19th Battalion, Baloch Regiment

19th Battalion The Baloch Regiment
19th Battalion The Baloch Regiment
Active	1942–1965; 1969 - Present
Country	Pakistan
Branch	Pakistan Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Light Anti Tank
Nickname(s)	Mother of SSG
Motto(s)	Alquadri
Colors	Rifle green; faced cherry
Engagements	World War II; Indo-Pakistan War 1948; Indo-Pakistan War 1971
Commanders
Colonel of the Battalion	Brigadier Salim Ashraf, SI (M)
Notable; commanders	Major General Abrar Husain, HJ, MBE ; Major General AO Mitha, HJ, SPk, SQA ; Brigadier AQ Sher, HJ

Last updated August 08, 2023

19th Battalion The Baloch Regiment is one of the oldest Light Anti-Tank Regiment of Pakistan Army. Initially raised as the Machine Gun Battalion of 10th Baluch Regiment in 1942, it was first designated as 53rd Regiment, Indian Armoured Corps and then re-designated as 17/10th Baluch. This unit has the unique honour of being the parent unit of Pakistan Army's special forces known as Special Service Group. Prominent officers including General Mirza Aslam Beg, General Pervez Musharraf have served in the unit and Maj Gen Abrar Hussain and Maj Gen Aboobaker Osman Mitha also known as AO Mitha have commanded this unit.

History

17/10th Baluch

19 Baloch originally formed part of old 10th Baluch Regiment Group, which was raised in 1820. To cater for the ever-growing demand of troops, the group was expanded during World War II ^[1] and a number of battalions were added, including 17/10th Baluch, which was raised on 15 April 1942 at Karachi by Lt Col C J D Tomkins.^[2]

World War II

After its raising, the battalion was involved in famine relief duties in Bengal. From there, it moved to Persia as part of Persia and Iraq (PAI) Force] to Bisitun in Persia.^[3] In Persia the battalion performed protection duties.

Post World War II Moves

From Persia, 17 Baluch (in 1945, '10' was dropped from the designation of Baluch Regiment) was dispatched to Dodecanese Islands (Greece) on 21 Dec 1945 and deployed at Rhodes as the garrison battalion. From there it was sent to Benghazi, Tobruk and finally Cyrenaica in August 1946. It left Cyrenaica in January 1947, via Suez for India, arriving at Bombay on 16 February 1947. The battalion was stationed at Poona up to Aug 1947.

First Kashmir War

The battalion took part in Kashmir Operation in Bagh Sector under 102 Brigade. On 20 Jul 1948, C Company of 19 Baloch along with D Company of 11 Baloch captured Point 9178, during the operation which culminated in the capture of Pandu. The battalion guarded a frontage of 60 km from Chattar to Dara Haji Pir. Lance Havildar Lal Khan of this unit was awarded Tamgha-e-Jurat for gallantry in the capture of Point 9178.

Commanding Officers 17/10th Baluch

Serial no	Name	Duration
1	Lt Col CJD Tomkins	16 Jan 42 - 7 Mar 43
2	Lt Col LVS Sherwood, DSO	8 Mar 43 - 23 Aug 44
3	Lt Col H Goring	24 Aug 44 - 23 May 45
4	Lt Col GC Bradbury	24 May 45 - 8 Aug 47
5	Maj NK Chatterji	9 Aug 47 - 17 Nov 47
6	Lt Col Safdar Ali*	18 Nov 47 - 25 Feb 50
7	Lt Col Abrar Husain, MBE**	26 Feb 50 -20 Mar 51
8	Lt Col SJB Irani*	21 Mar 51 - 22 Jan 52
9	Lt Col AQ Sher*	23 Jan 52 - 16 Jul 53
10	Lt Col SM Hayat Qaisrani*	17 Jul 53 - 27 Sep 53

19 Baluch (Special Service Group)

The battalion was earmarked for conversion into Special Service Group in 1956. 17th Battalion The Baluch Regiment and 312 Garrison Company (SSG) were amalgamated and the battalion was renamed as 19th Battalion The Baluch Regiment (SSG).^[4] A selection test was held for all officers and men of the old 17 Baluch desirous of remaining with 19 Baluch (SSG). Majority of men were weeded out in the tough physical tests. Remaining members along with volunteers raised Quaid Company of SSG, which later became part of 1 Commando Battalion.

