Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army
The Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army (abbreviation: C-in-C of the Pakistan Army) was the professional head of the Pakistan Army from 1947 to 1972. The C-in-C was directly responsible for commanding the army. It was an administrative position and the appointment holder had main operational command authority over the army.
| Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army | |
|---|---|
| پاک فوج کے کمانڈر انچیف | |
Flag of the Pakistan Army | |
| Ministry of Defence Army Secretariat-I at MoD | |
| Abbreviation | C-in-C |
| Residence | Rawalpindi Cantonment |
| Seat | General Headquarters Rawalpindi Cantonment in Punjab, Pakistan |
| Nominator | Governor General of Pakistan, Prime Minister or President of Pakistan |
| Appointer | Governor General of Pakistan, Prime Minister or President of Pakistan |
| Term length | Not fixed |
| Formation | 15 August 1947 |
| First holder | Gen. Frank Messervy |
| Final holder | Lt. Gen. Gul Hassan Khan |
| Abolished | 3 March 1972 |
| Succession | Chief of Army Staff |
| Unofficial names | Army chief |
| Deputy | Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army |
Direct appointments to the command of the Pakistan Army came from the British Army Council until 1951, when the first native Pakistani commander-in-chief (General Ayub Khan) was nominated and appointed by the Government of Pakistan.
The C-in-C designation was changed to 'Chief of Army Staff' in 1972; General Tikka Khan was the first person to hold the new title. Six generals have served as C-in-C, the first two of them were native British and the post's name was derived from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army.