Qamar Javed Bajwa | |
|---|---|
 Official military portrait, 2016 | |
| 10thChief of Army Staff | |
| In office 29 November 2016 – 29 November 2022 | |
| President | Mamnoon Hussain Arif Alvi |
| Prime Minister | Nawaz Sharif Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Nasirul Mulk(caretaker) Imran Khan Shehbaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Raheel Sharif |
| Succeeded by | Asim Munir |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1960-11-11)11 November 1960 (age 65)[1] Karachi, West Pakistan, Pakistan |
| Parent | Muhammad Iqbal Bajwa |
| Education | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan |
| Branch |  Pakistan Army |
| Service years | 1978–2022 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | 16Baloch Regiment |
| Commands |
|
| Conflicts / operations | |
| Awards | |
Qamar Javed Bajwa[a] (born 11 November 1960) is a retired Pakistani four-stargeneral who served as the tenthchief of the Army Staff ofPakistan from 29 November 2016 to 29 November 2022.[3][4] In 2018, he was ranked 68th in theForbes list of the World's Most Powerful People.[5]
Originally fromGakhar Mandi,Gujranwala, Bajwa was born into aPunjabiJat family of theBajwa clan in Karachi.[6] Bajwa was educated at theF. G. Sir Syed College andGordon College inRawalpindi before joining thePakistan Military Academy in 1978. Bajwa was commissioned in 1980 in the 16th Battalion of theBaloch Regiment. Before his appointment as the chief of army staff, he served at theGeneral Headquarters as the inspector general of the training and evaluation from September 2015 to November 2016 and as field commander of theX Corps from August 2013 to September 2015 which is responsible for the area along theLine of Control inKashmir. In addition, he served as a brigadier in theUN mission in Congo and as a brigade commander in 2007.
Towards the end of his career as army chief, tax details of Bajwa's family members, acknowledged as a "leak" by the Pakistani government,[7][8] were leaked to the press, alleging increases in the billions throughout his tenure.[9]
During Bajwa's tenure, military interference in Pakistan's political apparatus reached a new high, despite Bajwa's claims of remaining apolitical, two elected prime ministers, Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan were ousted that resulted in the hightened political instability and economic stagnation of the country.[10]
Born inKarachi,Sindh, on 11 November 1960, Bajwa was educated at theF. G. Sir Syed College andGordon College inRawalpindi before joining thePakistan Military Academy in 1978. His family hails fromGhakhar Mandi,Punjab. His father Muhammad Iqbal Bajwa was anofficer ofPakistan Army who died while in service in 1967 inQuetta,Balochistan, Pakistan.[11] Bajwa was seven years old when his father died and he was the youngest of five siblings.[1] He and his siblings were raised by their mother, who died in September 2013.[12] Bajwa's father-in-law is retired major general Ijaz Amjad (brother ofIftikhar Khan Janjua).[13][14]
Bajwa completed his secondary and intermediate education atF. G. Sir Syed College[15] andGordon College in Rawalpindi before joining the Pakistan Army in 1978,[1] which directed him to attend the military academy.[16] He was sent to attend thePakistan Military Academy inKakul andpassing out in 1980.[17]
Bajwa is a graduate of theCanadian Army Command and Staff College and theNaval Postgraduate School inMonterey, California, United States.[1] He also attended theNational Defence University,Islamabad.[1][17][18][19]
After joining the Pakistan Army in 1978,[1] Bajwa was enrolled at thePakistan Military Academy (PMA) inKakul,passed out with the class of 62nd PMA Long Course[16] and gainedcommission as asecond lieutenant, on 24 October 1980 in the 16thBaloch Regiment at theSialkot Cantonment. His father commanded the same unit.[20][17]
In 1988, Bajwa briefly served in the 5thNorthern Light Infantry inAzad Kashmir.[21][22] In addition, he served in theX Corps in Rawalpindi as astaff officer (GSO-1 Operations).[21] Upon promotion as aone-star rank army general, Bajwa served as thechief of staff (COS) at the X Corps.[23][24]
