Major General Shaukat Sultan
Encyclopedia
Major General
Shaukat Sultan Khan, HI(M), afwc, psc, was the Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations of the Pakistani Armed Forces from 2003 to 2007. He took over the post from Major General Rashid Qureshi in June 2003. He was the public face of the Pakistan Army
and spokesperson of Pakistan's military efforts against armed resistance in the Balochistan
region, military operations in Waziristan and the war against Al-Qaeda
near Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He was replaced by Major General Waheed Arshad
as the DG ISPR on March 1, 2007, and was posted as General Officer Commanding, 10th Infantry Division Lahore.
Later, he was superseded and sent as DG Foreign Military Cooperation (FMC) at the Joint Staff Headquarters in Chaklala.
in August 1972 in the 3rd Special War Course. He is a graduate of United States Army Infantry School
, Fort Benning, GA
, Command and Staff College
, Quetta
, and National Defence College
, Islamabad
. He holds a Masters degree in War Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University
, Islamabad.
, and a Brigade in the Strike Corps. His Staff assignments include Brigade Major and Director Military Operations.
He has been on the faculty of Pakistan Military Academy
, School of Infantry and Tactics, Command and Staff College
and National Defence College, Islamabad. He has also served as UN Military Observer in the UN Mission in Bosnia in 1995-96.
He was promoted Major General in June 2003 and was appointed as Director General Inter Services Public Relations. He was given the additional responsibility of Press Secretary to the President of Pakistan
in June 2004. Major General Shaukat Sultan was then appointed General Officer Commanding of 10th Infantry Division at Lahore
in March 2007 after completing his tenure as Director General of ISPR.
, the world's most wanted terrorist, could be its untroubled guest came in the course of an interview to ABC News
by its spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan. If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden "would not be taken into custody," Major General Shaukat Sultan told ABC News in the interview, "as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen."
Sultan's comments came in the context of questions in the US about the withdrawal of Pakistani military from Waziristan under a deal with pro-Taliban militants, a development that was greeted in the US media with headlines such as "Pakistan surrenders to Taliban."
Analysts attribute this blunder more to General Sultan’s lack of understanding of diplomatic norms and to the language barrier
. “While it would be unjust to accuse General Shaukat Sultan of lying, the fact of the matter is that he was not clear what he is uttering” says Richard Nicole – who heads South Asia desk among the American think tank. “Let's hope he misunderstood the original question”, concludes The Indepundit. “My point being that Gen. Sultan is not announcing Pakistan's policy in the matter. He's telling people what the practical reality is based on the operations of the actual authority in the region”, noted the Hindu site.
of ISPR
, he worked closely with Parliamentarian
Marvi Memon
, an aspirant to replace Benazir Bhutto
in Pakistan politics. She therefore joined Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
(PML-Q), a party headed by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain
who harbour personal enmity with the Bhutto family. Parliamentarian Marvi was assured by Major General Shaukat Sultan that in a future prime ministerial candidate for Pervez Musharraf, she would definitely supported by the military establishment. In contravention to prevalent practice and rules, Parliamentarian Marvi was made Director of ISPR that forced two serving Brigadier Generals of Pakistan Army to tender resignations. Sultan was later superseded for several other reasons, despite being a blue-eyed boy of Musharraf.
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...
Shaukat Sultan Khan, HI(M), afwc, psc, was the Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations of the Pakistani Armed Forces from 2003 to 2007. He took over the post from Major General Rashid Qureshi in June 2003. He was the public face 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...
and spokesperson of Pakistan's military efforts against armed resistance in the Balochistan
Balochistan conflict
The Balochistan conflict is an ongoing conflict between Baloch nationalists and the Government of Pakistan over Balochistan, the country's largest province...
region, military operations in Waziristan and the war against Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
near Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He was replaced by Major General Waheed Arshad
Waheed Arshad
Lieutenant General Waheed Arshad, HI, TBt, afwc, fsc, psc, is a three-star general in the Pakistan Army who is currently serving as the Chief of General Staff at the General Headquarters. His previous appointments at the GHQ include; IG Training and Evaluation , Vice Chief of General Staff and DG...
as the DG ISPR on March 1, 2007, and was posted as General Officer Commanding, 10th Infantry Division Lahore.
Later, he was superseded and sent as DG Foreign Military Cooperation (FMC) at the Joint Staff Headquarters in Chaklala.
