XXXI Corps (Pakistan)

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XXXI Corps
Bahawalpur Core logo.svg
Badge of XXXI Corps
Active1986;38 years ago (1986)
CountryFlag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
BranchFlag of the Pakistani Army.svg  Pakistan Army
Type Corps
Role Maneuver and combined arms oversight.
Size45,000 approximately
(Though this may vary as units are rotated)
HQ/Garrison Bahawalpur Cantonment, Punjab in Pakistan
Nickname(s) Bahawalpur Core logo.svg Bahawalpur Corps [1]
Colors IdentificationRed and white
   
Anniversaries1986
Decorations Military Decorations of Pakistan military
Commanders
Commander Lt-Gen. S. M. Malik
Notable
commanders
Gen. Shamim Alam
Lt-Gen. Mohammad Shafiq
Lt-Gen. Haroon Aslam

The XXXI Corps is a field corps of the Pakistan Army, currently stationed in Bahawalpur, Punjab in Pakistan. [2]

Contents

It is currently commanded by Lt-Gen. Saqib Mehmood Malik as of 2023. [3]

History

The XXXI Corps was formed and raised as part of the major reorganization of the Pakistani military in 1985– it was one of the three corps that were formed to address the security in the country. [4] The XXXI Corps took over the area of responsibility of southern region of Punjab from the II Corps, which is more well suited for forestry warfare techniques. [2] It was initially headquartered in Pano Akil but later moved to Bahawalpur Cantonment as the corps headquarter. [5] Together with the V Corps in Sindh, the XXXI Corps is responsible for the maneuvering combat readiness in the southern Punjab's desert zone. [2]

In 2023, 35th Infantry Division attached to the XXXI Corps equipped with VCC-2 APCs were reportedly be taking part in anti-bandit operations near Bahawalpur alongside Punjab Police, based on social media and news reports. The police were also equipped with locally-made M113A1/A2 APCs. [6] [7]

Structure

Its present order of battle is as follows: [8]

Structure of XXXI Corps
CorpsCorps HQCorps CommanderAssigned UnitsUnit HQ
XXXI Corps Bahawalpur Lt. Gen Saqib Mehmood Malik
US-O9 insignia.svg
26th Mechanized Division Bahawalpur
35th Infantry Division Bahawalpur
14th Infantry Division Okara
101st Independent Infantry BrigadeU/I Location
14th Independent Armored BrigadeBahawalpur
Independent Artillery BrigadeU/I Location
Independent Engineering BrigadeU/I Location
Independent Signal BrigadeU/I Location

List of Commanders XXXI Corps

Corps CommanderStart DateEnd Date
Lt Gen Saqib Mehmood Malik4 December 2022Incumbent
Lt Gen Faiz Hameed 9th Aug 20223 December 2022
Lt Gen Khalid ZiaNov 20208 August 2022
Lt Gen Syed Muhammad AdnanApril 2019Nov 2020
Lt Gen Javed Mehmood BukhariAugust 2018April 2019
Lt Gen Sher AfgunDecember 2016August 2018
Lt Gen Javed Iqbal Ramday April 2015December 2016
Lt Gen Javed IqbalDecember 2013April 2015
Lt Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat January 2013December 2013
Lt Gen Muhammad Haroon Aslam March 2011January 2013
Lt Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi October 2009March 2011
Lt Gen Muhammad YousafOctober 2008October 2009
Lt Gen Raza Mohammad KhanApril 2007October 2008
Lt Gen Imtiaz HussainMay 2005April 2007
Lt Gen Syed Parwez ShahidSeptember 2003May 2005
Lt Gen Shahid HamidOctober 2001September 2003
Lt Gen Munir Hafiez August 2000October 2001
Lt Gen Tahir Ali QureshiOctober 1998August 2000
Lt Gen Muzaffar Hussain Usmani May 1997October 1998
Lt Gen Khalid Nawaz MalikJanuary 1996May 1997
Lt Gen Iftikhar Ali Khan June 1993January 1996
Lt Gen Muhammad Akram KhanAugust 1991May 1993
Lt Gen Shamim Alam Khan April 1991August 1991
Lt Gen Mohammad Shafiq March 1988April 1991

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References

  1. "COAS visits formations of Bahawalpur Corps". brecorder.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "XXXI Corps". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  3. "General Asim Munir kicks off Pakistan army's game of thrones with major reshuffle". WION.
  4. 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 29 November 2023.
  5. Sathasivam, Kanishkan (24 October 2017). Uneasy Neighbors: India, Pakistan and US Foreign Policy. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-351-87682-7 . Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  6. Haq, Irfanul (10 April 2023). "'Grand operation' against katcha area outlaws starts in Punjab". Dawn. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  7. @FarooqB90714421 (16 April 2023). "PA VCC-2s from 35 Div taking part in Kacha Anti-Dacoit Op in Lower Punjab Region. Plus a M113A1/A2 HIT Up-Armoured with Punjab police" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  8. Global Security website page on XXXI Corps

Further reading