IV Corps (Pakistan)
| IV Corps | |
|---|---|
| Active | June 1965 - Present |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan Army |
| Branch | Active Duty |
| Type | Army Corps |
| Role | Combined arms formation Tactical headquarters element |
| Size | +60,000 approximately (though this may vary as units are rotated) |
| Part of | Central Military Command of Pakistan Army |
| HQ/Command Control Headquarter | Lahore, Punjab Province |
| Nickname(s) | Lahore Corps |
| Colors Identification | Red, White and Silver |
| Anniversaries | November of 1965 |
| Engagements | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Indo-Pakistani War of 1999 |
| Decorations | Military Decorations of Pakistan Military |
| Commanders | |
| Corps Commander | Lt Gen Sadiq Ali |
| Notable commanders | Gen Tikka Khan Gen Iqbal Khan Gen Sawar Khan Gen Aziz Khan Gen Rashad Mahmood Lt Gen Moinuddin Haider Lt Gen Khalid Maqbool Lt Gen Shahid Aziz Lt Gen Muhammad Aslam Shah |
The IV Corps is one of military administrative corps of Pakistan Army. Having established in 1965 after the Indo-Pakistani September War, it is currently stationed in Lahore, Punjab Province of Pakistan. The current corps commander is Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali.
History
The corps was formed in 1965 and was the second corps level formation created by Pakistan Army. After independence, Pakistan had an organisation whereby all divisions were controlled directly by General Headquarters. Although a Corps would be raised in the late 1950s, it was found that the organisation was unwieldy, and thus orders for a second corps and a Field Army to control the two corps were given, the army was later disbanded.[1]
1965 War
The Corps and its assigned assets were still under the process of raising when war came. As a result it was in a unique position when it faced the Indian thrust at Lahore; it would be commanded directly from GHQ rather than from its own headquarters. Although it along with other forces assembled managed to repel the Indian attack, the lack of a fully functional corps HQ was felt.[2]
Later the formation was one of two Pakistani corps at Chawinda, where it came under the effective control of the Pakistani commander in the sector; Tikka Khan. IV Corps artillery which was the only organic IV Corps formation to have fully stood up before the war would play a major part in the battle,[3] and its performance was deemed to have been the decisive factor in the battle.[4][5]
1971 War
Immediately after the war, the corps was fully stood up. In 1971 it would go to war again, under command of Lt.Gen Bahadur Sher. With two divisions under command it would see skirmishes on the Wagha border area, and later it would capture the Husseinwala district in India, including Qaisar-e-Hind Fort.
List of commanders
- Lt Gen Attiqur Rahman, 1966 – August 1969
- Lt Gen Tikka Khan, August 1969 – March 1971
- Lt Gen Bahadur Sher Khan, March 1971 – January 1972
- Lt Gen Abdul Hameed Khan, January 1972–1974
- Lt Gen Iqbal Khan, March 1976 – January 1978
- Lt Gen Sawar Khan, January 1978 – March 1980
- Lt Gen Sirdar Farooq Shaukat Khan Lodi, March 1980 – March 1984
- Lt Gen Mohammad Aslam Shah, March 1984 – March 1986
- Lt Gen Alam Jan Mahsud, March 1988 – July 1990
- Lt Gen Mohammad Ashraf, July 1990 – January 1993
- Lt Gen Humayun Khan Bangash, January 1993 – January 1996
- Lt Gen Moinuddin Haider, January 1996 – March 1997
- Lt Gen Mohammad Akram, March 1997 – October 1998
- Lt Gen Khalid Maqbool, October 1998 – August 2000
- Lt Gen Aziz Khan, August 2000 – October 2001
- Lt Gen Zarrar Azim, October 2001 – December 2003
- Lt Gen Shahid Aziz, December 2003 – October 2005
- Lt Gen Shafaat Ullah Shah, October 2005 – March 2008
- Lt Gen Ijaz Ahmed Bakhshi, March 2008 – April 2010
- Lt Gen Rashad Mahmood, April 2010 – January 2013
- Lt Gen Maqsood Ahmad, January 2013 – September 2013
- Lt Gen Naweed Zaman, September 2013 – September 2015
- Lt Gen Sadiq Ali, September 2015 – Present
Order of battle
The corps order of battle is.[6]
- Headquarters IV Corps: Lahore
- 10th Infantry Division: Lahore
- 11th Infantry Division: Lahore
- 3rd Independent Armoured Brigade: Unidentified Location. In June 1972 the brigade headquarters was located at the Changa Manga Forest Rest House.[7]
- 212 Infantry Brigade: Unidentified Location. Reportedly possibly Lahore
References
- ^ The Pakistan Army-War 1965-Shaukat Riza-Army Education Press-1984
- ^ Brian Cloughley- A History of the Pakistan Army, ISBN 0-19-579507-5
- ^ 50 years of the Regiment of Artllery
- ^ Battle of Chawinda
- ^ History of Indo-Pak War of 1965. Lt Gen Mahmud Ahmed (ret) ISBN 969-8693-01-7, Chapter oo Chawinda Battle
- ^ Global Security Page on IV Corps
- ^ Brig (Retd) ZA KHAN, The Way It Was - 1