In 2003, Bajwa commanded thePakistan Armed Forces-Africa Command, attached to theUN peacekeeping missionMONUSCO, inD. R. Congo.[21][24][16][1] Bajwa served in the D. R. Congo as abrigade commander under the then-major generalBikram Singh, the formerchief of the army staff of theIndian Army from 2012 to 2014.[25][26][16] Singh later termed Bajwa's performance there as "professional and outstanding."[27][25]
After being promoted totwo star general rank in May 2009, Bajwa took over the command of theForce Command Northern Areas division as itsgeneral officer commanding (GOC), stationed inGilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.[28][29][30][31][16][23]
In August 2011, he was honored with theHilal-i-Imtiaz (Military),[32] and was posted as the Commadant of theSchool of Infantry and Tactics, Quetta,[33] and has also served as an Instructor (DS) in the staff course atCommand and Staff College in Quetta, and at theNational Defence University, Islamabad.[17][18]
On 14 August 2013, Bajwa was promoted tothree-star rank and posted as field commander of theX Corps, stationed in Rawalpindi.[34][35][36][24] The appointment was commented on by news media that noted Bajwa had been posted three times to X Corps,[24] which is the army's most important and largest corps and has experience of keeping control over theinsurgency in Jammu and Kashmir.[16][37]
In 2014, Bajwa was appointed ascolonel commandant of theBaloch Regiment.[38]
On 22 September 2015, Bajwa was posted to theGeneral Headquarters when he was appointed as theInspector-General of Training and Evaluation (IGT&E). There he was a principal staff officer to the then-chief of army staffRaheel Sharif.[39][40]
In 2016,Chief of Army Staff (COAS)Raheel Sharif dismissed rumours he was seeking an extension of his term.[41] Initially, the race for the appointment for the COAS was rumoured as betweenZubair Hayat andJaved Ramday, who was close to theSharif family.[42][43] However, prime ministerNawaz Sharif announced the appointment of Hayat, the-then senior most army general, as theChairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.[44]
On 29 November 2016, Sharif announced the appointment of Bajwa - the fourth by seniority, as the COAS, superseding two generals who were senior to him.[45][46][47][48][49] According to Pakistani media, his "strongpro-democracy stance and views" may have influenced his appointment as the army chief.[50]Reuters reported that Sharif picked Bajwa because of his low-key style,[51] however in 2024, Sharif's Defence MinisterKhawaja Asif, said that Bajwa was appointed to the role on the assurance of retired Maj-Gen Ijaz Amjad, Bajwa's father-in-law. At the time Sharif was facing thePanama Papers case and had "soured" ties withthe Military Establishment. JournalistZahid Hussain wrote, "it was apparent that merit and seniority did not matter in the appointment of the army chief".[52] Bajwa was also noted as being the fourth oldest COAS.[53]
In December 2016, he was awarded theNishan-e-Imtiaz.[54]
In December 2016, just within weeks into office as COAS, General Bajwa initiated major reshuffle and appointments within military, consolidating a strong team which continued to assist him in his prolonged tenure of six years. The team included removal of notable generals likeDG ISIRizwan Akhtar, CommanderX CorpsMalik Zafar Iqbal. Bajwa appointed his close confidants likeNaveed Muktar as DG ISI,Bilal Akbar asCGS,Nadeem Raza asX CorpsCOAS Bajwa, appointed new two-star major-generals, this includedAsif Ghafoor asDG ISPR,Asim Munir DGMI,Sahir Shamshad Mirza as DG-Military Operations, andFaiz Hameed as DGCounter-IntelligenceISI. The generals continued to serve under General Bajwa for six years helping him to strengthen his role in political and non-political domains of the military. The role of GeneralFaiz Hameed under Bajwa's tenure was particularly subjected to several controversies in country's political history. DG-C Faiz Hameed played a vital role in the ouster of thenPrime MinisterNawaz Sharif and subsequent election rigging of2018 Elections, which in turn helped in the installation of the military's favouriteImran Khan as the country's Prime Minister.
