General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Ahsan Saleem Hayat ( ur, ; born 10 January 1948), is a senior officer of the
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
who served as the
Vice Chief of Army Staff of the
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
from 2004 until his retirement in 2007. Prior to that, he served as the operational field commander of the
V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to:
France
* 5th Army Corps (France)
* V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army ...
in
Sindh Province
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
and was a full-tenured professor of war studies at the
National Defence University. He was succeeded by General
Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (Urdu: ; born 20 April 1952), is a retired four-star general of the Pakistan Army who served as the 8th Chief of Army Staff , being appointed on 29 November 2007 after his predecessor Pervez Musharraf retired from ...
on 8 October 2007.
Army career
He was a
military brat
A military brat (colloquial or military slang) is a child of serving or retired military personnel. Military brats are associated with a unique subcultureDavid C. Pollock, Ruth E. van Reken. ''Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds'', Revise ...
, coming from a military family. Through his parents recommendations, he attended the
PAF High School in
Sargodha
Sargodha ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Punjab province, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 12th largest city by population and one of the fastest-growing cities of the country. Sargodha is also known as ...
,
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
. Upon graduation, he went on to attend the
Pakistan Military Academy
Pakistan Military Academy ( ur, ), also referred to by its acronym PMA. PMA is an officers training school located near Kakul village in the city and district of Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa established in 1947. It is the sole service academy ...
(PMA) in the 11th War Course. He was given commission as a
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in the
Pakistan Army Armoured Corps
The Armoured Corps ( ur, ﺁرمرڈ كور) of the Pakistan Army is a combat branch tasked with armoured warfare. Equipped with more than 3,742 main battle tanks, the corps is headquartered in the garrison town of Nowshera, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Th ...
in 1968 and actively participated in the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the
Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...
on the
western fronts.
As a
brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
, he commanded the elite 3rd Independent Armored Brigade based in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
from 1991 to 1993. In 1993, he was posted as Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor of
Command and Staff College in Quetta. He also served as
Director General
A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals''
) or general director is a senior executive (government), executive officer, often the chief executive offi ...
Planning, at the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Secretariat. He also served as the Chief Instructor of the Armed Forces War College at the then
National Defence University in Islamabad before being promoted to Lieutenant General in December 2000.
Assassination attempt
Before being appointed Vice Chief, he was the commander of the V Corps at
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
. This formation's area of operation covers almost the entire territory of the Sindh province. On 10 June 2004, he survived an assassination attempt when his convoy was attacked by militants from the terrorist outfit
Jundallah. At least 11 men in his escort were martyred, but he survived.
Vice Chief of Army Staff
He was commander of the
V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to:
France
* 5th Army Corps (France)
* V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army ...
at the time of his promotion to four star general, and he replaced General
Yusaf Khan as the
Vice Chief of Army Staff whose term expired in October 2004. Hayat was fourth in seniority when he ascended to the post.
Lieutenant Generals
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
Hamid Javaid
Hamid Javaid ( ur, حامد جاوید ), HI, HI(M), AFWC, PSC, (born October 1947) was a former Pakistan Army general who served as Chief of Staff (COS) to President Pervez Musharraf for six years from September 2001 to December 2007. Javaid ...
, Javed Hassan, and
Munir Hafiez
Lieutenant-General (retd) Munir Hafiez (born March 1949) is a retired Pakistan Army general and the former chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of the Government of Pakistan. Before his appointment in 2001, he served in the Pakis ...
were senior to him; hence standing superseded once Hayat was promoted. His term expired in October 2007. He was replaced by General
Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (Urdu: ; born 20 April 1952), is a retired four-star general of the Pakistan Army who served as the 8th Chief of Army Staff , being appointed on 29 November 2007 after his predecessor Pervez Musharraf retired from ...
, who became the country's new
Chief of Army Staff once General
Pervez Musharraf
General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...
retired from the army.
General Ahsan later became the colonel-in-chief of the Armoured Corps at the Armoured Corps Regimental Center,
Nowshera on 5 May 2005, succeeding General
Yusaf Khan.
"Armed Forces fully capable to perform Task: Musharraf"
''The Pakistan Times'', 3 May 2005
Awards and decorations
Foreign decorations
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayat, Ahsan Saleem
Pakistani generals
1948 births
Living people
National Defence University, Pakistan faculty
Pakistan Armoured Corps officers
PAF College Sargodha alumni