I Corps (Pakistan)

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I Corps
Flag of Pakistan's I Corps.gif
Active1957;67 years ago (1957)
CountryFlag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
BranchFlag of the Pakistani Army.svg  Pakistan Army
Type Field corps
Size~30,000 approximately
(Though this may vary as units are rotated)
Corps Headquarters Mangla Cantonment, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan
Nickname(s)Mangla Corps [1]
Colors IdentificationRed, white and yellow
   
Anniversaries1957
Engagements Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Decorations Military Decorations of Pakistan military
Commanders
Commander Lt-Gen. Ayman Bilal Safdar
Notable
commanders		 Gen. Pervez Musharraf
Lt-Gen. Bakhtiar Rana
Lt-Gen. Nadeem Ahmad
Lt-Gen. S.R. Kallu
Lt-Gen. Tariq Khan

The I Corps is a field corps of the Pakistan Army headquarated in the Mangla Cantonment, Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. [2] Formed in 1957 as one of the tenth field corps, it is a major ground formation and has seen deployments in the wars between India and Pakistan from 1965–71.: 64  [3]

Contents

As of current, it is commanded by Lieutenant-General Ayman Bilal Safdar. [4]

Brief history

Formations, deployments, and war service

After fighting battles briefly with the Indian Army in Kashmir during the 1947–48, there was need for discipline and control of the military units from local headquarters than the Army GHQ in Rawalpindi.: 64  [3]

Initially, it was established in Abbottabad Cantonment in 1957 with Lt-Gen. Azam Khan becoming its first field commander with an objective to maneuver the ground formations more effectively against the larger opposing force.: 64  [3] Later headquartered in Mangla Cantonment in Kashmir to strengthen the national defense lines, it is the first field corps in order of precedence of the Pakistan Army. [5]

In 1965, the I Corps, under Lt-Gen. Bakhtiar Rana, was deployed and fought against the approaching Indian Army's advances during the war in 1965, almost commanding the entire Pakistan army's troops in Punjab and Kashmir. [6]

In 1971, the I Corps, now under the command of Lt-Gen. Irshad Ahmed, saw its military deployments in Shakargarh sector and was supported with two infantry divisions and an armored brigade to support the defenses of Pakistan's eastern border, the Punjab.: 48  [7] The 15th Infantry Division was on the left side of the Corps' frontage around Sialkot with the 8th Infantry Division on the right, and 8th Armored Brigade in support.: 48  Further back,the Corps was additionally supported by the Pakistan Army Reserves, enforced by the 6th Armored Division and 17th Infantry Division.: 48  The Indian Army planned a major attack in the sector, which was managed by I Corps, but when the war broke out, the lead Indian Army's formation, 54th Infantry Division, only managed to advance a few kilometers– a total of 13 kilometres (8 mi) in two weeks of operations.: 48 

Meanwhile, while the Indian army's attacks went on, the reserve formations did very little to respond tp such attack with the 6th Armored Division remained near Pasrur waiting for orders, while 17th Infantry Division had significant detachments sent off to 23rd Infantry Division on the left and IV Corps on the right.: 49  [8]

Yet the fighting in Shakargarh, while ultimately successful as the Indian army's aims were thwarted, resulted in 8th Armoured Brigade's heavy loss of armour and some territory was also lost. [9] As a result, its commander, Lt-Gen. Irshad Ahmed, was recommended for court martial and, later dismissal from his service. [10]

After the 1971 war with India, the I Corps has not seen military actions, and has been stationed in Mangla ever since and is well trained for forest warfare techniques. [11] As Pakistan's military strategic reserve, it was also not sent on overseas deployments under the United Nations with the allies. [12]

Structure

Since 1971, the I Corps has not seen the military action but has supported through its units to enforce the Line of Control, on secondment to Northern Command. The I Corps is an integral in forming the Pakistan Army Reserves, and the other military units in supporting the I Corps are organized in formation known as the Army Reserves North. [12] [6]

