Azad Kashmir Regiment
Encyclopedia
The Azad Kashmir Regiment is one of the six infantry regiments of Pakistan Army
. Its Regimental Centre is located at Mansar, Attock District
, Punjab
.
The Azad Kashmir Regular Forces, established in 1947, were armed and supported by Pakistani government. The regiment has the distinction of not having being raised by any government order, but "raised itself" when bands of armed WWII veterans organized themselves into disciplined ad hoc platoons, companies and battalions led by retired officers and NCOs, and went out to fight in Kashmir against the Regular Indian Army in 1948. After cease-fire was declared in Kashmir, these battalions joined together to form the Azad Kashmir Regular Forces (AKRF). The AKRF had its own intake and training structure separate from the Pakistan Army. The AKRF was the military element of the Azad Kashmir Government. Uniforms and rank structures were the same as the Pakistan Army.
Previous Colonel Commandants of the regiment have included Major General Sardar Muhammad Anwar Khan
, the former President of Azad Kashmir
and Lieutenant General Javed Hassan, who as a Major Gen commanded the Force Command Northern Areas (FCNA) during the 1999 Kargil War
and later served as the commander XXX Corps, Gujranwala
. As of 2007 the Colonel Commandant was Major Geneneral Mukhtar Ahmed.
In wartime operations, the AKRF was part of the Order of Battle of the Pakistan Army, in which it was involved in 1965 Operation Gibraltar.
One of the Company Commanders, Major Malik Munawar Awan, is known for his heroic action and occupation of Indian Garrick of Rajori. Later Major Munawar was awarded "Sitara e Jurat" for gallantry and the title of "King of Rajori" by President Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan. All of the AKRF battalions were part of the 12th Infantry Division (Pakistan) that carried out Operation Gibraltar as well as defended Azad Kashmir.
The Azad Kashmir Regular Forces fought in the 1971 war and then in 1972 when the 9th Azad Kashmir Battalion defended Chakpatra and Leepa Valley
against a larger Indian force composed of several regular battalions. This particular battalion was first led in 1948 by Lt. Colonel Ghulam Rasul Raja-Sitara-e-Jurrat (1948), Military Cross (WWII) of Sarai Alamgir
, and is associated with its leader. During the Battle of Leepa Valley the 9th AK Battalion distinguished itself under the leadership of Lt. Colonel Haq Nawaz Kyani, SJ and Bar, who died leading the battalion from the front. The Pakistan Army later honoured the AKRF by absorbing it into its own ranks and by giving it the status of a Regular Line Infantry Regiment. The AKRF thus became the Azad Kashmir Regiment.
In recent times battalions of the Azad Kashmir Regiment are stationed all over Pakistan, and have fought in places such as Somalia
, as part of the United Nations
contingent in that country.
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...
. Its Regimental Centre is located at Mansar, Attock District
Attock District
Attock District is a district in the north-west Punjab Province of Pakistan.The district was created in April 1904 by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British India.Attock...
, Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
.
The Azad Kashmir Regular Forces, established in 1947, were armed and supported by Pakistani government. The regiment has the distinction of not having being raised by any government order, but "raised itself" when bands of armed WWII veterans organized themselves into disciplined ad hoc platoons, companies and battalions led by retired officers and NCOs, and went out to fight in Kashmir against the Regular Indian Army in 1948. After cease-fire was declared in Kashmir, these battalions joined together to form the Azad Kashmir Regular Forces (AKRF). The AKRF had its own intake and training structure separate from the Pakistan Army. The AKRF was the military element of the Azad Kashmir Government. Uniforms and rank structures were the same as the Pakistan Army.
Previous Colonel Commandants of the regiment have included Major General Sardar Muhammad Anwar Khan
Sardar Muhammad Anwar Khan
Major General Sardar Muhammad Anwar Khan, is a career soldier and politician who served as the President of Azad Jammu & Kashmir 25 August 2001 to 23 August 2006...
, the former President of Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
and Lieutenant General Javed Hassan, who as a Major Gen commanded the Force Command Northern Areas (FCNA) during 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...
and later served as the commander XXX Corps, Gujranwala
Gujranwala
Gujranwala is a industrial city in the north-east of the Punjab province. It is the sixth largest city in Pakistan with a population of approximately 2,661,360 as on 24 June 2011...
. As of 2007 the Colonel Commandant was Major Geneneral Mukhtar Ahmed.
In wartime operations, the AKRF was part of the Order of Battle of the Pakistan Army, in which it was involved in 1965 Operation Gibraltar.
One of the Company Commanders, Major Malik Munawar Awan, is known for his heroic action and occupation of Indian Garrick of Rajori. Later Major Munawar was awarded "Sitara e Jurat" for gallantry and the title of "King of Rajori" by President Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan. All of the AKRF battalions were part of the 12th Infantry Division (Pakistan) that carried out Operation Gibraltar as well as defended Azad Kashmir.
The Azad Kashmir Regular Forces fought in the 1971 war and then in 1972 when the 9th Azad Kashmir Battalion defended Chakpatra and Leepa Valley
Leepa Valley
The Leepa Valley is valley in Azad Kashmir which is the Pakistani administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir now in Pakistan. It is located from Muzaffarabad....
against a larger Indian force composed of several regular battalions. This particular battalion was first led in 1948 by Lt. Colonel Ghulam Rasul Raja-Sitara-e-Jurrat (1948), Military Cross (WWII) of Sarai Alamgir
Sarai Alamgir
Sarai Alamgir Sarai Alamgir (Urdu: سرائے عالمگیر) Sarai Alamgir (Urdu: سرائے عالمگیر) (pop. 175, 288 (as per DCR 1998) is the chief town of the tehsil of the same name. It is part of Gujrat district in the north of Punjab province. The town is located on the eastern bank of the Jhelum River...
, and is associated with its leader. During the Battle of Leepa Valley the 9th AK Battalion distinguished itself under the leadership of Lt. Colonel Haq Nawaz Kyani, SJ and Bar, who died leading the battalion from the front. The Pakistan Army later honoured the AKRF by absorbing it into its own ranks and by giving it the status of a Regular Line Infantry Regiment. The AKRF thus became the Azad Kashmir Regiment.
In recent times battalions of the Azad Kashmir Regiment are stationed all over Pakistan, and have fought in places such as Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, as part of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
contingent in that country.