General

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 Yusaf Khan Qaimkhani

Qaimkhani

Kaimkhani or Qaimkhani is a Muslim Rajput clan that resides in Sindh and Punjab, Pakistan and Rajasthan, India.- History :Kaimkhanis are the descendants of Nawab Kaim Khan, born Karamchand, the son of Raja Motay Rai Chauhan, the ruler of Dorayra or Dadrewa...

(born February 10, 1948), is a retired four-star general of 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 served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) from October 8, 2001 until October 7, 2004. When his 3-year term expired in October 2004, he was replaced by General Ahsan Saleem Hyat.

Military career

General Yusaf Khan is a graduate of Military College Jhelum

Military College Jhelum

Military College Jhelum or MCJ, is a military high school, located at Sarai Alamgir but now in , Pakistan. Though it is physically located in Gujrat District, due to its very close proximity it is still associated with the City of Jhelum, and is considered to be in the cantonment limit of Jhelum...

 (College No. 2642) and was commissioned 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...

 in 1966 in the 37th PMA Long Course and joined the Guides Cavalry. He served various command and staff posts including Commanding Officer Guides Cavalry, Commanding Officer of a Tank Battalion in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

, Instructor at 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...

, Chief of Staff of a Strike Corps, Commander of an armoured division, Chief of General Staff

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...

, and finally the Vice Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army.

Yusaf Khan was promoted to Lieutenant General in June 1998 and sent as the Military Secretary (MS) in the GHQ. Later on 29 October 1998, he was transferred as Commander 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...

, Multan.

Military coup of 1999 and Chief of General Staff

During the time of military coup of 1999, the then Lieutenant General Muhammad Yusaf Khan was the Corps Commander Multan. Due to his close proximity to General Musharraf, by September 2000, he was posted as Chief of General Staff (CGS) to replace the then Lieutenant General Aziz Khan who was instead given the command of Lahore Corps. The post of Chief of General Staff

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...

 is considered vital as the chief overlooks the two intelligence bureaus within Pakistan Army (Military Intelligence

Military Intelligence of Pakistan

In Pakistan Defence Forces, the Directorate-General for the Military Intelligence , is a Pakistan Defence Forces intelligence agency and that is responsible for the military counter-intelligence. It also refers specifically to the intelligence components of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Unlike the...

 and Intelligence Bureau). In fact, it is believed that a military coup against a government cannot be launched without tacit approval of the Chief of General Staff.

Vice Chief of Army Staff

In October 2001, General Yusaf was promoted to four-star general and replaced Lieutenant General Muzaffar Usmani as the Vice Chief of Army Staff. He was junior only to Usmani, hence superseding one officer while ascending to the four-star post of VCOAS. It is interesting to note that the timing of promotion of General Yusaf and General Aziz Khan coincided with the US invasion of Afghanistan

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...

, when these generals superseded Lieutenant General Muzaffar Usmani and Lieutenant General Mahmud Ahmed, both of whom were known for their hawkish stances.

General Yusaf also stayed the ceremonial post of Colonel-in-Chief of the Armoured Corps of Pakistan Army. The four-star general is usually promoted as the Colonel-in-Chief of his respective unit. He was promoted to that position by President General Pervez Musharraf

Pervez Musharraf

Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...

 on 31 March 2003 at the Armoured Corps Regimental Center in Nowshera

Nowshera Cantonment

Nowshera Cantonment is a cantonment adjacent to Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan....

 and continued till 3 May 2005 when he was replaced by General Ahsan Saleem Hyat.

External links

• Launching ceremony of "Men of Steel"

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