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XI Corps (Pakistan)
Encyclopedia
The XI Corps is an active administrative corp of Pakistan Army
. The XI Corps is the only one corps that is assigned in the North-West Frontier Province
(NWFP). It is currently stationed in Peshawar
, Khyber-Pakhtaunkhuwa. The Corps was established and quickly raised in 1975 to support administrative military operational units in the NWFP and Northern Areas
. The corps is internationally distinguished for its involvement in Soviet war in Afghanistan
.
, one of the two approches by which the Soviets could attack into Pakistan (the other was the Bolan Pass
, guarded by the XII Corps). For more than a decade it held the line against Soviet expansionism.
brought effected the Corp immesly. No longer facing a threat on its Western flank, the army moved division, brigades and units away from the division, and its orienatation was changed from a defence of the Afghan border, to being a reserve in Kashmir
. The 1999 Kargil War
saw the corps enter action for the first time and it fought mainly in the Gultari sector of the war, where one of its members, Captain Kernel Sher Khan would win the Nishan-e-Haider
, the Highest Pakistani Gallantry Award.
Frontier Corps
.
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...
. The XI Corps is the only one corps that is assigned in the North-West Frontier Province
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
(NWFP). It is currently stationed in Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Khyber-Pakhtaunkhuwa. The Corps was established and quickly raised in 1975 to support administrative military operational units in the NWFP and Northern Areas
Northern Areas
Gilgit-Baltistan , is the northernmost political entity within Pakistan. It borders Pakistan's Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province to the west, Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor to the north, China to the east and northeast, Azad Kashmir to the southwest, and Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to the...
. The corps is internationally distinguished for its involvement in Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
.
Afghan War
It was the start of the Afghan War, which brought the Corps to prominence in 1979. It was given three infantry divisions, and was given the responsibility of covering the Khyber PassKhyber Pass
The Khyber Pass, is a mountain pass linking Pakistan and Afghanistan.The Pass was an integral part of the ancient Silk Road. It is mentioned in the Bible as the "Pesh Habor," and it is one of the oldest known passes in the world....
, one of the two approches by which the Soviets could attack into Pakistan (the other was the Bolan Pass
Bolan Pass
The Bolan Pass is a mountain pass through the Toba Kakar Range of Balochistan province in western Pakistan, 120 kilometres from the Afghanistan border....
, guarded by the XII Corps). For more than a decade it held the line against Soviet expansionism.
Kargil War
The end of the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
brought effected the Corp immesly. No longer facing a threat on its Western flank, the army moved division, brigades and units away from the division, and its orienatation was changed from a defence of the Afghan border, to being a reserve in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. The 1999 Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
saw the corps enter action for the first time and it fought mainly in the Gultari sector of the war, where one of its members, Captain Kernel Sher Khan would win the Nishan-e-Haider
Nishan-e-Haider
Nishan-e-Haider or Nishan-e-Hyder is the highest military decoration given by Pakistan . It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a Republic, however, it was instituted retrospectively from Independence in 1947...
, the Highest Pakistani Gallantry Award.
War on Terror
After September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001 and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan, the XI Corps became the main Pakistani formation involved in fighting in Waziristan and the North West Frontier in general. It has been reinforced and also commands substantial forces of paramilitaryParamilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
Frontier Corps
Frontier Corps
The Frontier Corps is a federally-controlled paramilitary force of Pakistan, recruited mostly from the tribal areas along the western borders and led by officers from the Pakistan Army...
.
List of commanders
- Lt Gen Majeed Malik, April 1975 – March 1976
- Lt Gen Sawar KhanSawar KhanGeneral Mohammad Sawar Khan, NI is an ex-four-star general of the Pakistan Army who was the Governor of the largest province, Punjab and the Vice Chief of Army Staff during the era of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq when Zia was simultaneously the chief of army staff and the President of...
, March 1976 – January 1978 - Lt Gen Fazle HaqFazle HaqLieutenant General Fazle Haq was a 3-star rank general in the Pakistan Army, and former Martial Law Administrator of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. He was the "Corps-Commander" of the XI Corps, and commanded all the Pakistan Army assets assigned in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province...
, January 1978 – March 1980 - Lt Gen Chaudhri Abdul Majid, March 1980 – April 1984
- Lt Gen Muhammad Iqbal, April 1984 – October 1985
- Lt Gen Mirza Aslam BegMirza Aslam BegGeneral Mirza Aslam Beg, SBt, HI, NI, afwc, psc , is a retired four-star general who was the Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army succeeding General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, after the latter died in an air crash on 17 August 1988...
, October 1985 – January 1987 - Lt Gen Ahmad Kamal Khan, January 1987 – February 1989
- Lt Gen Rehm Dil Bhatti, February 1989 – September 1990
- Lt Gen Farrakh Khan, September 1990 – August 1991
- Lt Gen Ayaz Ahmad, August 1991 – May 1994
- Lt Gen Mumtaz Gul, May 1994 – October 1996
- Lt Gen Saeed uz Zafar, October 1996 – March 2000
- Lt Gen Imtiaz Shaheen, March 2000 – April 2001
- Lt Gen Ehsan ul HaqEhsan ul HaqGeneral Ehsan ul Haq , is a retired four-star general in the Pakistan Army who served as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Pakistan Military until October 8, 2007...
, April 2001 – October 2001 - Lt Gen Ali Jan Aurakzai, October 2001 – March 2004
- Lt Gen Safdar Hussain, March 2004 – September 2005
- Lt Gen Mohammad Hamid Khan, September 2005 – April 2007
- Lt Gen Masood AslamMasood AslamLieutenant General Muhammad Masood Aslam, HI, HI, SJ, afwc, psc, is a retired three-star general who served as the principal commander of Pakistan Army fighting the pro-Taliban forces in the North-West Pakistan from 2007 to 2010...
, April 2007 – April 2010 - Lt Gen Asif Yasin Malik, April 2010 – November 2011
- Lt Gen Khalid Rabbani, November 2011 – present
Composition
The order of battles of the corps keeps changing, especially in view of its current commitment in the War on terror. During peacetime the XI corps is based in the following areas:- HQ XI Corps: Peshawar
- 7th Infantry Division7th Infantry Division (Pakistan)The 7th Infantry Division, also known as the Golden Arrow and Peshawar Division, is the Pakistan Army's oldest and most battle-hardened division...
: PeshawarPeshawarPeshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan.... - 9th Infantry Division: KohatKohatKohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
- Armoured Brigade: NowsheraNowshera CantonmentNowshera Cantonment is a cantonment adjacent to Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan....
.
- 7th Infantry Division
External links
- GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
, Global Security Website about the XI Corps - This shows the Formations Insignia
- Daily Times - Lt Gen Asif Yasin Malik Takes Over As Peshawar Corps Commanderhttp://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C04%5C10%5Cstory_10-4-2010_pg7_19