Under the command of Bajwa, nationwide counter-terrorism operations'Radd-ul-Fasaad' launched in February 2017, and'Khyber-4' in July 2017.[55]
In 2018 he was ranked 68th in theForbes list of the World's Most Powerful People, compiled byForbes magazine, which called himde facto the most powerful person in Pakistan who "established himself as a mediator and proponent of democracy".[4]
On 25 July 2018, general elections were held in Pakistan. They have been branded as the dirtiest elections in Pakistan's history[56] with the army under Bajwa being accused of manipulating the elections and engineering a victory for thePakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of Imran Khan over the army's challenger, thePakistan Muslim League (N).[57]
Khan said at the very outset of becoming prime minister that he had decided that Bajwa would be offered an extension to his term as army chief.[58] According toMohammed Hanif, Bajwa "was instrumental in bringing and sustaining him [Imran] in power".[59] Khan added that he had not seen anyone else to be as balanced and democratic in nature as Bajwa.[60] After Khan's ouster in 2022 which was orchestrated at the behest of Bajwa, Khan stated in a 2024 interview withMehdi Hasan that his only regret was trusting Bajwa, who he held responsible for "creating lies and false narratives", allegedly to secure a second extension.[61]
In October 2018, Bajwa was awarded Jordan'sOrder of Military Merit byKing Abdullah II.[62]
On 19 August 2019, his tenure as army chief was extended for another three years, starting from November 2019 until November 2022, by prime ministerImran Khan.[63] However, on 26 November 2019, theSupreme Court of Pakistan suspended the three-year extension.[64] On 28 November 2019, the Supreme Court of Pakistan announced a short order allowing a 6-month extension in Bajwa's term as the Chief of Army Staff, during which the parliament was to legislate on the extension/reappointment of an army chief.[65] On 8 January 2020, theSenate of Pakistan passed thePakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2020, allowing for Bajwa's tenure extension up to three years until 29 November 2022.[66][67]
In April 2022, Bajwa publicly suggested at a security forum in Islamabad that Pakistan had been pushed into dependence on China.[68] After aterrorist attack on Chinese nationals in Karachi in April 2022,Chinese Army generalZhang Youxia asked Bajwa to stop attacks on Chinese nationals,[69] Bajwa vowed to enhance counter-terror cooperation with China.[70]
The former prime minister of Pakistan,Nawaz Sharif alleged that Bajwa was behind hisdisqualification from the prime minister's office by putting pressure on the judiciary and theSupreme Court. He also alleged that Bajwa was also involved in rigging the general election.[71] Subsequently,Muhammad Safdar Awan, son-in-law ofNawaz Sharif was arrested allegedly through pressure in the aftermath ofenforced disappearance ofSindh Police's provincial senior police officer Mushtaq Mahar.[72] According to Shehbaz Sharif, in 2018 General Bajwa, DG-ISINaveed Mukhtar and DGCIFaiz Hameed offered him Prime-ministership in return for abandoning Nawaz Sharif.[73]Zahid Hussain in hisDawn opinion column of 21 August 2024, stated that in 2016 when a journalist in a press briefing held by Bajwa asked him what would happen if the Prime Minister was removed, Bajwa responded; "Nothing will happen," adding "Nothing happened even when we hangedBhutto."[52]
Following Imran Khan's ouster as Prime Minister, supporters of Khan's partyPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf called for Bajwa's resignation as army chief onTwitter, and Twitter trends denouncing the general as a "traitor" reached over a million tweets.[74] The supporters claimed that Bajwa conspired to remove Khan from office along with the country's opposition parties.[75]Rana Sanaullah claimed that thePakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) was promised governments in federation and provinces as well as the removal of Imran Khan in exchange for vote for Bajwa's extension.[76]