Commanding Officers - 19 Baluch (SSG)

Serial no	Name	Duration
1	Lt Col AO Mitha**, TPk	28 Sep 55 - 24 Jun 61
2	Lt Col Muhammad Aslam, MC**	25 Jun 61 - 5 Jan 64
3	Col SG Mehdi, M.C	6 Jan 64 - 30 Aug 65

Suspended Animation

It remained SSG Battalion for 13 years, till August 1965, when the scope of Special Service Group was expanded from battalion size to that of an operational group and 19 Baluch went into suspended animation.

19 Baluch (Reconnaissance & Support)

As part of the expansions carried out in the late 1960s, 19 Baluch was re-raised as a Reconnaissance & Support (R&S) Battalion on 14 Mar 1969 at Baluch Regimental Centre (BRC) Abbottabad. Lt Col Muhammad Ilyas was posted as its commanding officer with a major portion of other officers coming from 5 Baluch. Captain Shahbaz (later colonel) was the first officer to report at BRC and was appointed as Signal Officer of the battalion. Capt Amman Ullah Cheema also joined from 5 Baluch and was later to become Adjutant of the battalion during 1971 war and a hero of attack on Thako Chak in the Battle of Chhamb.

1971 War - Battle of Chhamb

During 1971 war, all the R&S Companies took part in the war under their respective brigades in the Battle of Chhamb. Jalil Force named after the then Commanding Officer Lt Col Abdul Jalil took up defense in Nadala enclave near Surkhpur.

Battalion HQ - Thako Chak

Using elements of battalion headquarters, the adjutant, Captain Amman Ullah Cheema raided the Indian post at Thako Chak which was being manned by 16 (Patiala) Punjab of Indian Army.^[5] The post was taken with minimum casualties and was held till the end of the war despite a strong enemy counter-attack on 15 December. The post was so fiercely defended that Indians assumed tanks to be present there. Needless to say, Indian 16 Punjab's attack was repulsed while inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.^[6] In the aftermath of Simla Agreement when both the army chiefs met at Lahore to demarcate the border, a breakdown in talks occurred on the Thako Chak issue. 19 Baluch (R&S) captured this salient in the Jammu Sector; a part lay across the international border and another across the ceasefire line. The Simla Agreement required this minor salient to be divided between India and Pakistan. Although this seemed pointless to India, it became a matter of principle for Pakistan. Talks dragged on endlessly. Ultimately, India resolved this problem by compensating Pakistan elsewhere along the Line of Control.^[7]

A Company

At the outbreak of hostilities, this company was part of Minto Force (named after Lt Col Minto, CO 26 Cavalry) and was placed under the command of 4 Azad Kashmir Brigade. This force consisted of 12 Independent Squadron, Squadron ex 26 Cavalry, Company R&S ex 19 Baluch and Rear HQ of 26 Cavalry.

B Company

The company went under comd 20 Brigade. The company along with 23 Baluch played an important role in the capture of Chhamb.

C Company

The company was under the command of 111 Brigade. The important actions undertaken by the company are:

Capture of Paur Post along with a troop of tanks of 26 Cavalry on the morning of 4 December 1971.
Advance to and fight on the Phagla Ridge with a squadron of tanks of 26 Cavalry on the morning of 6 December 71.
Attack on Dhar and Palatan on the night 10–11 December 1971.^[8]

D Company

The company underwent frequent changes of brigades. The main action in which it took part under 4 AK Brigade, was the action of Mandiala Ridges. In this action, the company advanced from a bridgehead across River Tawi followed by a squadron of tanks ex 11 Cavalry on the morning of 5 December 1971. The force got ambushed and was completely pinned down having suffered the loss of seven Recoilless Rifles and two Machine Guns.

