V Corps (Pakistan)
Encyclopedia
The V Corps, also known as Victory Corps, is an administrative corps of Pakistan Army
assigned in Karachi, Sindh Province of Pakistan. The V Corps is the only corps that is stationed in the Sindh Province, while the II Strike Corps
and the IV Corps
are both stationed in Punjab Province. It is headquartered in Karachi
, and currently commanded by Lieutenant-General Zahirul Islam.
and eastern Balochistan
. The corps was heavily used in the Sindh anti-dacoity operations in the rural Sindh and the anti-terrorism operations in the urban Sindh during the late 1980s and the early 1990s. The Corps played an important role in 1999 coup d'état led by Chief of Army Staff and Chairman
of Joint Chief of Staff Committee
General Pervez Musharraf. The coup removed the democratically elected government of Prime minister Nawaz Shariff in 1999.
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...
assigned in Karachi, Sindh Province of Pakistan. The V Corps is the only corps that is stationed in the Sindh Province, while the II Strike Corps
II Corps (Pakistan)
The II Corps, known as II Strike Corps or Army Reserve South, is army corps of Pakistan Army stationed in Multan, Punjab Province of Pakistan. The II Strike Corps is one of Pakistan's four heavy armoured corps...
and the IV Corps
IV Corps (Pakistan)
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. Its current core commander is Lieutenant-General Rashad Mahmood.-History:The corps was formed...
are both stationed in Punjab Province. It is headquartered in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, and currently commanded by Lieutenant-General Zahirul Islam.
History
The Corps was raised in 1975 to command Pakistani units in the entire of Sindh and some parts of southern PunjabPunjab (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...
and eastern Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
. The corps was heavily used in the Sindh anti-dacoity operations in the rural Sindh and the anti-terrorism operations in the urban Sindh during the late 1980s and the early 1990s. The Corps played an important role in 1999 coup d'état led by Chief of Army Staff and Chairman
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Pakistan
The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee , is a military administrative body of high-ranking and senior uniformed military leaders and officers in the Pakistan Defense Forces who advises the civilian Government of Pakistan, National Security Council, and Defence Minister on important military matters...
of Joint Chief of Staff Committee
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Pakistan
The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee , is a military administrative body of high-ranking and senior uniformed military leaders and officers in the Pakistan Defense Forces who advises the civilian Government of Pakistan, National Security Council, and Defence Minister on important military matters...
General Pervez Musharraf. The coup removed the democratically elected government of Prime minister Nawaz Shariff in 1999.
List of commanders
- Lt Gen Mohammad Akbar Khan, 1974 – March 1976
- Lt Gen Jehanzeb Arbab, March 1976 – January 1978
- Lt Gen Iqbal KhanIqbal Khan (general)General Muhammad Iqbal Khan, NI, SBt, is a former four star general of the Pakistan Army who stayed as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1980 to 1984 during the martial regime of Chief Martial Law Administrator and Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army General Zia-ul-Haq...
, January 1978 – September 1978 - Lt Gen Sadiq-ul-Rashid Mohammad Abbasi, September 1978 – March 1980
- Lt Gen Ahmad Jamal Khan, March 1980 – March 1984
- Lt Gen Ahmad Shamim Khan, March 1984 – March 1988
- Lt Gen Asif NawazAsif NawazGeneral Asif Nawaz Janjua, NI, HI, SBt , afwc, psc , was a senior four-star general and the 10th Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army from August 16, 1991 till January 8, 1993. His tenure was cut short by his death after suffering a heart attack...
, March 1988 – March 1991 - Lt Gen Arif BangashArif BangashLieutenant General Muhammad Arif Bangash is a retired Pakistan Army three-star general who served as governor of the North-West Frontier province of Pakistan.-Military career:...
, March 1991 – 1992 - Lt Gen Naseer Akhtar, 1992 – 1994
- Lt Gen Lehrasab Khan, 1994 – May 1997
- Lt Gen Afzal Janjua, May 1997 – October 1998
- Lt Gen Muzaffar Usmani, October 1998 – May 2001
- Lt Gen Tariq Waseem Ghazi, May 2001 – January 2004
- Lt Gen Ahsan Saleem Hyat, January 2004 – October 2004
- Lt Gen Syed Athar Ali, October 2004 – April 2006
- Lt Gen Ahsan Azhar Hayat, April 2006 – October 2008
- Lt Gen Shahid Iqbal, October 2008 – October 2010
- Lt Gen Mohammad Zahirul Islam, October 2010 – present
Order of battle
The order of battles of the corps is as follows:- HQ V Corps: Karachi
- 16th Infantry Division: Pano Aqil
- 18th Infantry Division: HyderabadHyderabad, Sindhis the second largest city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the seventh largest city in the country. The city was founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro upon the ruins of a Mauryan fishing village along the bank of the Indus known as Neroon Kot...
- 25th Mechanized Division: MalirMalir CantonmentThe Malir Cantonment is a cantonment town of the city of Karachi, in Sindh, Pakistan. It serves as a military base and residential establishment.-History :...