On 25 July 2018,general elections were held in Pakistan. They have been alleged by some as the ‘dirtiest’ elections in Pakistan history[77] with army under Bajwa being accused of manipulating the elections and engineering a victory for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf over the army's Pakistan Muslim League (N).[78] The Election Commission of Pakistan denied the claim;[79] the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), acknowledged that there had been significant improvements in the election process, but noted "It does not augur well for the ECP to reject the concerns of major political parties ... without conducting a probe into the matter, as otherwise the country may spiral into phase of political and public protest and outcry that inhibits political stability",[80] while the European Union Election Observation Mission acknowledged that no election rigging had been observed during the election day in general, although the latter did find a "lack of equality" in the elections.[81] Despite the opposition's allegations, it voluntarily decided not to boycott parliament.[82][83] Recounts were conducted in a total of 94[84][85] constituencies by the Election Commission, after which Khan's PTI emerged as the largest party in the National Assembly, winning 115 seats.[86] According toNajam Sethi, "Thousands of bags will be opened and hundreds of thousands of ballots recounted and thumbprints matched. Thousands ofForm 45 will be scrutinized. But none of this huffing and puffing will bring Imran Khan’s house down because he is protected and propped up by theMiltablishment."[87]
In the waning days of his tenure, details of Bajwa and his family's tax and assets documents wereleaked to the press by journalistAhmad Noorani on his blogFactFocus, alleging an increase of nearly Rs. 13 billionPakistani rupees in the general's family's assets throughout his term as army chief. Assets included an international business, multiple foreign properties and capital, as well as commercial plazas and properties, farmhouses, and residential real estate throughout the major cities of Pakistan.[9] Bajwa's daughter-in-law became a Pakistani billionaire a few days before being wed to his son, largely through receiving property in the army-run Defense Housing Authority (DHA), while Bajwa's wife became a multi-billionaire through his tenure as army chief, and she was repeatedly warned by Pakistan's tax bureau theFederal Board of Revenue (FBR) for concealing assets.[88] The report has also alleged that the father-in-law of Bajwa's son has similarly amassed wealth, both in Pakistan and abroad, throughout his tenure as army chief.[88]
Bajwa reacted to the report by denying involvement in the affairs of his family members, and by inviting theNational Accountability Bureau (NAB) to interrogate them if any discrepancies are found in their asset documents.[89] Following the publication of the article, the media platformFactFocus faced government blackouts in Pakistan.[90]Reporters Without Borders condemned the move, calling it "unacceptable in a mature democracy that a perfectly sourced and careful investigative report about an issue of considerable public interest for Pakistanis should be brutally censored in this way".[91][92]
Although army spokesmen rejected the claims as "baseless" "propaganda",[93] the country's tax bureau began probing over a dozen government officers,[94][95] and suspended two high-ranking officers, both in connection to the tax claims,[96][97] The Pakistani government declared the tax leak by Noorani as illegal,[98] and announced that they had tracked down the persons responsible for what they termed as a leak[99][100] − contrary to the claims of army spokesmen. In December 2022, the federal tax bureau formally charged three government officers for unauthorized access to the tax records of Mahnoor Sabir, daughter-in-law of Bajwa, and illegally sharing that information.[101] Following the announcement of the government's investigations, Noorani claimed that the government of Pakistan, in particular the finance ministerIshaq Dar (who had labeled the data mentioned in the article an "illegal and unwarranted leakage"[7][8]) had essentially authenticated Noorani's tax leaks by acknowledging the data as a "leak".[102]
Conservative Party of Canada parliamentarian,Tom Kmiec criticised Bajwa for his involvement in "toppling two governments in Pakistan" and claimed the Pakistan Army under him was "involved in human rights abuses and had links with terrorist groups."[103]