19 Baluch (Standard Infantry Battalion)

In 1972, a dearth of standard infantry battalions (SIB) had developed and not enough troops were available to hold forward defended localities (FDLs). As a consequence, 19 Baluch (R&S) was converted into foot infantry in 1972 and underwent conversion training in its area of responsibility. The unit occupied Mandiala Ridges along Line of Control in its new role. In 1973, the battalion was re-converted into R&S Battalion.

19 Baloch (Light Anti Tank)

The battalion was re-designated and reorganized as a Light Anti Tank (LAT) Battalion in May 1991. This reorganization was part of Pakistan Army's overall reforms introduced in that year. Apart from reorganization in the company strengths, newer weapon systems such as Baktar Shikan were also introduced. In 1991, the spelling of 'Baluch' was changed to 'Baloch.'

Affiliation with SSG

Due to old affiliation with SSG, the battalion was affiliated with 1 Commando Battalion and redesignated as 19 Baloch (SSG) in April 1998. This was largely due to the efforts of Lt Col Wasif Sajjad, the commanding officer, who had himself served in SSG.^[9]

Raising Day

Raising day is celebrated on 11 April, commemorating the re-raising of the battalion at Abbottabad in 1969.

Colonels of the Battalion

After the unit was reorganized in 1969 and redesignated as 19 Baluch, Colonel Abdul Rauf, TBt, was appointed the first Colonel of the Battalion. He remained on this prestigious appointment for two terms. He was succeeded by Major General Muhammad Azam, who also served for two terms. On completion of his tenure, Brigadier Salim Ashraf, SI (M), took over as the new Colonel of the Battalion in August 2010.

Martyrs

During the war of 1965 officers and men who laid down their lives in the line of duty while serving in SSG are included in unit's list of martyrs. Apart from the War of 1971, unit also lost men to the floods of 1973, who despite rising waters did not vacate their posts on Mandiala Ridges.

Top left and right are the pagri & beret badges of 10th Baluch Regiment from 1945-56. Bottom left is the commando's wing of SSG. Bottom right is the badge of Baluch Regiment since 1959. In the centre is the regimental badge with the motto of 19 Baloch (SSG) Badges19baloch.jpg — Top left and right are the pagri & beret badges of 10th Baluch Regiment from 1945-56. Bottom left is the commando's wing of SSG. Bottom right is the badge of Baluch Regiment since 1959. In the centre is the regimental badge with the motto of 19 Baloch (SSG)

War of 1965

Serial no	Name	Parent Arm/Corps
1	Maj Muhammad Sarwar	Armoured Corps
2	Capt Nisar Ahmed, SJ	Engineers
3	Capt Muhammad Sadiq, SJ	Artillery
4	Naib Subedar Nazir Ahmed	Baloch
5	Hav Muhammad Riaz	Signals
6	Hav Muhammad Bashir	Punjab
7	Hav Abbass Ali, TJ	Baloch
8	Hav Khan Muhammad	Frontier Force
9	Nk Adalat Hussain	Punjab
10	Nk Shabbir Hussain	Punjab
11	L/Nk Mukhtar Ahmed, TJ	Punjab
12	L/Nk Muhammad Asghar	Artillery
13	L/Nk Qamarudin Ahmed	Signals
14	Swr Muhammad Haleem, TJ	Armoured Corps
15	Swr Muhammad Asghar	Armoured Corps
16	L/Nk Muzaffar Khan, TJ	Baloch
17	OCU Muhammad Hussain	Artillery
18	Sep Ahmed Shah	Artillery
19	OCU Muzzamil Hussain	Artillery
20	Gnr Khan Afsar	Artillery
21	Sep Muhammad Rashid	Artillery
22	Spr Muhammad Sadiq	Engineers
23	Spr Munsaf Khan	Engineers
24	Sep Muhammad Aslam	Punjab
25	Swr Muhammad Baksh	Punjab
26	Sep Chan Pir Shah	Baloch
27	Sep Muhammad Ayub	Baloch
28	Sep Haider Gul	Frontier Force
29	Sep Muhammad Saleem	Frontier Force
30	Sep Feroze Ali	AMC

