I Corps (Pakistan)

The I Corps, also known as I Strike Corps, of the Pakistan Army headquartered in Mangla, Azad Kashmir Territory of Pakistan. Known as I Strike Corps, it is one of two strike corps within its ten-manoeuvre Army corps. The I Strike Corps is one of the oldest and major formations of Pakistan Army.

I Corps
Active1958 – Present
Country Pakistan
Allegiance Pakistan Army
TypeCorps
Size50,000 approximately (though this may vary as units are rotated)
HQ/Command Control HeadquarterMangla Cantonment, Mangla, Azad Kashmir
Nickname(s)I Strike Corps, Mangla Corps[1]
Colors IdentificationRed, white and yellow
   
Anniversaries1 July 1957
EngagementsIndo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1999
2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff
DecorationsMilitary Decorations of Pakistan Military
Commanders
Corps Commander
Lt. Gen. Ayman Bilal Safdar
Chief of Staff
Brig. Zulfiqar
Notable
commanders		General Pervez Musharraf
Lt Gen Bakhtiar Rana
Lt Gen Irshad Ahmed Khan
Lt Gen Nadeem Zaki Manj
Lt Gen Ghulam Mustafa
Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmad
Lt Gen Mohammad Aslam Shah
Lt Gen Shamsur Rahman Kallu
Lt Gen Tariq Khan
Lt Gen Umar Farooq Durrani
Insignia
War Flag

Active in Indo-Pakistan wars, the I Strike Corps subordinated administrative units played an integral role in Kargil war, and also served in current War in North-West Pakistan. Its current Corps-Commander is Lieutenant General Ayman Bilal Safdar .[2]

History

The corps headquarters was raised in Abbottabad in 1958. Lt Gen Azam Khan was its first commander. It was the first Pakistani corps ever to take to the field.

1965 War

During the 1965 war, the corps was one of two corps in action. It commanded all Pakistani troops north of Lahore and in Kashmir. During this time however, because of the sheer number of formations under its command, (8 divisions), it was found easier to split the formations into corps level task-forces, as a result in the 1965 war it acted essentially as a Field Army.

1971 war

I Corps began the 1971 war with a force of two divisions forward supported by an armoured brigade, holding the Shakargarh salient.[3] 15th Infantry Division was on the left side of the corps' frontage around Sialkot, 8th Infantry Division on the right east of the Degh Nadi, and 8th Armoured Brigade in support. Further back, but titularly part of the corps, was Pakistan's Army Reserve North of 6th Armoured Division and 17th Infantry Division. India planned a major attack in the sector, managed by I Corps, but when the war broke out, the lead Indian formation, 54th Infantry Division only managed to advance a few kilometres – a total of 13 kilometres (8 mi) in two weeks of operations.

Meanwhile, while the Indian attacks went on, the reserve formations did little. 6th Armoured Division remained near Pasrur waiting for orders, while 17th Infantry Division had significant detachments sent off to 23rd Infantry Division on the left and IV Corps on the right.[4]

Yet the fighting in Shakargarh, while ultimately successful as the Indian aims were thwarted, resulted in 8th Armoured Brigade's heavy loss of armour and some territory was also lost.[5] As a result, its commander, Lt Gen Irshad Khan, was recommended for court martial and dismissal; this was ultimately not carried out.

Structure

The corps has not been in action since 1971, though its subordinate units have served on the Line of Control and the war on terror, on secondment to other formations. Its ORBAT is:

Structure of I Corps
Corps Corps HQ Corps Commander Assigned Units Unit Badge Unit HQ
I Corps Mangla Lt.Gen Ayman Bilal Safdar
 6th Armoured Division Gujranwala
17th Infantry Division Kharian
37th Infantry Division, Kharian Kharian
Independent Infantry Brigade U/I Location
Independent Armoured Brigade U/I Location
Independent Artillery Brigade U/I Location
Independent Air Defence Brigade U/I Location
Independent Signal Brigade U/I Location
Independent Engineering Brigade U/I Location

List of corps commanders
# Name Start of tenure End of tenure
1 Lt Gen Azam Khan July 1957 1958
2 Lt Gen Bakhtiar Rana 1958 1966
3 Lt Gen Abdul Hamid Khan 1966 March 1969
4 Lt Gen Tikka Khan March 1969 August 1969
5 Lt Gen Attiqur Rahman August 1969 February 1970
6 Lt Gen Irshad Ahmed Khan February 1970 1972
7 Lt Gen Abdul Ali Malik 1972 1974
8 Lt Gen Azmat Baksh Awan 1974 March 1976
9 Lt Gen Ghulam Hassan Khan March 1976 March 1980
10 Lt Gen Ijaz Azim March 1980 April 1981
11 Lt Gen Shah Rafi Alam April 1981 April 1982
12 Lt Gen Shamsur Rahman Kallu April 1982 April 1986
13 Lt Gen Mohammad Aslam Shah April 1986 May 1988
14 Lt Gen Zulfikar Akhtar Naz May 1988 May 1992
15 Lt Gen Khalid Latif Mughal May 1992 October 1995
16 Lt Gen Pervez Musharraf October 1995 October 1998
17 Lt Gen Saleem Haider October 1998 September 1999
18 Lt Gen Tauqir Zia September 1999 April 2001
19 Lt Gen Ghulam Mustafa April 2001 April 2002
20 Lt Gen Javed Alam Khan April 2002 April 2006
21 Lt Gen Sajjad Akram April 2006 April 2008
22 Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmad April 2008 April 2010
23 Lt Gen Mohammad Mustafa Khan April 2010 October 2010
24 Lt Gen Tariq Khan October 2010 October 2014
25 Lt Gen Mian Mohammad Hilal Hussain October 2014 September 2015
26 Lt Gen Umar Farooq Durrani September 2015 April 2017
27 Lt Gen Azhar Saleh Abbasi April 2017 October 2018
28 Lt Gen Nadeem Zaki Manj October 2018 November 2019
29 Lt Gen Shaheen Mazhar Mehmood November 2019 September 2022
30 Lt.Gen Ayman Bilal Safdar September 2022 Till Date

References
  1. "Azhar Abbasi promoted, posted as Mangla Corps Commander". pakobserver.net. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  2. "Appointments in army: Lt Gen Asim Munir new DG ISI". thenews.com.pk. 10 October 2018.
  3. Gill, An Atlas of the 1971 India-Pakistan War, NESA (NDU), p.48
  4. Gill, p.49
  5. Brian Cloughly, A History of Pakistan Army
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