Syed Hassan Askari was tried and imprisoned underCourt martial proceedings for writing a letter opposing the extension of Bajwas' term.[104] Hassan was picked up from his home in October 2020 and transferred to military custody. He was convicted and sentenced to five years of imprisonment following an FGCM trial, although neither he nor his family members have received a copy of the charges or verdict, despite repeated requests.[104]
Azam Swati, a legislator of thePakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, claimed to have been stripped and tortured in state custody after his remarks on twitter on Bajwa's alleged assets beyond means.[105][106]
Following General Bajwa's retirement, the mother of slain journalistArshad Sharif requested that the Chief Justice of Pakistan formally charge Bajwa, among other military officers, for the "targeted, premeditated, planned and calculated murder" of her son. She claime members of the military's Public Relations division began threatening Sharif after he emerged as a critic of Bajwa following the success of the vote-of-no-confidence against Imran Khan, particularly in a program calledWoh Kon Tha, aired onARY News, in which Sharif insinuated Bajwa had a hand in overthrowing his democratically elected Prime Minister.[107][108]
New Age reported that following the ouster ofImran Khan, General Bajwa's pro-Israel stance appeared to take shape after thePakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), backed by Bajwa and the military establishment, assumed power.[109]
In May 2022, a group of Pakistani-Americans visited Israel. The delegation sponsored bySharaka, included Ahmed Qureshi, an anchor from the state-ownedPakistan Television Corporation, who met with the Israeli president.[109]
In 2023,Hamid Mir claimed that General Bajwa attempted to undermine Imran Khan and was "pushing him towards the recognition of Israel" while Khan remained reluctant.[109] In 2024, Mir alleged that Bajwa invited journalists twice to meet with him to talk about promoting Israel.[110] According to theHindustan Times, citingIsrael Hayom, it was claimed in 2021Zulfi Bukhari traveled to Ben Gurion airport and then Tel Aviv and "conveyed a message" fromImran Khan and Gen Bajwa "to then Israeli spy chiefYossi Cohen," the article claiming it to be the result of “heavy pressure from the UAE”. Bukhari denied the visit, stating "DID NOT go to Israel. Funny bit is Pakistani paper says I went to Israel based on 'Israeli news source' & Israeli paper says I went to Israel based on a 'Pakistani source'".[111] Earlier, in a letter to Bukhari,Middle East Monitor issued a public apology for publishing the news on their website and removed the articles. The director stated, "We accept Mr Bukhari's refutation of the claims made in the report and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience it has caused."[112]
The declining trend in terrorism, which started with Gen Raheel Sharif's Zarb-i-Azb, continued till the end of 2020 and the very first signs of its reversal were witnessed in 2021, under the watch of General Bajwa. The next year (2022) was particularly regressive, with a 60 per cent spike in terrorist attacks over the previous year in eleven months so far. A total of 132 terrorist attacks have been reported in the past three months, including 50 alone in November.
Under Qamar Javed Bajwa, most controversial steps taken between 2021 and 2022, were talks with the TTP. The militant group used the time afforded by the talks, brokered by their allies, the Afghan Taliban, and the subsequent ceasefire as a confidence-building measure to re-establish its footprint.[113] The militants were allowed to resettle back in the areas cleared by the previousmilitary operations, as part of the confidence-building measure. The military sanitized those terroritories under the command of Bajwa's predecessorsKayani andRaheel through focused military campaigns. However, despite Bajwa's soft appeasement of militants, TTP eventually walked away from the accord on the pretext of a resumption of counter-terrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, that wreaked havoc in the province in the form of heightened militant activity in 2023.
