Shahid Aziz

Shahid Aziz
Allegiance  Pakistan
Service/branch  Pakistan Army
Years of service 1969-2005
Rank Lieutenant-General
Commands held 12th Infantry Division
Chief of General Staff (CGS)
IV Corps, Lahore
Battles/wars Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1999
Pakistan martial law of 1999
2001 India-Pakistan standoff

Lieutenant-General Shahid Aziz (Urdu: شاہد عزیز), is a Pakistani military author, intelligence writer, and retired three-star ranking general officer of the Pakistan Army. His military assignments included as the Chief of General Staff (CGS) from October 2001 to December 2003 and Commander of the IV Corps in Lahore from December 2003 to October 2005. After retiring from the military, he was appointed Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau, a post he left in May 2007 albeit amid controversy.[1][2][3][4]

Military career

Shahid Aziz is a graduate of National Defence University, Pakistan and was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in 1969. His military career has placed him in pivotal posts during critical periods in Pakistan. He served as the General Officer Commanding of the 12th Infantry Division stationed in Murree. During the Kargil conflict of 1999, he served as DG of the ISI's Analysis Wing. That same year, he was appointed to the role of Director General Military Operations where he played a crucial role in the coup that brought Pervez Musharraf to power. After the events of 9/11, he was serving as Chief of General Staff at GHQ when the US deployed its forces to Afghanistan. He finally retired from the army in 2005 after having held the post of Lahore Corps Commander for two years.

Post-retirement

Lt. Gen. (retired) Shahid Aziz, who recently created ripples by acknowledging in an article[5] that regular troops were involved in the Kargil operation, said the "misadventure" was a "four-man show" and details were initially hidden from the rest of the military commanders. He published a book "Yeh Khamoshi Kahan Tak? Aik Sipahi ki Dastan-e-Ishq o Junoon”(English: How Long Will You Remain Silent? A Soldier’s Saga of Love and Passion).[6][7] General Musharraf, who served as the Chief of Army Staff during Kargil War, has refuted Lt. Gen. Aziz's claims in his book and referred to him as "unbalanced".[8]

In an answer to a question about his role in the coup by General Musharraf in violation of the law, Lt. Gen. Aziz said that he believed the constitution is a "rotten product."[9] Lt. Gen. Aziz is accused of abusing his authority to gain financial benefits for himself and his son-in-law while serving as Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau.[10][11]

Lt. Gen. Aziz is married and father of four children.

References

  1. Raza, Syed Irfan (26 November 2009). "'Former NAB chief removed to protect top politicians'". Dawn News. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  2. Kiani, Khaleeq (6 December 2009). "Musharraf stopped probes, says ex-chief of NAB". Dawn News. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  3. "Lt. Gen. Shahid Aziz". The Insider Brief. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  4. Iqbal, Nadeem (22 July 2007). "Appointment: A new civilian face". The News International. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  5. Aziz, Shahid (6 January 2013). "Putting our children in line of fire". The Nation. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  6. Waqas, Naeem (17 February 2013). "Book launch: When self-deception melts away". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  7. Aziz, Shahid (2013). Yeh Khamoshi Kahan Tak. Islamabad: Seven Springs Publishers. p. 463.
  8. "Exclusive interview: Musharraf hits back at Shahid Aziz". Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  9. "Interview of Lt. Gen (retired) Shahid Aziz".
  10. "Former Chairman NAB being investigated for illegal use of his authority".
  11. "One More Multifaceted Fraud: Lt . General (R) Shahid Aziz - EX-Chairman NAB.".
Military offices
Preceded by
Yusaf Khan
Chief of General Staff
2001 2003
Succeeded by
Tariq Majid
Preceded by
Zarrar Azim
Lahore Corps Commander
2003 2005
Succeeded by
Shafaat Ullah Shah