of the Army replacing Lt Gen Muhammad Yousaf who took over the XXXI Corps
at Bahawalpur.
Arshad was promoted as Lieutenant-General in April 2010 and took over as IG Training and Evaluation (IGT&E). Barely six months later in October 2010 he took over as Chief of General Staff (CGS), the most coveted posting in Pakistan Army
. He replaced the recently-promoted General Khalid Shameem Wynne
who was appointed as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Waheed Arshad, HI(M), TBt, afwc, fsc(t), psc, is a three-star
3 star rank
An officer of three-star rank is a very senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-8. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members...
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 is currently serving as the Chief of General Staff (CGS)
Chief of General Staff (Pakistan)
Chief of General Staff, shortly abbreviated as CGS, is the most coveted position within the Pakistan Army. Although four-star Chief of Army Staff is the nominal head of the land forces, CGS is the operational and intelligence lead of the institution...
at the General Headquarters. His previous appointments at the GHQ include; IG Training and Evaluation (IGT&E), Vice Chief of General Staff (VCGS) and DG Planning at COAS Secretariat. Arshad also served as the chief Army spokesman heading the Inter Services Public Relations
Inter Services Public Relations
Inter Services Public Relations is an administrative military organization within the Pakistan Defence Forces that coordinates military information with the media and the civil society...
from 2007 to 2008.
Army career
Waheed Arshad was commissioned in the Armoured Corps of Pakistan ArmyPakistan 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...
in October 1975 in the 52nd PMA Long Course. He is a graduate of Command and Staff College
Command 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...
; Turkish War College, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, 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...
; and National Defence College
National Defence University, Islamabad
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the Ministry of Defence of Government of Pakistan, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy...
, Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
. He holds masters degrees in War and Strategic Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University
Quaid-i-Azam University
The Quaid-i-Azam University is a public, research university in Islamabad Capital Territory of Pakistan. It was initially founded as the "University of Islamabad" in July 1967...
, Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
and diploma in Turkish Language
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
from National University of Modern Languages
National University of Modern Languages
- Administration :The President of Pakistan is the Chancellor while the Federal Minister of Education is the Pro-Chancellor. The day-to-day administration is controlled by a Board of Governors. Federal secretaries of different ministries and prominent citizens from both private and public sectors...
, Islamabad.
Command, staff and instructional appointments
During his career, he served as Brigade Major of an Independent Armored Brigade Group and remained on the faculty of Pakistan Military AcademyPakistan Military Academy
The Pakistan Military Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service military academy. It is located at Kakul near Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan....
Kakul
Kakul
Kakul is a town situated in the Kakul Valley at an elevation of 1300 metres, 5 km northeast of Abbottabad city near the Thandiani Hills, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The population is around 30,000.-History:...
, School of Infantry and Tactics, Quetta and National Defence College
National Defence University, Islamabad
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the Ministry of Defence of Government of Pakistan, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy...
, Islamabad.
He commanded an Armored Regiment and both an Armored and Infantry Brigades. He has also served as General Staff Officer Grade-1 and Director Military Operations at Military Operations Directorate.
Senior appointments
Waheed Arshad was promoted as Major-General on 7 January 2005. He was then sent as GOC 26th Mechanized Division in BahawalpurBahawalpur
Bahawalpur , located in the province of Punjab, is the twelfth largest city in Pakistan. The city was once the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur. The city was home to various Nawabs and counted as part of the Rajputana states...
where he served till April 2007. He then proceeded to relieve Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan as DG Inter Services Public Relations
Inter Services Public Relations
Inter Services Public Relations is an administrative military organization within the Pakistan Defence Forces that coordinates military information with the media and the civil society...
.
In January 2008, Arshad was appointed as the DG Planning at COAS Secretariat, heading the army's think-tank. This post was established by the former Army Chief General Jehangir Karamat
Jehangir Karamat
General Jehangir Karamat, NI, TBt, afwc, psc, fsc, is a retired four-star general and a renowned military scientist who served as the former Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army from January 1996 to October 1998, and then former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States from November 2004 to June...
. Maj-Gen Khalid Kidwai (who retired as Lt-Gen and chief of Strategic Planning Division) and Maj-Gen Ahsan Saleem Hyat (who retired as General in the capacity of VCOAS) held the appointments of DG Planning in the past. In October 2008, Waheed Arshad was appointed as the Vice Chief of General Staff (VCGS) of the Army replacing Lt Gen Muhammad Yousaf who took over the XXXI Corps
XXXI Corps (Pakistan)
The XXXI Corps is an active military administrative corps of is one of the Pakistan Army. Commonly known as 10th Corps, it is currently assigned to active corps Punjab Province. The corps is currently the major part of Southern Military Command of Pakistan Defence Forces...
at Bahawalpur.
Arshad was promoted as Lieutenant-General in April 2010 and took over as IG Training and Evaluation (IGT&E). Barely six months later in October 2010 he took over as Chief of General Staff (CGS), the most coveted posting in 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...
. He replaced the recently-promoted General Khalid Shameem Wynne
Khalid Shameem Wynne
General Khalid Shameem Wynne, PA, NI, afwc, fsc, psc, , is a four-star general in the Pakistan Army and the current and 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The official statement noted that "Gen...
who was appointed as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.