Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

Abdul Aziz Mirza ( ur, ; born 1943) was a

Pakistan Navy ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Qur'an, 3:173'') , type ...

officer who served as the Chief of Naval Staff from 1999 until retiring in 2002, amid taking over the command of the Navy after the revolt and resignation Admiral

Fasih Bokhari Admiral Fasih Bokhari (; 8 March 1942 – 24 November 2020) was a Pakistani admiral who served as the Chief of Naval Staff from 1997 to 1999. He was a well-known pacifist and a prominent political figure as the Chief of Naval Staff from 1997 ...

over the appointment of Chairman joint chiefs. After retiring from the Navy, he briefly tenured as the Pakistan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2001 to 2005 and later becoming the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

The Centaurus The Centaurus is a mixed use real estate development in the city of Islamabad, Pakistan. The project includes a 36-floor hotel, three 23-floor residential and office towers and a four-story shopping mall. It has Al Fateh Cash & Carry on ground f ...

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

. During his military service in the Navy, Admiral Mirza is given credit for commissioning the country's first ingeniously and locally built long-range submarine, the Agosta 90B submarine in 1999.

Biography

Early life and naval career

Abdul Aziz Mirza was born in small town, Dhamali Kallar Syedan, in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, in 1943. He was born into an influential military family, and his father briefly enlisted in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which cou ...

, retiring as

chief warrant officer Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Pakistan Air Force, the Israel Defense Forces, the South African National Defence Force, the Lebanese Armed Forces and, since 2012, th ...

(CWO) in the

Frontier Force Regiment The Frontier Force Regiment is one of the six infantry regiments of the Pakistan Army. They are popularly known as the ''Piffers'' in reference to their military history as the PIF (Punjab Irregular Force) of the British Indian Army, or as the ...

of the

Pakistan 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 ...

. After his graduation from local high school, he went to attend the

Military College Jhelum Military College Jhelum (MCJ) is a feeder military Intermediate College, in Sarai Alamgir, Pakistan. Though it is physically located in Gujrat District, due to its very close proximity it is still associated with the City of Jhelum, and is co ...

and secured his graduation before joining the

in 1961. After graduation, Mirza applied for 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 ...

and was selected with

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 t ...

and PQ Mehdi for the interview by the commandants in 1961. After passing the physical, he was studied at the

with Pervez Musharraf who remained his life-long friend and Ali Kuli Khan. He was later sent to attend the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pr ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

where he was trained for his basic training and gained military commission as

Sub-Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second hig ...

in the

Naval Operations Branch The Naval Operations Branch (french: Branche des opérations navales) is a personnel branch of the Canadian Forces. The branch consists of most of the seagoing occupations and trades of the Royal Canadian Navy. Members of the branch wear an embro ...

in the Navy in 1964. He was trained as a

surface warfare Modern naval warfare is divided into four operational areas: surface warfare, air warfare, submarine warfare, and information warfare. Each area comprises specialized platforms and strategies used to exploit tactical advantages unique and inhe ...

officer and took participation in second war with

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

in 1965 against the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

as a gunnery specialist. In the war of 1965 he served in PNS Dhaka. In 1969–71, Lt. Mirza served in the Submarine Command before reporting at the Naval Base Iqbal where he underwent in training as a military diver and war specialist in the Navy SEALs Teams of the

Special Services Group , colors = Maroon, sky blue , colors_label = Colours , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , ...

of the Navy, later serving in the

Eastern Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...

where he participating in

counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...

operations before being assigned at the Submarine Command. After the war, he began engage with his studies and went to join the French War College where he graduated with a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

War studies War studies, sometimes called polemology, is the multi-disciplinary study of war. It pertains to the military, diplomatic, philosophical, social, political, psychological or economic dimensions of human conflict. The word ''polemology'' deriv ...

. In 1980s, he served on the faculty at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

in Karachi and taught

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

at the

, also in Karachi.

Staff and Command appointments

Throughout his career in Navy, Mirza commanded two submarines– the ''Daphné'' and ''Agosta 70''. Mirza also commanded the

guided missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers who have a prim ...

and a fleet of tankers as an officer in the Navy. In 1990, he was posted at the Navy NHQ as a

Naval Secretary The Naval Secretary is the Royal Navy officer who advises the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff on naval officer appointing (and General Officers). Their counterpart in the British Army is the Military Secretary. The Royal Air Force equi ...

, and held

officer commanding The officer commanding (OC), also known as the officer in command or officer in charge (OiC), is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit (smaller than battalion size), principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, t ...

assignments, first serving as the

Flag Officer Commanding A flag officer is a Officer (armed forces), commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countr ...

(FOC) of the 25th Destroyer Squadron as

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

in 1993. In 1994, he was promoted as

Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

and made Additional Secretary at the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

, working on various defence and procurement programmes. In 1994, he led series of complicated and lengthy negotiations, together with

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...

, with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

over the

technology transfer Technology transfer (TT), also called transfer of technology (TOT), is the process of transferring (disseminating) technology from the person or organization that owns or holds it to another person or organization, in an attempt to transform invent ...

of Agosta 90B class long-range submarines. It was during this time, he became closer to many politicians and bureaucrats while working on the procurement deals in 1994–97. In 1997, he was appointed as DCNS (Operations) and elevated as Vice Chief of Naval Staff with a rank of Vice-Admiral.

