| Lt.Gen. Muhammad Safdar | |
|---|---|
| 23rd Governor of Punjab (Pakistan) | |
| In office 21 October, 1999 – 29 October, 2001 |
|
| President | General Pervez Musharraf |
| Preceded by | Zulfiqar Ali Khosa |
| Succeeded by | Khalid Maqbool |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Political party | Independent (politician) |
| Alma mater | Military College Jhelum |
| Profession | Soldier, General |
| Chief Minister of Punjab (Pakistan) | Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Pakistan |
| Service/branch | Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1960-1989 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Unit | Punjab Regiment |
| Commands | Command and Staff College 7th Infantry Division National Defence University IV Corps |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Chief of General StaffIndo-Pakistani War of 1971 |
| Post-Retirement Work | Pakistani Ambassador to Morocco vice-chancellor of the Punjab University |
Lieutenant General Muhammad Safdar is the former Governor of Punjab, the largest province of Pakistan, having served from 1999 to 2001. A career soldier, he was Chief of General Staff at the GHQ under Zia-ul-Haq's rule, ambassador to Morocco in Nawaz Sharif's first tenure, carried on as vice-chancellor of the Punjab University in Benazir Bhutto's second government and stayed as Governor of Punjab during Pervez Musharraf's regime.
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Muhammad Safdar is an Alamgirian and a graduate of Military College Jhelum. Later he joined Pakistan Army. During his military career, Safdar commanded an infantry brigade and the 7th Infantry Division, Peshawar, served as commandant of the Command and Staff College, Quetta from 1982 to 1985 and corps commander from 1985 to 1986. He then reached his professional peak as Chief of General Staff (CGS) in the GHQ having served there from 1986 to 1988. His last military appointment was commandant of the National Defence College from 1988 to 1989. Safdar retired from active service in July 1989.
Safdar was ambassador to Morocco in Nawaz Sharif's first tenure, carried on as vice-chancellor of the Punjab University in Benazir Bhutto's second government and stayed as Governor of Punjab during the initial years of General Pervez Musharraf's regime. The general stayed as the governor of Punjab till 29 October, 2001 when he was replaced by Lahore corps commander Lt Gen Khalid Maqbool.
Brigadier (r) Shaukat Qadir, a political and defence analyst, had this to say about command attributes of Safdar, "In the course of my career I came across very few inspiring senior officers; most noteworthy among them was Lt Gen Safdar, who later became VC Punjab University and, very briefly, Governor Punjab, and whose extraordinary dynamism in peace inspired one to believe that he would be a success in war."[1]
Brigadier (r) Raja Azizur Rehman, a close friend and colleague of the governor, said this about the new governor when he was appointed in 1999, "he is consistent, professionally very sound, cool and calm. Has immense capacity for work and excels in shifting the essentials. He is soft-spoken and likes to listen, He carries a very happy team. He is very clear about his objectives and leaves no stone unturned to achieve that." The general is reputed to be well versed in the art of getting things done.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mirza Aslam Beg |
Chief of General Staff 1986 – 1988 |
Succeeded by Mian Muhammad Afzaal |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Zulfiqar Ali Khosa |
Governor of Punjab 1999 – 2001 |
Succeeded by Khalid Maqbool |