Mushtaq Ahmed Baig

Mushtaq Ahmed Beg

Lieutenant-General Mushtaq Ahmed Baig (in a dress uniform), PA.
Birth name Mushtaq Ahmed Baig
Nickname(s) Surgeon General M.A Baig
Born 1951
Lehr Sultanpur village, district Chakwal, Punjab province.
Died February 25, 2008 (56 or 57 years old)
Rawalpindi, Punjab province.
Allegiance  Pakistan
Service/branch  Pakistan Army
Years of service 1976–2008
Rank Lieutenant-General
Unit Pakistan Army Medical Corps
Commands held Surgeon General Pakistan Army Medical Corps
Director General medical services
[Commandant] Army Medical College
Battles/wars Indo-Pakistani War of 1999
Indo-Pakistani Standoff (2001)
War in North-West Pakistan
Battle of Swat
Awards Hilal-i-Imtiaz (military)

Lieutenant-General Mushtaq Ahmad Beg HI(M) (1951 – 25 February 2008) was the Surgeon General of the Pakistani Army who was killed in a suicide-bomb attack on 25 February 2008. An ophthalmologist by profession, Beg is the most senior Army officer to be targeted and killed since Pakistan's involvement in the War on Terror and the North West-Pakistan Conflict.[1]

Early life

Baig was born in Lehr Sultanpur village, Chakwal District, in 1951 to a middle class family. There, he attended high school. Baig later moved to Lahore. He was a graduate of King Edward Medical University.[2] Baig gained his military commission in 1976.GraduatedBachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from KEMC on Sept.26th 1974. He was inducted into the Army Medical Corps. Baig completed his Master of Surgery degree and received a Doctorate of Ophthalmology from the Army Medical College.[3]

Army career

While in the army, Baig was progressively elevated in rank while holding a variety of assignments. Having been promoted to Major General in 2003, he was made commandant of Army Medical College Rawalpindi.[4] Baig is credited for implementing revolutionary changes in the Medical services in the Pakistani Armed Forces. He was the leader in making improvements in the medical services in the Air Force and the Navy as well.[5] In 2006, Baig was awarded the second-highest military award, the Hilal-i-Imtiaz–Military. That same year, he was promoted to Lieutenant General.In 2007, he was made the Surgeon-General of the Pakistani Army, and was promoted to Colonel Commandant of the Army Medical Corps.

Assassination

On Monday, 25 February 2008, General Baig was on his way home when a teenage suicide bomber targeted his vehicle. The attack resulted in his death as well those of 8 nearby civilians, with another dozen injured.[6] The suicide bomber struck when Baig's car was stopped at a traffic light.[7]

Following the attack, police and military authorities rushed to the site of the incident. An emergency was declared in the city of Rawalpindi, and civilian and military hospitals were put on high-alert.

Aftermath

President Parvez Musharraf and care-taker Prime Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro strongly condemned the attack. The President and the Prime Minister said such heinous acts of violence cannot deter the government from its resolve in continuing its fight against terrorism. President Musharraf spoke highly of Baig, and described him as an exceptional officer of high caliber who showed remarkable commitment to serving humanity.[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ Buncombe, Andrew (26 February 2008). "Suicide bomber kills general in Pakistan". The Independent- Asia Correspondent (Islamabad, Pakistan). Retrieved 2010.
  2. ↑ "Lieutenant-General Mushtaq Ahmad Baig".
  3. ↑ (ISPR), Inter Services Public Relations. "Lieutenant-General Mushtaq Ahmad Baig - Dated: February 25, 2008".
  4. ↑ Federal Bureau (2008). "Rawalpindi Suicide Blast: Kills 8 with Pakistan Army Surgeon General". Pakistan Times (Rawalpindi, Punjab province: Mumtaz Hamid Rao).
  5. ↑ "COAS/ CJCSC condemn suicide attack on Surgeon General Mushtaq Ahmad Baig". The Express Tribune.
  6. ↑ "Death of Surgeon General Lieutenant-General Mushtaq Ahmed Baig". The Express Tribune. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  7. ↑ Gul, Ayaz (25 February 2008). "Suicide Bomb Kills Eight in Pakistan". Global Security (Ayaz Gul).
  8. ↑ Pakistan Times
  9. ↑ "COAS/ CJCSC condemn suicide attack on Surgeon General Mushtaq Ahmad Baig".

External links