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The term "Bajwa Doctrine" was coined by theRoyal United Services Institute after Bajwa's address to the54th Munich Security Conference in 2018. This emphasised what he called "biting back hard" against threats from theTrump administration.[114] A second version of the doctrine was discussed with journalists in March 2018, stressing democracy, ensuring proper respect of the institutions of the state, eliminating terrorism, bringing terrorists into the mainstream, and viewing the devolution provisions of theeighteenth amendment with scepticism.[115][116] He has urged his fellow citizens, especially the youth, to fight extremism, saying it is a key driving force for terrorism.[117]
JournalistSuhail Warraich commented on the doctrine in detail writing forThe News International.[118] According to him, under that doctrine, theeighteenth amendment to the constitution of Pakistan and the financial policies ofIshaq Dar (who was theminister of finance inNawaz Sharif government which was sacked on 28 July 2016) are disliked while financial policies ofAsif Ali Zardari are preferred.[118]ISPR rejected thatThe Bajwa Doctrine has anything to do with the politics and if any such doctrine exists, it is only related to the security of Pakistan.[119][120]
Some reports stated thatThe Bajwa Doctrine was at play behind the blackout ofGeo TV which started on 1 April 2018. The blackout started after an off the record meeting with journalists in which Bajwa threatened Geo TV with consequences if it did not tow the line of military. The termThe Bajwa Doctrine was coined by journalists in the result of that same off the record meeting.[121]
A "Bajwa Doctrine 2.0" was outlined in March 2021 during the Islamabad Security Dialogue. This centred on four themes: an enduring peace internal and external to Pakistan, non-interference in the internal affairs of neighbouring and regional countries, building intra-regional trade and connectivity, and bringing sustainable development via investment and economic hubs within the region. He also said that national security was not the preserve of the armed forces and that "unless our own house is in order, nothing good could be expected from outside," and that "It is time to bury the past and move forward. But for the resumption of the peace process or meaningful dialogue, our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in Indian-Occupied Kashmir."[114]
Hamid Mir alleged that Bajwa compromised on theKashmir issue in favor of India'sModi government after therevocation of Kashmir's autonomy on 5 August 2019. Mir claimed that Bajwa arranged a visit by Prime Minister Modi to Pakistan and aimed to resolve or "freeze" the Kashmir dispute for twenty years to secure the Nobel Peace Prize, and a third term as Pakistan's Chief of the Army Staff. JournalistNasim Zehra supported these claims, stating Bajwa sought Modi's visit after accepting the new status of Kashmir.[122]
Qamar Javed Bajwa is married to Ayesha Amjad. The couple have two sons, Saad Siddique Bajwa and Ali Iqbal Bajwa. Saad and Ali, along with their father after his retirement from Pakistan Army live inDubai. Saad Bajwa is working as a Barrister and a legal consultant, whereas, Ali Bajwa working as an associate for the Dubai-based United States'sMcKinsey & Company.[1]
He is an avid reader and is interested in thehistory of Europe.[1][22] He enjoyscricket[1] and used to play cricket as awicket-keeper.[15]
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| Nishan-e-Imtiaz (2016) | Hilal-e-Imtiaz (2011) | ||
| Tamgha-e-Diffa (General Service Medal) Siachen Glacier Clasp | Tamgha-e-Baqa 1998 | Tamgha-e-Istaqlal Pakistan 2002 | Tamgha-e-Azm (Medal of Conviction) (2018) |
| 10 Years Service Medal | 20 Years Service Medal | 30 Years Service Medal | 35 Years Service Medal |
| 40 Years Service Medal | Hijri Tamgha (Hijri Medal) 1979 | Jamhuriat Tamgha (Democracy Medal) 1988 | Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha (Resolution Day Golden Jubilee Medal) 1990 |
| Tamgha-e-Salgirah Pakistan (Independence Day Golden Jubilee Medal) 1997 | Command & Staff College Quetta Instructor's Medal | United Nations (2 Deployments; 2003 & 2007) | GUSP Medal For Merit[123][124] (Russia) (2018) |
| Turkish Legion of Merit[125][126] (Turkey) (2017) | The Order of Military Merit[127][128] (Jordan) (2018) | The Order of Bahrain (Bahrain) (2021) | Order of King Abdul Aziz |
| Insignia | Rank | Date |
|---|---|---|
  | General,COAS | Nov 2016 |
  | Lieutenant-General | Jul 2013 |
  | Major-General | May 2009 |
  | Brigadier | Apr 2004 |
 | Colonel | Sep 2002 |
 | Lieutenant Colonel | Apr 1997 |
| Major | Nov 1987 |
 | Captain | Apr 1983 |
_Pakistan_Army.svg) | Lieutenant | Oct 1981 |
_Pakistan_Army.svg) | Second Lieutenant | Oct 1980 |
Media related toQamar Javed Bajwa at Wikimedia Commons
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief of Army Staff 2016–2022 | Succeeded by |
Chiefs of the Staff of thePakistan Army | ||
|---|---|---|
| Commander-in-Chief (1947-1972) |  | |
| Chiefs of Army Staff (1972-present) | ||
| Vice Chief of Army Staff | ||
| Related | ||
