General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Shamim Alam Khan ( ur, ; 18 August 1937 – 9 December 2021), was a

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 ...

senior general, who served as the 7th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1991 until retiring in 1994.

Biography

Shamim Alam Khan was born in

Shillong Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with a p ...

Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: (a) the United Khasi Hills and Ja ...

in India, into an Urdu-speaking family on 18 August 1937. His father, Mahboob Alam Khan, was an officer in the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million ...

who worked at an administration position at the Survey of India. His mother, Nisa Begum, was a

housewife A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which includes caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; making, buying a ...

. Mahboob had nine children with Nisa among all joined the respected branches of the

Pakistan Armed Forces The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the Military, military forces of Pakistan. It is the List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel, world's sixth-largest military measured by Active duty, active military personnel and con ...

. After the partition of India in 1947, the Alam family moved from

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

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' ...

via

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often kno ...

, witnessing the violence and riots that were taking place in the trains at the time of the partition in 1947. Eventually, Mahboob Alam found employment at the Survey of Pakistan. After his

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

, Alam went to attend the

Lawrence College Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducati ...

where he earned the diploma, which allowed to him to attend the Government College University (GCU) in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

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 ...

, Pakistan. However, he left his studies at the GCU after he joined the

in 1954 which directed him 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 ...

Kakul Kakul (Kakol) is a village situated in the Tehsil and District Abbottabad, at an elevation of 1300 metres, 5 km northeast of center of Abbottabad city near the Thandiani Hills. Abbottabad is a District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Paki ...

. In 1956, he passed out in the class of 14th PMA Long Course from the PMA Kakul, earning a commission in the 20th Lancers, Armoured Corps. In 1958–60, Lt. Alam joined the elite

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

(SSG), eventually was selected to be trained with the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, United States. Upon returning,

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Alam participated in the second war with India in 1965, commanding a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared ...

against the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

and his actions of valour earned him the Sitara-e-Jurat by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. In 1967–70, Maj. Alam went to the United Kingdom where he attended the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkh ...

's Staff College in

Camberley Camberley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately south-west of Central London. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Once part of Windsor Forest, Cambe ...

, and served in the 28th Cavalry in the Chamb sector on the western front of the third war with India in 1971. After the war, Maj. Alam went to attend the National Defence University, along with his brother Lt-Cdr.

Shamoon Shamoon ( fa, شمعون), also known as W32.DistTrack, is a modular computer virus that was discovered in 2012, targeting then-recent 32-bit NT kernel versions of Microsoft Windows. The virus was notable due to the destructive nature of the atta ...

, as both graduated with MSc in

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'' deri ...

. For sometime, Lt-Col. Shamim served a brief stint as an instructor at the Air War College in

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 ...

War and command appointments in the military

In 1979–80s, Brig. Shamim served as the

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

in the I Corps, stationed in Mangla, before commanding the independent armoured brigade stationed in

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline ...

. From 1983 to 1985,

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 a ...

Shamim was given the command as GOC of the 1st Armoured Division in Multan. In 1987 and 1988, Maj-Gen. Shamim's promotion was eventually deferred and overlooked by then- army chief and

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 fu ...

Zia-ul-Haq when he only promoted the officer to the command assignment of his choosing. However,

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 ...

Mohammad Junejo interfered in this matter, and eventually he was promoted to the command assignment with the officer of Zia's choosing. In 1988, Lt-Gen. Shamim was posted on his first formation commanding assignment as the field command of the II ''Strike'' Corps, stationed in

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the olde ...

, Pakistan, which he served until 1989 when he was elevated as the Chief of General Staff (CGS) at the Army GHQ in

.Khaled Ahmed
"The Death of Zia-Ul-Haq"
''Criterion Quarterly'', April - June 2007. Issue - Vol. 2 No. 2 In April 1991, Lt-Gen. Shamim was made the field commander of the XXXI Corps, stationed in

Bahawalpur Bahawalpur () is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. With inhabitants as of 2017, it is Pakistan's 11th most populous city. Founded in 1748, Bahawalpur was the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur, ruled by the Abbasi f ...

, but this command assignment only lasted a few months when

Ghulam Ishaq Khan Ghulam Ishaq Khan ( ur, غلام اسحاق خان; 20 January 1915 – 27 October 2006), was a Pakistani bureaucrat who served as the seventh president of Pakistan, elected in 1988 following Zia's death until his resignation in 1993. He wa ...

announced the promotion of the Lt-Gen. Shamim to the four-star rank– he superseded no one as he was the most senior army general in the military.

Chairman joint chiefs

On 8 November 1991, Gen. Shamim took over the

Chairmanship The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and later went on to play a decisive role in support of Gen. Abdul Waheed, then- chief of army staff, to secure the resignations of both

Ghulam Ishaq and

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 ...

to oversee the nationwide general elections in 1993. On 26 November 1992, Gen. Shamim was appointed to the ceremonial post as Col-in-C of the Armoured Corps, which he remained until 18 December 1996. In 1994, Gen. Shamim sought his retirement after completing his tenureship in 1994.

Death

Khan died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

on 9 December 2021, aged 84, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan.

Awards and Decorations

Foreign Decorations

Gallery

File:Shamim Alam Khan.jpg, Commanding an SSG company File:Lt. Col. Shamim.jpg, As a Lieutenant Colonel File:General Shamim Alam Khan receiving highest military award of Jordan.jpg, Receiving the highest military award of Jordan File:Shamim Alam Khan receiving the Order of Merit Class I.jpg, Receiving the National Order of the Legion of Honour File:Shamim Alam Khan receiving the Sitar-e-Jurrat.jpg, Receiving the '' Sitara-e-Jurat'' File:Sitar-e-Jurat.jpg, The ''Sitara-e-Jurat'' File:General Shamim Alam Khan receiving the Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Honor.jpg, Receiving the Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Honor File:General Shamim Alam Khan receiving the Nishan-e-Imtiaz.jpg, Receiving the

Nishan-e-Imtiaz The Nishan-e-Imtiaz (; ) is one of the state organized civil decorations of Pakistan. It is awarded for achievements towards world recognition for Pakistan or outstanding service for the country. However, the award is not limited to citizens ...

File:General Shamim Alam Khan receiving the Hilal-i-Imtiaz.jpg, Receiving 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 th ...

File:General Shamim Alam Khan receiving the Sitar-e-Basalat.jpg, Receiving the Sitar-e-Basalat File:Family of General Shamim Alam Khan.jpg, Family of Shamim Alam Khan

References

External links

"Brig Z.A. Khan interview to Defence Journal"
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Shamim Alam 1937 births 2021 deaths People from Shillong Military personnel from Bangalore Muhajir people People from Rawalpindi Lawrence College Ghora Gali alumni Government College University, Lahore alumni Pakistan Military Academy alumni Pakistan Armoured Corps officers Special Services Group officers Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Pakistani military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 National Defence University, Pakistan alumni Pakistani generals Chairmen Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz Recipients of Sitara-e-Jurat Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Punjab, Pakistan