XXX Corps (Pakistan)

XXX Corps
Active	1986;39 years ago (1986)
Country	Pakistan
Branch	Pakistan Army
Type	XXX Corps
Role	Maneuver/Deployment oversight.
Size	~45,000 approximately (Though this may vary as units are rotated)
Garrison/HQ	Gujranwala Cantonment, Punjab, Pakistan
Nickname(s)	30th Corps [1]
Colors Identification	Red, white and green
Anniversaries	1986
Engagements	India-Pakistan Standoff in 2001–02
Decorations	Military Decorations of Pakistan Military
Commanders
Commander	Lt-Gen. Syed Imdad Hussain Shah
Notable commanders	Gen. Syed Asim Munir Gen. Raheel Sharif Lt-Gen. Javed Ashraf Lt-Gen. A. Q. Baloch Lt-Gen. Nadeem Taj
Insignia
Flag

The XXX Corps is a field corps of the Pakistan Army, currently stationed in Gujranwala, Punjab. ^[2]

Formed in 1986 with its headquarters initially in Sialkot, it was later shifted to Gujranwala Cantonment. The XXX Corps is one of Pakistan's ten field corps and it is currently commanded by Lt-Gen. Syed Imdad Hussain Shah. ^[3]

Overview

Formation and war service

In 1985, the Army GHQ formed three field corps to improve the internal security in Balochistan and Punjab. ^[4] Originally, the XXX Corps was headquartered in Sialkot Cantonment, and took over the area of responsibility of strategic areas of Ilegal Indian Occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir (extending from Jehlum to Narowal) that was previously overlooked by the I Corps. ^[2] With I Corps becoming the part of the strategic army reserves, the XXX Corps was relocated and now headquarters in Gujranwala Cantonment since 1987. ^[5]

Thus, the XXX Corps was given the command of the formations that were detached from I Corps, which was then dedicated to offensive tasks. ^[6] The XXX Corps is known for its ability to conduct mechanized and the riverine operations. ^[1] Its mission parameters also included to prevent the Indian Army's mechanized divisions from further advancing and into penetrating Pakistan to cut the vital Lahore-Karachi links— the North-South links.^{: 204–205  [7]}

Structure

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

Structure of XXX Corps
Corps	Corps HQ	Corps Commander	Assigned Units	Unit HQ
XXX Corps	Gujranwala	Lt.Gen Syed Imdad Hussain Shah
			15th Infantry Division	Sialkot
			8th Infantry Division	Sialkot
			54th Independent Infantry Brigade	Sialkot
			19th Independent Armoured Brigade	Pasrur
			Independent Anti-tank Brigade	U/I Location
			Independent Engineering Brigade	U/I Location
			Independent Signal Brigade	U/I Location

List of Commanders

Lieutenant-General	Commander XXX Corps	Term Start	Term End
	Syed Imdad Hussain Shah	November 2023	Incumbent
	Muhammad Aamer	October 2021	November 2023
	Asim Munir	June 2019	October 2021
	Aamir Abbasi	December 2017	June 2019
	Ikram Ul Haq	September 2015	December 2017
	Ghayur Mahmood	October 2014	September 2015
	Salim Nawaz	July 2013	October 2014
	Muzammil Hussain	October 2012	July 2013
	Raheel Sharif	October 2010	October 2012
	Jamil Haider	April 2010	October 2010
	Nadeem Taj	October 2008	April 2010
	Waseem Ahmad Ashraf	April 2007	October 2008
	Anis Ahmed Abbasi	September 2005	April 2007
	Mohammad Sabir	October 2004	September 2005
	Javed Hassan	January 2004	October 2004
	Munir Khan	March 2003	January 2004
	Faiz Jilani Malik	October 2001	March 2003
	Abdul Qadir Baloch	January 2001	October 2001
	Agha Jehangir Khan	April 1998	January 2001
	Naeem Akbar Khan	March 1997	April 1998
	Ziauddin Butt	February 1996	March 1997
	Javed Ashraf Qazi	August 1995	February 1996
	Mohammad Tariq SJ	May 1993	August 1995
	Hamid Niaz	May 1992	May 1993
	Chaudhry Sardar Ali	November 1990	May 1992
	Pir Dad Khan SJ	March 1988	November 1990
	Imtiaz Waraich	July 1987	March 1988

References

1. Dominguez, Gabriel; Cranny-Evans, Samuel (13 October 2021). "Pakistan Army holds induction ceremony for VT4 MBT". Janes.com. Janes.com. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
2. "XXX Corps". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
3. "STRATCOM BUREAU, X". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 27 November 2023.
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 27 November 2023.
5. Fair, C. Christine (25 April 2014). Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army's Way of War. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-939588-0 . Retrieved 27 November 2023.
6. Ravi Rikhye,Pakistan Army Divisions Archived 7 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
7. Dutt, Sanjay (2000). War and Peace in Kargil Sector. APH Publishing. ISBN   978-81-7648-151-9 . Retrieved 27 November 2023.
8. Global Security website page on XXX Corps

Further reading

• Cloughley, Brian (1999). A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections. Karachi, Sind, Pakistan: Karachi University Press. ISBN   9780195790153.