Ghulam Muhammad Malik
| Ghulam Muhammad Malik | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | General G. M. malik |
| Born | Khushab |
| Allegiance |
 Pakistan |
| Service/branch | Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1958–1995 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Unit | X Corps |
| Commands held |
12th Infantry Division Pakistan Military Academy X Corps DG Military Intelligence (DGMI) |
| Battles/wars |
Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 |
| Other work | Run a Charity NGO in Uk |
Lieutenant General Ghulam Muhammad Malik (also called G.M. Malik) is former commander of the X Corps, Rawalpindi of the Pakistan Army. X Corps was responsible to defend the entire Line of Control between Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Indian-administered Kashmir. He retired from the army in 1995, and has since headed a charity to provide primary health care facilities to the poor and needy of Pakistan.
Education and career
Gen. Malik belongs to the Awan tribe and he is from Khushab which is one of the prime recruiting areas for Pakistan army. His was one of the most brilliant careers in Pakistan Army. As a cadet in PMA, he was selected to be sent to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst where he was declared the best cadet and won the "Overseas Sword". His family was forcibly converted to Islam during riots.
Lt Gen Ghulam Muhammad Malik is a graduate of PAF Public School Sargodha where he was from 1st Entry (1953–1957).
He joined Pakistan Army in the late 1950s, and rose through to become a Lieutenant General. During his career, he served as commandant Pakistan Military Academy from 1987-1989. He also commanded the elite Special Service Group. In the 1990s, he was given the command of the powerful X Corps. A pall of suspicion was cast on Gen. Malik's career when the coup against Benazir government was foiled in September 1995. Malik was suspected to be involved. However, he was ultimately not charged due to insufficient evidence as "no direct link had been established between him and the coup plotters".[1] In fact, he would have been a victim of the attack on the Corps Commanders Conference which was the target, had the coup been successful.
Malik was known for his "orthodox religious piety" and was a supporter of the controversial religious order Tablighi Jamaat, a 'non-political' Islamic party which "essentially enjoins goodness in society". He was known to "inspire and inculcate religious zeal amongst his junior officers and Jawans".
Lt. Gen. G. M. Malik retired in October 1995 and was succeeded by then DG Military Intelligence (DGMI) Maj Gen Ali Kuli Khan Khattak. Rumours spread that Malik was an associate of Sufi Iqbal of the Tablighi Jamaat, who was known to inspire Jihadi zeal, despite the non-political stand of Tablighi Jamaat. However, no connection between Sufi Iqbal and Gen Malik could be established. It was during his tenure that the Hafiz Saeed, chief of the Islamist terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief was invited at Headquarters X Corps to address officers on "character building". It was Saeed's controversial utterances and that of the other speaker, Major General Zaheerul Islam Abbasi, which compelled many officers to protest loudly. After this incident, the then COAS Gen. Kakar order GM Malik to stop such sessions. General Abbasi was later implicated in a coup attempt. After the investigations, a total of 36 Army officers headed by Maj Gen Zahirul Islam Abbasi and 20 civilians were arrested and tried.[2]
Charitable Activities / Al-Mustafa Trust
After his retirement from the army in 1995, Gen. Malik established Al-Mustafa Trust in January 1999 which provides primary health care services to the poor and needy, operating 11 medical centres across Pakistan, mainly in rural areas. He serves as the Chairman. It is based in Rawalpindi with a branch office in London (not to be confused with a similar named organisation which is headquartered in Hounslow, UK).
References
- ↑ "FOCUS ON PAKISTAN'S TABLIGHI JAMAAT" Monthly Herald, November 1995
- ↑ Praveen Swami. "A Circle of Hate" Frontline by The Hindu, October 11–24, 2003
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