Its order of battle (ORBAT) is:

Structure of I Corps
CorpsCorps HQCorps CommanderAssigned UnitsUnit BadgeUnit HQ
I Corps Mangla Lt.Gen Ayman Bilal Safdar
US-O9 insignia.svg 		6th Armoured Division Gujranwala
17th Infantry DivisionKharian
37th Infantry Division, KharianKharian
Independent Infantry BrigadeU/I Location
Independent Armoured BrigadeU/I Location
Independent Artillery BrigadeU/I Location
Independent Air Defence BrigadeU/I Location
Independent Signal BrigadeU/I Location
Independent Engineering BrigadeU/I Location

List of commanders

#NameStart of tenureEnd of tenure
1Lt Gen Azam Khan July 19571958
2Lt Gen Bakhtiar Rana 19581966
3Lt Gen Abdul Hamid Khan 1966March 1969
4Lt Gen Tikka Khan March 1969August 1969
5Lt Gen Attiqur Rahman August 1969February 1970
6Lt Gen Irshad Ahmed KhanFebruary 19701972
7Lt Gen Abdul Ali Malik 19721974
8Lt Gen Azmat Baksh Awan1974March 1976
9Lt Gen Ghulam Hassan KhanMarch 1976March 1980
10Lt Gen Hafiz Ayan AhmedMarch 1980April 1981
11Lt Gen Shah Rafi AlamApril 1981April 1982
12Lt Gen Shamsur Rahman Kallu April 1982April 1986
13Lt Gen Mohammad Aslam ShahApril 1986May 1988
14Lt Gen Zulfikar Akhtar NazMay 1988May 1992
15Lt Gen Khalid Latif MughalMay 1992October 1995
16Lt Gen Pervez Musharraf October 1995October 1998
17Lt Gen Saleem HaiderOctober 1998September 1999
18Lt Gen Tauqir ZiaSeptember 1999April 2001
19Lt Gen Ghulam MustafaApril 2001April 2002
20Lt Gen Javed Alam KhanApril 2002April 2006
21Lt Gen Sajjad AkramApril 2006April 2008
22Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmad April 2008April 2010
23Lt Gen Mohammad Mustafa KhanApril 2010October 2010
24Lt Gen Tariq Khan October 2010October 2014
25Lt Gen Hilal Hussain October 2014September 2015
26Lt Gen Umar Farooq DurraniSeptember 2015April 2017
27Lt Gen Azhar Saleh AbbasiApril 2017October 2018
28Lt Gen Nadeem Zaki ManjOctober 2018November 2019
29Lt Gen Shaheen Mazhar MehmoodNovember 2019September 2022
30Lt.Gen Ayman Bilal SafdarSeptember 2022Till Date

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References

  1. ↑ "Azhar Abbasi promoted, posted as Mangla Corps Commander". pakobserver.net. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  2. ↑ "COAS Visits Mangla Garrison". www.hilal.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Fair, C. Christine (25 April 2014). Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army's Way of War. Oxford University Press. p. 310. ISBN   978-0-19-989271-6 . Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Appointments in army: Lt Gen Asim Munir new DG ISI". thenews.com.pk. 10 October 2018.
  5. ↑ Alam, Dr Shah (1 July 2012). Pakistan Army: Modernisation, Arms Procurement and Capacity Building. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. ISBN   978-93-81411-79-7 . Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  6. 1 2 "I Corps". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  7. ↑ Gill, An Atlas of the 1971 India-Pakistan War, NESA (NDU), p.48
  8. ↑ Gill, p.49
  9. ↑ Brian Cloughly, A History of Pakistan Army
  10. ↑ Brian Cloughly, A History of Pakistan Army
  11. ↑ Brian Cloughly, A History of Pakistan Army
  12. 1 2 "Strategic Reserves of Pakistan" (pdf). Centre for Land Warfare Studies. 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2023.

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