111th Infantry Brigade (Pakistan)
Encyclopedia
The 111th Infantry Brigade or 111th Brigade or Triple-1 Brigade, is an infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...

 of the Pakistan Army notable for its frequent involvement and fast response in military coup d'etats
Military coups in Pakistan
Military coups in Pakistan began in 1958 and number three successful attempts. There have also been numerous unsuccessful attempts since 1949. Since its independence in 1947, Pakistan has spent several decades under military rule .-1958 coup:In 1958, the first Pakistani President Major General...

 since Pakistani independence. Army coups have created psychological impact in the Pakistani society while imposing martial law, and the brigade has been involved in the overtaking of civilian governments as well as performing military operations. The Brigade is commanded by Brigadier-General Faheem Rao who replaced General Parvez Musharraf’s loyal Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....

 Aasim Salim Bajwa. Brigadier-General Faheem Rao is also responsible for the security of the President
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...

 and the Prime minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...

.

Military operations

The 111th Brigade is the most well known Army brigade in Pakistani social, public, religious, and political circles. Since its creation, the 111th Brigade has been frequently used to overtake and topple civilian governments. The brigade's first involvement in toppling a government was when 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....

 Ayub Khan dismissed the government of Pakistani President Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

 (retired)Iskander Mirza.

On July 4, 1977, General Zia-ul-Haq
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq , was the 4th Chief Martial Law Administrator and the sixth President of Pakistan from July 1977 to his death in August 1988...

 conducted a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...

 against the government of then-Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...

. The 111th Brigade is known for its expertise in creating psychological effects in the Pakistani political circles. The brigade was also used by General Parvez Musharraf in thwarting the Sharif
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani conservative politician and steel magnate who served as 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from November 1990 to July 1993, and from February 1997 to October 12, 1999...

 regime. Prime Minister Sharif was arrested and was later exiled to Saudia Arabia.

The brigade's last participation was in Operation Silence, in which the heads of government ordered military police, the Pakistan Army Rangers, and the 111th Brigade to surround the Red Mosque complex
Lal Masjid
The Lal Masjid is a mosque located in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. A religious school for women, the Jamia Hafsa madrasah, and a male madrasah, Jamia Faridia are attached to the mosque.-History:...

. Clashes between Aziz and Ghazi's followers and security forces quickly ensued, and the Islamists opened fire at the security personnel. The 111th Brigade assisted the Army Rangers and the special forces in completing the operation and in capturing high-value targets inside the complex. The brigade's participation in the Red Mosque situation led to a successful special military operation. When the Lawyers' Movement
Lawyers' Movement
The Lawyers' Movement was the name given to the popular mass protest movement started by the lawyers of Pakistan in response to the dictatorial actions of 9 March 2007, by the country's military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, when he unconstitutionally sacked Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the Chief...

 was launched, the Pakistani media speculated that the Zardari government would launch a psychological operation against the movement. However, it was later decided by the Pakistani military leadership not to launch the operation.

In 2010, the 111th Brigade had taken over the control of Islamabad Capital Territory
Islamabad Capital Territory
The Islamabad Capital Territory is one of the two federal territories of Pakistan. It includes Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, and covers an area of 1,165.5 km² of which 906 km² is Islamabad proper...

, and provided the intense and tight security to the both Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 Premier
Premier of the People's Republic of China
The Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , sometimes also referred to as the "Prime Minister" informally, is the Leader of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , who is the head of government and holds the highest-ranking of the Civil service of the...

 and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

's Prime minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...

. The brigade was deployed by the order of Prime minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...

 Yousaf Raza Gillani
Yousaf Raza Gillani
Yousuf Raza Gilani is the current prime minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He was nominated as Prime Minister by the PPP, with the support of its coalition partners, Pakistan Muslim League , Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, on 22 March 2008...

, and it had directly reported to Chief of Army Staff 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....

 Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, NI, HI is a four-star general in the Pakistan Army, and the current Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army. He replaced General Pervez Musharraf as the Chief of Army Staff and the commandant of the army on November 29, 2007...

. The Jang News
Jang Group of Newspapers
Jang Group of Newspapers is a subsidiary of the Independent Media Corporation. It has its headquartered in Printing House, Karachi...

 later cited that ISI had learnt that unnamed neighboring country has planned to sabotage the Chinese Premier's state visit to Pakistan.

Composition

The brigade comprises five Infantry battalions drawn from all the regiments, including two Artillery batteries, one Air Defense battery, one paratrooper battalion, and one armoured squadron. The brigade also includes two SSG companies which are commanded by the Captain according to their ranks.

Suggested Readings

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