1st Battalion, Sindh Regiment 13th Battalion, Baloch Regiment 6th Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment | |
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Founded | 1940 / 1956 / 1980 |
Country | Pakistan |
Allegiance | British India (1940 - 47) Pakistan (1947 - onwards) |
Branch | British Indian Army Pakistan Army |
Role | Line infantry |
Size | 1 battalion |
Part of | Sindh Regiment |
Regimental centre | Hyderabad, Sindh |
Engagements | Second World War 1940-45 (Malaya, Dutch East Indies) Kashmir War 1948 |
The 1st Battalion, Sindh Regiment is an infantry battalion of the Sindh Regiment of the Pakistan Army.
The battalion was originally raised in 1940 as the 6th Battalion (Machine Gun), 8th Punjab Regiment in the British Indian Army. It initially served on the North West Frontier in: [1]
From May to October 1945 the battalion participated in the Burma campaign as part of 23rd Indian Infantry Division. [2] Its companies provided machine gun support to the 1st, 37th, and 49th Indian Infantry Brigades. [3] The battalion was then sent with the 23rd Division to Central Java in November 1945. [4] From April 1946 it transferred to the Buitenzorg Brigade when the remainder of the division returned to India. [5]
After the war, in 1946, most of the war-raised battalions of the 8th Punjab were deactivated except the 6th and 8th Battalions. [6]
Upon the independence of India and Pakistan in August 1947, the battalion was assigned to the Pakistan Army together with the rest of 8th Punjab and several other infantry regiments including the 10th Baluch Regiment and the Bahawalpur Regiment. Sikhs and Gujars in the battalion were exchanged with Muslims from units allocated to the Indian Army. In January 1948 the battalion was deactivated but was raised again in October 1948, in response to the Kashmir War with India.
In 1956, Pakistan merged the 8th Punjab with the 10th Baluch and the Bahawalpur Regiments to form the Baloch Regiment. The 6th Battalion was re-designated as 13th Battalion, Baloch Regiment. [6]
Since independence, the Pakistan Army had been dominated by Punjabis, with as much as 77% of army personnel being from that group. [7] A specific regiment was created to address concerns of underrepresentation of Sindhis. [8] [9] This was done on 1 July 1980 by the transfer of eleven battalions from the Punjab Regiment and ten battalions from the Baloch Regiment. [10] The 13th Battalion, Baloch Regiment was re-designated as 1st Battalion, Sindh Regiment. After 1989 the proportion of Sindhis in the regiment was increased to over 50%.
The Sindh Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army established on 1 July 1980. The regiment takes its name from Sindh province in southern Pakistan. Prior to its formation there had been no regiment in the Pakistan Army specifically intended to recruit primarily from the Sindhi population. The regimental centre is located in Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan.
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 structure of the Pakistan Army is based on two distinct themes: operational and administrative. Operationally the Pakistan Army is divided into nine corps and three corps-level formations with areas of responsibility (AOR) ranging from the mountainous regions of the north to the desert and coastal regions of the south. Administratively it is divided in several regiments. The General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Army is located in Rawalpindi in Punjab province. It is planned to be moved to the capital city of Islamabad nearby.
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.
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.
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 100th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in April 1920 at Jhansi. The brigade was assigned to the 34th Indian Infantry Division until June 1943, when it was transferred to the 20th Indian Infantry Division until the end of the war. It was known for its participation in Battle of Imphal or known as "Imphal Campaign" where it fought along with other Indian Infantry regiments converged to form the 20th Indian Division and drove back the Japanese Army back to Burma inflicting heavy losses. This was a turning point in the Burma Campaign, part of South-East Asian theatre of World War II.
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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