Noel Israel Khokhar is a retired

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

of the

Pakistani Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the 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 British India, which occurred as a result ...

. He was one of the highest-ranking Christian serving officers in the Pakistan Army. As of 2020, he is currently serving as an Ambassador of Pakistan to

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

Early life

He was born 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 ...

and attended the St. Anthony's High School in

and

Forman Christian College Forman Christian College is an private liberal arts university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church. The university follows an American-style curriculum. Founded in 1864 by America ...

. Khokhar joined the Pakistan Army and passed out from the 62nd PMA Living Course in 1976 and was commissioned in the 9th Medium Regiment of the Pakistan Army Artillery on 24 October 1980.

Military career

He served in a variety of command and staff positions as well as with the United Nations. He has also been an instructor in

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 ...

Pakistan Command and Staff College ( ''romanized'': Pir Sho Biyamooz Saadi)English: Grow old, learning Saadi ur, سیکھتے ہوئے عمر رسیدہ ہو جاؤ، سعدی , established = (as the ''Army Staff College'' in Deolali, British India) , closed ...

, and the National Defence University. He is also a graduate from the Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defence and

Royal College of Defence Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest lev ...

in the United Kingdom. He also holds a master's degree from

Quaid-i-Azam University Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad ( ur, ; commonly referred to as QAU), founded as University of Islamabad, is a ranked 1 public research university in Islamabad, Pakistan. Founded as the University of Islamabad in 1967, it was initially dedi ...

and King's College London and a PhD in International Relations. On 9 May 2009, the Army Promotion Board in Rawalpindi promoted Brigadier Khokhar to the rank of major general. According to an

Inter Services Public Relations The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) ( ur, ), is the media and PR wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It broadcasts and coordinates military news and information to the country's civilian media and the civic society. The ISPR directo ...

Press Release dated 6 September 2010 Khokhar was General Officer Commanding in 2010. In 2011 Major General Khokhar commanded the 23rd Division. Khokhar had also been Chief Instructor of the A-Division at the

National Defence University, Islamabad , native_name_lang = ur , image = National Defence University, Pakistan Logo.png , image_upright = , image_alt = , caption = Seal of the NDU , former_name = National Defence College , motto ...

. In 2011 the President of Pakistan,

Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari ( ur, ; sd, ; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakist ...

awarded Khokhar the

Hilal-i-Imtiaz The ''Hilaal-e-Imtiaz'' (; ), also spelled and transliterated as Hilāl-e-Imtiyāz, is the second-highest (in the hierarchy of "Hilal") civilian award and honour given to both civilians and military officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces by the ...

(M). He had also been serving as DG ISSRA, a think tank at the NDU. In 2011 he was also on the editorial board of the National Defence University Journal, Islamabad. He is one of the only Christian officers who have made it to the rank of major general.. He was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) in 2012
National Defence University Journal 2011
/ref> He retired in August 2016 after serving for 36 years.

Later life

He is currently serving as the Ambassador of Pakistan to Ukraine.

Effective dates of promotion

Awards and decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khokhar, Noel Israel Forman Christian College alumni Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Living people Pakistani generals Pakistani Christians National Defence University, Pakistan alumni Military personnel from Lahore Punjabi people St. Anthony's High School, Lahore alumni Pakistan Army officers Ambassadors of Pakistan to Ukraine Pakistan Army personnel People from Lahore Pakistan Military Academy alumni 1960 births Pakistani diplomats Quaid-i-Azam University alumni Alumni of King's College London Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies