Ehsan ul Haq
Encyclopedia
General
Ehsan ul Haq (born September 22, 1949 in Mardan
), 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. After the military coup of 1999 in which General Pervez Musharraf
came to power, General Ehsan was given some of the most important posts in the Pakistan Army
which included commanding the Army corps in the restive tribal region and Khyber Pakhtoon Kwah Province; directing the ISI, the principal intelligence body; and chairmaning Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the Commander-in-chief
of Pakistan Armed Forces.
, Quetta
, and National Defense University, Islamabad
. He was promoted Brigadier in June 1992 and Major General in June 1996. After promotion to Major General,Ehsan served as the GOC of 16th Infantry Division (Pano Aqil) near Sukkur, Sindh. He was decorated with Hilal-e-Imtiaz for his meritorious military services.
During the army takeover in 1999,Maj Gen Ehsan was Director General of Military Intelligence
(DGMI), a post he continued till April 2001,when he was replaced by Major General Tariq Majid
.He was then promoted as Lieutenant General and posted as the corps commander of the Peshawar Corps, a post he continued for few months till October 2001.
, the intelligence body of Pakistan. This command changeover was part of a major reshuffle that took place after the events of 9/11, and with Pakistan siding with the United States in the War on Terror
. This reshuffle was also important in a sense that Lt Gen Mahmud Ahmed, the former ISI chief and a Taliban sympathizer, was prematurely retired ahead of US invasion of Afghanistan
in October 2001.
, Javed Hassan, Munir Hafiez
, Ehsan Saleem Hyat (who was promoted to four-star post of VCOAS), Tariq Waseem Ghazi, Muhammad Akram, Syed Parwez Shahid, and Ehsan ul Haq. Haq retired from military service on October 8, 2007 and was replaced by General Tariq Majid
as Chairman.
General Ehsan ul Haq was later nominated as the first ever Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Defense (AD) on December 18, 2004. The Colonel-in-Chief is usually a general, and is the ceremonial head of his parent unit. General Ehsan was recommended to that position by General Pervez Musharraf.
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....
Ehsan ul Haq (born September 22, 1949 in Mardan
Mardan
Mardan , known as The city of hospitality, is a city and headquarters of Mardan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is the de facto headquarters of the Yousafzai tribe and the second most populous city in the province, located at 34°12'0N 72°1'60E and an altitude of in the south...
), is a retired four-star general 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...
who served as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Pakistan Military until October 8, 2007. After the military coup of 1999 in which 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...
came to power, General Ehsan was given some of the most important posts 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...
which included commanding the Army corps in the restive tribal region and Khyber Pakhtoon Kwah Province; directing the ISI, the principal intelligence body; and chairmaning Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the Commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of Pakistan Armed Forces.
Army career
Ehsan ul-Haq graduated from PAF College,Sargodha in 1967, and was commissioned in Army Air Defense in October 1969 in the 41st PMA Long Course.While serving in the Army,General Ehsan commanded various Infantry and Air Defense divisions.Some of Ehsan's achievements consist of graduating from Command and Staff CollegeCommand 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...
, Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
, and National Defense University, Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
. He was promoted Brigadier in June 1992 and Major General in June 1996. After promotion to Major General,Ehsan served as the GOC of 16th Infantry Division (Pano Aqil) near Sukkur, Sindh. He was decorated with Hilal-e-Imtiaz for his meritorious military services.
During the army takeover in 1999,Maj Gen Ehsan was Director General of 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...
(DGMI), a post he continued till April 2001,when he was replaced by Major General Tariq Majid
Tariq Majid
General Tariq Majid, NI, afwc, fsc, psc, is a retired Pakistan Army's four-star general who served as the Supreme Commandant of the Pakistan Defense Forces as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 2007 to 2010...
.He was then promoted as Lieutenant General and posted as the corps commander of the Peshawar Corps, a post he continued for few months till October 2001.
Director General ISI
On May 14, 2001, Major General Ehsan was promoted to a three-star general and by October 2001 was given the command of Inter-Services IntelligenceInter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
, the intelligence body of Pakistan. This command changeover was part of a major reshuffle that took place after the events of 9/11, and with Pakistan siding with the United States in the War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. This reshuffle was also important in a sense that Lt Gen Mahmud Ahmed, the former ISI chief and a Taliban sympathizer, was prematurely retired ahead of 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...
in October 2001.
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
After completing the term as ISI chief, in October 2004,General Ehsan was promoted to four-star general and was given the chairmanship of JCSC, replacing General Aziz Ahmed Khan,who was due to retire from the Pakistan Army. General Ehsan was eighth in seniority when he ascended to the four-star post, hence superseding seven senior generals.Following were the senior-most Lieutenant Generals; Hamid JavaidHamid Javaid
Lieutenant General Hamid Javaid, HI, HI, afwc, psc, is a former Pakistan Army general who served as Chief of Staff to President Pervez Musharraf for six years from September 2001 to December 2007...
, Javed Hassan, Munir Hafiez
Munir Hafiez
Lieutenant-General Munir Papoo Hafiez" is a retired Pakistan Army general and the former chairman of the National Accountability Bureau of the Government of Pakistan, the body charged with fighting corruption. Before his appointment in 2001 he served in the Pakistani Army for 38 years. He was...
, Ehsan Saleem Hyat (who was promoted to four-star post of VCOAS), Tariq Waseem Ghazi, Muhammad Akram, Syed Parwez Shahid, and Ehsan ul Haq. Haq retired from military service on October 8, 2007 and was replaced by General Tariq Majid
Tariq Majid
General Tariq Majid, NI, afwc, fsc, psc, is a retired Pakistan Army's four-star general who served as the Supreme Commandant of the Pakistan Defense Forces as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 2007 to 2010...
as Chairman.
General Ehsan ul Haq was later nominated as the first ever Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Defense (AD) on December 18, 2004. The Colonel-in-Chief is usually a general, and is the ceremonial head of his parent unit. General Ehsan was recommended to that position by General Pervez Musharraf.