Personal background
Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan was commissioned in Pakistan Army in the Sindh RegimentSindh Regiment
The Sind Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army established on 1 July 1980. Prior to this date there had been no regiment in the Pakistan Army specifically intended to recruit primarily from the Sindhi population. It was created by the transfer of eleven battalions of The Punjab...
in August 1972 in the 3rd Special War Course. He is a graduate of United States Army Infantry School
United States Army Infantry School
The United States Army Infantry School is located in Fort Benning, Georgia. It is made up of the following components:*192d Infantry Brigade...
, Fort Benning, GA
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, 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...
, 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 Defence College
National Defence University, Islamabad
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the Ministry of Defence of Government of Pakistan, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy...
, 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 holds a Masters degree in War Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University
Quaid-i-Azam University
The Quaid-i-Azam University is a public, research university in Islamabad Capital Territory of Pakistan. It was initially founded as the "University of Islamabad" in July 1967...
, Islamabad.
Military career
His command assignments include command of his parent battalion, a Brigade on the Line of ControlLine of Control
The term Line of Control refers to the military control line between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which, to this day, does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary but is the de facto border...
, and a Brigade in the Strike Corps. His Staff assignments include Brigade Major and Director Military Operations.
He has been on the faculty of Pakistan Military Academy
Pakistan Military Academy
The Pakistan Military Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service military academy. It is located at Kakul near Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan....
, School of Infantry and Tactics, 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...
and National Defence College, Islamabad. He has also served as UN Military Observer in the UN Mission in Bosnia in 1995-96.
He was promoted Major General in June 2003 and was appointed as Director General Inter Services Public Relations. He was given the additional responsibility of Press Secretary to the President of Pakistan
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...
in June 2004. Major General Shaukat Sultan was then appointed General Officer Commanding of 10th Infantry Division at Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
in March 2007 after completing his tenure as Director General of ISPR.
Criticism
The Pakistani government's suggestion that Osama bin LadenOsama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
, the world's most wanted terrorist, could be its untroubled guest came in the course of an interview to ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
by its spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan. If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden "would not be taken into custody," Major General Shaukat Sultan told ABC News in the interview, "as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen."
Sultan's comments came in the context of questions in the US about the withdrawal of Pakistani military from Waziristan under a deal with pro-Taliban militants, a development that was greeted in the US media with headlines such as "Pakistan surrenders to Taliban."
Analysts attribute this blunder more to General Sultan’s lack of understanding of diplomatic norms and to the language barrier
Language barrier
Language barrier is a figurative phrase used primarily to indicate the difficulties faced when people who have no language in common attempt to communicate with each other...
. “While it would be unjust to accuse General Shaukat Sultan of lying, the fact of the matter is that he was not clear what he is uttering” says Richard Nicole – who heads South Asia desk among the American think tank. “Let's hope he misunderstood the original question”, concludes The Indepundit. “My point being that Gen. Sultan is not announcing Pakistan's policy in the matter. He's telling people what the practical reality is based on the operations of the actual authority in the region”, noted the Hindu site.
Relations with parliamentarian Marvi Memon
During his tenure as Director-GeneralDirector-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of ISPR
ISPR
The International Standard Payload Rack has been adopted by the International Space Station program to support efficient integration and interchangeability of payload hardware – and to maximize joint research among investigators. The 37 ISPR slots for science payloads on ISS provide a...
, he worked closely with Parliamentarian
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Marvi Memon
Marvi Memon
Marvi Memon ; is a politician from Karachi. She is a former Member of National Assembly of Pakistan.-Family and education:Marvi Memon's father, Nisar Memon is a prominent politician and Senator in Pakistan...
, an aspirant to replace Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
in Pakistan politics. She therefore joined Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
The Pakistan Muslim League or officially Pakistan Muslim League is a centrist, modern political party in Pakistan. The present form of PML-Q was formed prior to 2002 general elections....
(PML-Q), a party headed by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain is a politician from Pakistan who was the Prime Minister of that country from June 30, 2004 until August 28 2004...
who harbour personal enmity with the Bhutto family. Parliamentarian Marvi was assured by Major General Shaukat Sultan that in a future prime ministerial candidate for Pervez Musharraf, she would definitely supported by the military establishment. In contravention to prevalent practice and rules, Parliamentarian Marvi was made Director of ISPR that forced two serving Brigadier Generals of Pakistan Army to tender resignations. Sultan was later superseded for several other reasons, despite being a blue-eyed boy of Musharraf.