War of 1971

The following brave men of 19 Baluch (R&S) laid down their lives in the line of duty while fighting in the Battle of Chhamb

Serial no	Name
1	L/Hav Muhammad Azam
2	L/Nk Sher Khan
3	Sep Muhammad Ashiq
4	Sep Muhtamim Shah
5	Sep Muhammad Nawab
6	Sep Fazal Hussain
7	Sep Muhammad Ishaq
8	Sep Alif Din

1973 Floods

During the floods of 1973, 19 Baluch was occupying posts on Mandiala Ridges. After the initial flood outbreak, more than 100 troops were reported missing. However, after the initial chaos had abated and communications re-established, losses were calculated to be much less. The casualties of the 1973 flood were:

Serial no	Name
1	Sub Sher Zaman
2	Hav Naseer Khan
3	L/Hav Mehboob Khan
4	L/Hav Muhammad Younis
5	Nk/Clk Muhammad Sadiq
6	L/Nk Abdul Razzaq
7	Sep Said Bahadur Shah
8	Sep Murad Shah
9	Sep Khan Bahadur Shah
10	Sep Muhammad Siddique
11	Sep Muhammad Aslam
12	Sep Nazir Hussain
13	Sep Muhammad Bashir
14	Sep Nazar Hussain
15	Sep Nazir

Motto

The battalion adopted the motto of "Alquadri" in 1991. Since Qadir is name of Allah, so Alquadri means Allah's or "Allah Wali" in Urdu. Literally it means those who prevail on strength of their power.

Related Research Articles

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 of the British Indian Army, or as the FF. The regiment takes its name from the historic North-West Frontier, a former province of British India and later Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10th Indian Infantry Division</span> Infantry Division of the Indian army during World War II

The 10th Indian Infantry Division was a war formed infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. In four years, the division travelled over 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from Tehran to Trieste, fought three small wars, and fought two great campaigns: the Anglo-Iraqi War, the Invasion of Syria–Lebanon, the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, the North African Campaign, and the Italian Campaign.

The Baloch Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in May 1956 by the merger of 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments with the Baluch Regiment. Since then, further raisings have brought the strength of the Regiment to 27 battalions. The Baloch Regiment is descended from the infantry of the old British Indian Army and is named after Balochistan. Before 1991, it was called the Baluch Regiment but the spelling was changed to 'Baloch' to better reflect the correct pronunciation.

The 129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in 1846 as the 2nd Bellochee Battalion. It was designated as the 129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis in 1903, and became 4th Battalion 10th Baluch Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 11th Battalion of The Baloch Regiment.

The 8th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947 and merged with the Baluch Regiment in 1956.

The 15th Lancers (Baloch) is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 17th Cavalry and the 37th Lancers (Baluch Horse).

The 10th Baluch or Baluch Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. After independence, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was amalgamated with the 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments. During more than a hundred years of military service, the 10th Baluch Regiment acquired a distinguished record amongst the regiments of the British Indian Army. Its list of honours and awards includes four Victoria Crosses.

On 25 March 1971, the Pakistani military, supported by paramilitary units, launched the military operation to pacify the insurgent-held areas of East Pakistan, which led to a prolonged conflict with the Bengali Mukti Bahini. Although conventional in nature during March–May 1971, it soon turned into a guerrilla insurgency from June of that year. Indian Army had not directly supported the Bengali resistance but had launched Operation Jackpot to support the insurgency from May 1971.

The 89th Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in 1798 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry. It was designated as the 89th Punjabis in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 1st Battalion, The Baloch Regiment.

The 90th Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was raised in 1799 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry. It was designated as the 90th Punjabis in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 2nd Battalion of The Baloch Regiment.

The 91st Punjabis (Light Infantry) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was raised in 1800 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry. It was designated as the 91st Punjabis in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 3rd Battalion of The Baloch Regiment.

