Army Chief Bajwa's remarkable achievements throughout his service

General Bajwa was awarded the position as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in November 2016.

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who served as the 16th Army Chief of Pakistan, has had an exceptional career throughout his life.

Military Services

After joining the Pakistan Army in 1978, Bajwa was sent to enrolled at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul, and passed outfrom the PMA Kakul.

General Bajwa was commissioned in 1980 in the 16th Battalion of the Baloch Regiment at the Sialkot Cantonment – the same unit that his father commanded.

In 1992, Major Bajwa briefly served in the 5th Northern Light Infantry Regiment in Kashmir. In addition, Lieutenant-Colonel Bajwa served in the X Corps, stationed in Rawalpindi, as a staff officer. Upon promoting as one-star rank army general, Brigadier Bajwa served as the Chief of Staff (COS) at the X Corps before promoting to the two-star rank and commanding a division in Northern Pakistan.

Prior to his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army, on September 22 2015, Lt-Gen. Bajwa was posted in the General Headquarters when he appointed as the Inspector-General of the Training and Evaluation (IGT&E) where he was a Principal Staff Officer to then-Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif.

In October 2018, he was awarded the Order of the Military Merit by Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

In December 2016, he was awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz.

In 2014, Lt-Gen. Bajwa was appointed as Colonel Commandant of Baloch Regiment.

On 14 August 2013, Maj-Gen. Bajwa was promoted to three-star rank and posted as field commander of the X Corps, stationed in Rawalpindi. He served as the field commander of the X Corps from August 14, 2013 to September 22, 2015 which is responsible for the area along the Line of Control at Kashmir.

COAS Bajwa wisely handled the matters pertaining to anti-militant operations Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad and recognized peace in the country as his key mission.

In August 2011, he was honored with the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, and posted as an instructor at the School of Infantry and Tactics in Quetta, and later taught staff course at Command and Staff College in Quetta, and course on national security at the National Defence University.

After being promoted to two-star rank in May 2009, Major-General Bajwa took over the command of the Force Command Northern Areas (FCNA) as its GOC, stationed in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

In addition, in 2003, Brig. Bajwa commanded the Pakistan Armed Forces-Africa Command, attached to the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, in Congo.

During his visit to United States on July 24, 2019, General Qamar Javed Bajwa was presented a guard of honour with 21 gun salute as he arrived at Pentagon.

Upsurging Tensions with India

Early this year, hostile India put the blame of the Pulwama attack on Pakistan without any evidence and violated Pakistan’s airspace in late February.

Responding to Indian aggression, Gen Bajwa vowed to give surprise to India and on February 27, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down two Indian fighter jets and captured Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman – who was later released as a peace gesture by Pakistan to defuse tensions with India.

This vigilant response towards enemy has been seen as an act of bravery, and endorsing Pakistan’s stance of being fully capable of responding to Indian threats under Gen Bajwa’s command.

In the tensions after India revoked Kashmir’s special status, Gen Bajwa during a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) apprised all members that Pakistan was fully prepared and capable of failing enemy’s tactics.

Effective Military Diplomacy

General Bajwa further expanded the military diplomacy of Pakistan Army and became strategic player from operational or tactical one.During his tenure he held high level one to one meetings with many heads of state including some key figures like Xi Jinping, Hassan Rouhani, King Sulaeman and Tayyab Erdogan. Whether it was Yemen Crisis, KSA blockade of Qatar, Iran KSA rivalry, Pak-India Kortarpur Corridor, Pak-Iran border terror issues or Afghan Taliban peace process with US in each of these Gen.Bajwa played a key role and enhanced the geopolitical profile of Pakistan Army manifold.

Early Life and Education

Bajwa was born on 12 November 1960 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan into a Punjabi-speaking Jat family that initially hailed and belonged to Ghakhar Mandi, Punjab, Pakistan.

His father, Lieutenant-Colonel Muhammad Iqbal Bajwa, was an officer of Pakistan Army who died while in service in 1967 in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.

Bajwa was seven years old when his father died and he was the youngest of five siblings. He and his siblings were raised by their mother, who died in September 2013.

Bajwa’s father-in-law, Ijaz Amjad, was also a Pakistan Army officer who retired with a two-star rank, Major-General.

Bajwa completed his secondary and intermediate education at Sir Syed College in Rawalpindi and Gordon College in Rawalpindi before joining the Pakistan Army in 1978, which directed him to attend the military academy. He was sent to attend the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul and passed out with the class of 62nd PMA Long Course in 1980.

Bajwa is a graduate of Command and Staff in Canada and later attended and secured his graduation from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, United States. He also attended the National Defence University. 

General Bajwa was awarded the position as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) till November 2019, and has been given extension in his tenure as Army Chief.