| Abdul Aziz Mirza | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Abdul Aziz Mirza |
| Nickname | Aziz |
| Born | 1943 Rawalpindi |
| Allegiance | Pakistan |
| Service/branch | Pakistan Navy |
| Years of service | 1965–2002 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Service number | PN No. 2178 |
| Unit | Destroyer Squadron Special Service Group Navy |
| Commands held | Chief of Naval Staff Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS) Secy at Ministry of Defence Commander Pakistan Fleet (COMPAK) DG Naval Intelligence (DGNI) Comdnt Special Service Group Navy |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Operation Searchlight Indo-Pakistani War of 1999 Atlantique Incident 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff |
| Awards | Sitara-e-Basalat Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military) Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (French) |
| Other work | Pakistan's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2002–2005 |
Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza (Sbt, SI(M), HI(M), NI(M)) is a retired 4-star rank naval officer who was the 15th Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) of the Pakistan Navy from 1999 to 2002, and served as Pakistan's ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2002 to 2005. Admiral Mirza is one of the Pakistan Defense Force's Naval officers who participated in numerous battles on behalf of Pakistan. As Admiral, Mirza commissioned thr Agosta 90B class submarine, Pakistan's first indigenously built submarine of French design.
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Aziz Mirza was born to Subedar-Major Lal Khan in a small village (Dahmali) within the vicinity of Kahuta, Rawalpindi. He comes from a family of military service men who had served in the British Army before the creation of Pakistan. He completed his initial years of schooling in his home town before deciding to choose a career in the armed forces and joining Military College Jhelum.
A graduate of Military College Jhelum (College No. 2178), Mirza was commissioned in Pakistan Navy in 1965 after undergoing training with the 29th PMA Long Course (same course as General Pervez Musharraf and Lieutenant General Ali Kuli Khan Khattak at Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul. He is a graduate of Pakistan National Defence College, Islamabad, where he did his double M.Sc. in War studies and Strategic studies. In 1989, As Commander, he served as a Adjunct professor at the Pakistan Navy War College. Later, he was assigned to the Pakistan Navy Academy in 1990, where as Captain, Mirza served as the teaching faculty at the Pakistan Naval Academy.
In 1966 he was stationed at PNS-Dhaka Naval Base, East-Pakistan. He actively participated in 1971 Indo-Pak Winter War as a Lieutenant. He commanded a small company of sailors against the Indian Army, and led the little success in given missions.
He was promoted to 1-star rank, Commodore, and was made Commander Destroyer Squadron while being the Commanding Officer of PNS Badr (a rare and unusual occurrence) . As Rear Admiral, he was made Additional Secretay - III at the Ministry of Defence in 1997. In 1998, he was promoted as 3-star rank Vice-Admiral where he was made Vice Chief of Naval Staff. Before taking over, Vice-Admiral Mirza was serving as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS).
As Vice-Admiral, he led the Navy after the tension in both country's risen. Though, both country were not at war, he was made the theater commander at the Runn Kutch's naval expedition. Later, he held a press conference with then-Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mushahid Hussain Syed where he briefed the nation on Navy's operation if such Indian Navy launched the operations against the Pakistan Navy.
On October 6, 1999, he was promoted to full 4-Star naval rank by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the time, and was made Admiral in the Pakistan Navy taking over as the Chief of Naval Staff when Admiral Fasih Bokhari, a war veteran, resigned in protest from the Navy as Admiral Bokhari was denied the Chairmanship of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
He served over 17 years in the submarine service and, before holding the post of the Chief of Naval Staff, he was overseeing the AGOSTA 90B Class Submarine construction project in various capacities. During Mirza's time as naval chief, Pakistan built its first indigenous submarine, the French designed AGOSTA 90B Class Submarine.[1]
In 2004, Aziz Mirza while serving as Ambassador of Pakistan in Saudi Arabia, was decorated with the rank of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour by the government of France. French Ambassador Bernard Poletti to Saudi Arabia decorated the rank on behalf of the French President to the Ambassador in recognition of his outstanding contribution as the Chief of Naval Staff in Pakistan for the enhancement of co-operation between the navies of both the countries. The ceremony was attended by the Pakistani and French diplomats in Saudi Arabia, distinguished dignitaries of both the communities and a large number of ambassadors from diplomatic corps.
During Pervez Musharraf's military rule, Mirza was replaced by Admiral Shahid Karimullah as the naval chief when he was due to retire in 2002. He was again replaced by Karimullah as Pakistan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia in 2005.
On January 14, 2010, Admiral Mirza gives credence to the recent French investigative report that talked of almost $49 million kickbacks in the Agosta-submarine deal allegedly received by now-President Asif Ali Zardari, former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral (desposed) Mansurul Haq and some of the Naval officers, disclosing that the then Benazir government had urged the Pakistan Navy to go for the French subs.[2]
Currently, Mirza is working as an executive at The Centaurus in Islamabad, overseeing and managing the construction project of a contemporary modern, luxurious master-planned community that integrates residential amenities with a world class shopping mall, a 5-star hotel, corporate and entertainment facilities.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Fasih Bokhari |
Chief of Naval Staff 1999–2002 |
Succeeded by Shahid Karimullah |