Kargil war and Naval chief

In 1999, India and Pakistan engaged in military confrontation in Kargil sector, due a misadventure led by then- Chief of army staff General

. He did not endorsed the secret infiltration to support General

but rather remaining quiet in favor of army chief. Allegations have been levelled against him of misguiding the naval chief Admiral

on the matters of

Kargil war The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referr ...

in favor of army chief, and his revolt against the decision of

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...

over the appointment of Chairman joint chiefs. In 1999, he held a press conference together with Mushahid Hussain Syed, then-

Information Minister An information minister (also called minister of information) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with information matters; it is often linked with censorship and propaganda. Sometimes the position is given to ...

, and ultimately warned India of escalating the tensions in the region. On 6 October 1999, he was promoted as four-star rank admiral and appointed Chief of Naval Staff after Admiral Bokharhi prematurely resigned from his commission in protest as the latter was denied the Chairmanship of

Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), ( ur, ); is an administrative body of senior high-ranking uniformed military leaders of the unified Pakistan Armed Forces who advises the civilian Government of Pakistan, National Security Council, ...

. Admiral Mirza remained supportive of

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

in 1999, and was said to be closer to Chairman joint chiefs and chief of army staff General

. Two weeks later, he was inducted as a senior member in the National Security Council along with Chief of air staff Air Chief Marshal PQ Mehdi. On 4 November 1999, Admiral Mirza released a report of his assets, with General Musharraf also releasing his tax returns papers. In 2000, Admiral Mirza notably announced of seeling the Agosta-90B Subamrines to Royal Saudi Navy and Royal Malaysian Navy but the agreement to sell the submarines were never materialized as Pakistan imposed an export restrictions. In 2001, he questioned President Musharraf's decision policy towards the terrorism and military rotation in Western Pakistan, but he was reportedly warned by President Musharraf on his difference of opinion. He reportedly warned of expansion of

and noted that the Indian Navy’s budget had increased 6,900% since 1971. He led the Pakistan Navy during the military standoff between India and Pakistan in 2001–02 and boldly stated that Pakistan Navy will hold its own against the

. As the naval chief, he is credit of overseeing the development and nationwide construction of the Agosta-90B Khalid-class submarines in various capacities as Pakistan built its first indigenous submarine in 2002.

Diplomatic and corporate career

Admiral Mirza retired from the Navy as its naval chief on 4 October 2002, and handed over the command to Admiral

Shahid Karimullah Admiral Shahid Karimullah (Urdu: شاهد كريم الله; b. 14 February 1948) was a Pakistan Navy officer who served as the Chief of Naval Staff from 2002 until 2005. Prior to that, he also served as the Pakistan Ambassador to Saudi Ara ...

at the ceremony held in Navy NHQ. On 8 October 2002, President Musharraf announced to appointed Admiral Mirza for a diplomatic post and appointed him as Pakistan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. In 2005, he oversaw the process of paperworks in order to release the passport of

and his family to travel from Jeddah to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. In 2004, Ambassador Mirza was honored and decorated with the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

with an order of ''Chevalier'' by the

French government The Government of France (French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who i ...

; the honor was bestowed to him in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

by the French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Bernard Polleti. The honor was given in recognition of outstanding contributions to a Pakistani-French joint submarine building program while the ambassador was chief of naval staff of the Pakistan Navy. As an ambassador, Mirza worked towards strengthening the relationship between

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

and

as he focused towards trade agreements and defence cooperation between two countries. On 26 January 2006, Mirza left the diplomat post and returned to Pakistan as he was replaced by Admiral

who took over the diplomatic assignment from him in

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...

. After his retirement from the diplomatic post, Mirza jointed the

corporate sector In economics, the business sector or corporate sector - sometimes popularly called simply "business" - is "the part of the economy made up by companies". It is a subset of the domestic economy, excluding the economic activities of general gover ...

of the country when he was appointed business adviser to the PakGulf Construction in 2007. On 14 January 2010, Admiral Mirza gives credence to the recent French investigative report that talked of almost $49 million kickbacks in the Agosta-submarine deal allegedly received by former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

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 ...

, former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral (deposed) Mansurul Haq and some of the Naval officers, disclosing that the then Benazir government had urged the Pakistan Navy to go for the French subs. Currently, Mirza is

, overseeing and managing the construction project of a contemporary modern, luxurious master-planned community that integrates residential amenities with a world class shopping mall, a 5-star hotel, corporate and entertainment facilities.

Awards and Decorations

Foreign Decorations

References

External links

Admiral Shahid Karimullah takes over as Navy chief
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirza, Abdul Aziz Living people 1943 births Ambassadors of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia Chiefs of Naval Staff (Pakistan) École Navale alumni National Defence University, Pakistan alumni Naval Academy (Turkey) alumni Pakistani military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Pakistani prisoners of war Pakistan Naval War College faculty Pakistani real estate businesspeople Pakistani hoteliers Pakistani business executives Pakistan Navy admirals Pakistani chief executives People from Kallar Syedan Tehsil People of the Kargil War Punjabi people Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of Sitara-e-Jurat Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz Special Service Group (Navy) personnel