The 92nd Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was raised in 1800 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry. It was designated as the 92nd Punjabis in 1903 and became 4th Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 4th Battalion of The Baloch Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">93rd Burma Infantry</span> Military unit

The 93rd Burma Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was raised in 1800 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry. It was designated as the 93rd Burma Infantry in 1903 and became the 5th (Burma) Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 5th Battalion of The Baloch Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">130th Baluchis</span> Military unit

The 130th King George's Own Baluchis (Jacob's Rifles) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in June 1858 as the 1st Belooch Rifles; re-designated as 1st Regiment Jacob's Rifles in September. It was designated as 130th Jacob's Baluchis in 1903 becoming 5th Battalion (King George's Own) 10th Baluch Regiment (Jacob's Rifles) in 1922. In 1947, it was allotted to Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 12th Battalion of The Baloch Regiment.

The 126th Baluchistan Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in 1825 as the 2nd Extra Battalion of Bombay Native Infantry. It was designated as the 126th Baluchistan Infantry in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion 10th Baluch Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 7th Battalion of The Baloch Regiment.

The 124th Duchess of Connaught's Own Baluchistan Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in 1820 as the 2nd (Marine) Battalion 12th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry. It was designated as the 124th Duchess of Connaught's Own Baluchistan Infantry in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 10th Baluch Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 6th Battalion of The Baloch Regiment.

The 127th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in 1844 as The Scinde Bellochee Corps. It was designated as the 127th Baluch Light Infantry in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion 10th Baluch Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as the 10th Battalion of The Baloch Regiment.

The 26th Jacob's Mountain Battery was an artillery unit of the British Indian Army. The battery can trace its origins back to Golandauze Battalion (1826). In 1843 it became the 10th Company Golandauze Battalion of Bombay Foot Artillery, and became the 26th Jacob's Mountain Battery in 1903. In 1947, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army, where it exists as the 1st Jacob's Battery (Baloch) of The First (SP) Medium Regiment Artillery.

The Bahawalpur Regiment was a regiment of Pakistan Army. The regiment was formed in 1952 from the infantry battalions of the erstwhile Princely State of Bahawalpur, which had acceded to Pakistan in 1947. In 1956, the Bahawalpur Regiment was merged with the Pakistan Army

British East Africa 1897–99 is a Battle Honour awarded to 27th Regiment of Bombay (Light) Infantry; an infantry battalion of the British Indian Army, which participated in the 1897 expedition to British East Africa to suppress a rebellion.

References

↑ "Baloch Regiment". Archived from the original on 24 August 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
↑ Thatcher, WS. (1980). The Tenth Baluch Regiment in the Second World War. Abbottabad: Baluch Regimental Centre. p. 521.
↑ Base Workshop - Basrah, Maggie Morris, 2 November 2005
↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 May 2005. Retrieved 22 August 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
↑ Sharma, Gautam (1990). Valour and Sacrifice: Famous Regiments of the Indian Army. ISBN 9788170231400.
↑ Sharma, Gautam. Valour and Sacrifice: Famous Regiments of the Indian Army. p. 39.
↑ INDO-PAK - ARTICLES#210, 23 June 1999 KARGIL, LOC AND THE SIMLA AGREEMENT http://www.ipcs.org/article/indo-pak/kargil-loc-and-the-simla-agreement-210.html
↑ "Letters to the Editor". Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
↑ 19 Baluch War Diary

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Baloch Regiment". Archived from the original on 24 August 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.

[2] Thatcher, WS. (1980). The Tenth Baluch Regiment in the Second World War. Abbottabad: Baluch Regimental Centre. p. 521.

[3] Base Workshop - Basrah, Maggie Morris, 2 November 2005

[4] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 May 2005. Retrieved 22 August 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[5] Sharma, Gautam (1990). Valour and Sacrifice: Famous Regiments of the Indian Army. ISBN 9788170231400.

[6] Sharma, Gautam. Valour and Sacrifice: Famous Regiments of the Indian Army. p. 39.

[7] INDO-PAK - ARTICLES#210, 23 June 1999 KARGIL, LOC AND THE SIMLA AGREEMENT http://www.ipcs.org/article/indo-pak/kargil-loc-and-the-simla-agreement-210.html

[8] "Letters to the Editor". Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2010.

[9] 19 Baluch War Diary

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]