List of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of Pakistan since independence

Pakistan has had 10 honorable four-star rank Army Generals appointed as Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan since from 1972 till present (2021). The designation was created from the previous title ‘Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army’.

The Chief of Army Staff is the senior most appointment in Pakistan Army, and therefore acquires handful of authorities. Besides controlling the land borders of the country, the COAS also acts as a military advisor to the Prime Minister and holds the supremacy of demolishing the government by imposing martial law at any moment, like done in past decades.

Read more: List of Presidents of Pakistan [1947-2021].

List of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of Pakistan [1972 – 2021]

Following are the Chief of Army staff of Pakistan till date:

1. Tikka Khan

Gen. Tikka Khan was the first ever Army official, to obtain the title of Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan (COAS).

Appointment Date: 3 March 1972

Left Office: 1^st March 1976

Time in office: 3 years, 364 days

Decorations: Hilal-i-Juraat, Nishan-e-Pakistan

2. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq

Appointment Date: 1 March 1976        

Left Office: 17 August 1988

Time in Office: 12 years, 169 days

3. Mirza Aslam Baig

Appointment Date: 17 August 1988

Left Office: 16 August 1991

Time in Office: 2 years, 364 days

Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Basalat

4. Asif Nawaz Janjua

Appointment Date: 16 August 1991

Left Office: 8 January 1993

Time in Office: 1 year, 145 days

Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Basalat

5. Abdul Waheed Kakar

Appointment Date: 11 January 1993

Left Office: 12 January 1996

Time in Office: 3 years, 1 day

Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Basalat

6. Jehangir Karamat

Appointment Date: 12 January 1996

Left Office: 6 October 1998

Time in Office: 2 years, 267 days

Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Tamgha-e-Basalat

7. Pervez Musharraf

Appointment Date: 6 October 1998

Left Office: 28 November 2007

Time in Office: 9 years, 53 Days

Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Tamgha-e-Basalat

8. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani

Appointment Date: 29 November 2007

Left Office: 29 November 2013

Time in Office: 6 years, 0 days

Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Hilaal-e-Imtiaz

9. Raheel Shareef

Appointment Date: 29 November 2013

Left Office: 29 November 2016

Time in Office: 3 years, 0 days

Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Hilaal-e-Imtiaz

10. Qamar Javed Bajwa

Appointment Date: 29 November 2016

Time in Office: 4 years (till date)

Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Hilaal-e-Imtiaz

Read more: List of Prime Ministers of Pakistan since 1947-2018 [Interesting Facts].

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