Jehangir Karamat

General Jehangir Karamat (born 20 February 1941) is a retired four-star rank military officer, diplomat, public intellectual, and a former professor of political science at the National Defense University.

Jehangir Karamat was born on 20 February 1941 in Karachi, Sindh in British Indian Empire, into a Kakazai family who initially hailed from Montgomery in Punjab (now Sahiwal, Punjab).

His father, Karamat Ahmad, was an officer in the Indian Civil Service with the Indian government who would later embarked his career as a bureaucrat in the Government of Pakistan after the partition of India in 1947.

After joining the Pakistan Army in 1958, he entered in the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul, and passed out in 1961 to later serve in the combat in conflicts with India in 1965 and in 1971.

After educating and graduating from the St. Patrick's High School in Karachi in 1958, Karamat joined the Pakistan Army when accepting at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

His mother moved with him in Kakul to overlook his education, and graduated with a class of 24th PMA Long Course, standing as a top-ranking cadet at Kakul when he conferred with the Sword of Honor in 1961.

In 1961, Karamat gained commissioned as 2nd-Lt in the 13th Lancers of the Corps of Armoured.

In 1963, Lt. Karamat was posted in his Armoured Corps to initially commanding a formation of main battle tanks.

In 1965, Lt. Karamat commanded an infantry platoon during the second war with India in the Akhnur Sector in the Indian-administered Kashmir.

Lt. Karamat's platoon was the first unit that had penetrated 23 mi into the enemy territory, which encouraged backup military companies to move forward into the enemy territory.

For this action, the 13th Lancers was awarded the battle honour, Dewa— Chumb and Jaurian of 1965, and was also awarded the title of The Spearhead Regiment.

He progressed well in the army, eventually promoted to captain in 1966; and elevated as major in 1971.

In 1969, Capt. Karamat was directed to attend the Command and Staff College in Quetta where he was noted for his intellect and competence at every level of courses he took as required in the curriculum.

In 1971, Capt. Karamat graduated and qualified as the psc.

After the third war with India in 1971, Major Karamat was one of the last military officers who were sent to the United States to study at the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.

In 1971, Major Karamat commanded the company of the Aromoured Corps on the Western Front of the third war with India, defending the territories of Punjab, Pakistan against the approaching Indian Army.

The regiment was awarded battle honour of Bara Pind 1971.

Upon his graduation from the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College, Major Karamat was then directed to attend the National Defence University where he graduated and gained the MSc in the International Relations in 1976–77.

In 1976, Karamat completed his MSc in International Relations from there; and following his return, Karamat completed his master's programme at the National Defence University.

In 1978–80, Major Karamat attained the MSc in War studies where his master's thesis argued and enlightened on the failure of performance of armed forces in third war with India 1971.

In 1979–80, Lt-Col. Karamat was posted as an instructor at the Armed Forces War College (afwc) of the National Defence University (NDU), instructing on courses War studies.

In 1981–83, Col. Karamat was moved at the Air War College, and did not take participation in the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan during his teaching assignments beforing promoting as one-star rank army general in the Pakistan Army.

In 1983–88, Brig. Karamat was appointed officer commanding of the Pakistan Armed Forces–Middle East Command, consisting of the joint armed branches in the Saudi Arabia.

Initially stationed to cover the area of responsibility of Tabuk and Khamis Mushait in Saudi Arabia, Brig. Karamat Pakistan Armed Forces–Arab Contingent during the height of the Iran–Iraq War, protecting the territorial sovereignty of the Saudi Arabia.

In 1988, Brig. Karamat returned from his combat duty, promoting to the two-star rank assignment at the Army GHQ.

From 1988 to 1991, Major-General Karamat served as the DGl of the Directorate-General of the Military Operations (DGMO), where he was credited with playing a crucial role in advancing the fighting capabilities of the Pakistan Army while he planned numerous military exercises for Pakistan Army, and reviewed the contingency operations in Kargil sector.

In 1991, Maj-Gen. Karamat was appointed as Director-General of the Pakistan Army Rangers in Sindh but this appointment was short-lived when he was promoted to the three-star rank in 1992.

In 1992, Lieutenant-General Karamat was appointed as field command of the II Strike Corps, stationed in Multan, which he commanded until 1994.

From 1993 to 1996, Karamat continued to serve as honorary Colonel Commandant, and then Colonel-in-Chief—both ceremonial posts—of the Armoured Corps from 1996 to 1998.

In 1994, Lt-Gen. Karamat was eventually elevated as the Chief of General Staff (CGS) at the Army GHQ under then-chief of army staff General Abdul Waheed Kakar.

In 1995, he came into national prominence after he notably exposed the attempted coup d'état against Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and eventually appointed as an army chief and later Chairman joint chiefs.

Prior to serving as a Chief of Army Staff, he also served as the 9th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1997 to 1998.

His tenure is regarded as his pivotal role in enhancing the democracy and the civilian control when he staunchly backed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's authorisation of atomic-testing programme in 1998.

On 6 October 1998, Karamat was forcibly relieved from his four-star commands by Prime minister Nawaz Sharif over a disagreement on national security and reforms of the intelligence community.

He is also one of very few army generals in the military history of Pakistan to have resigned over a disagreement with the civilian authorities.

After his resignation, he accepted the professorship at the Stanford University in California and appointed as to head Pakistan's diplomatic mission as an Ambassador but was later removed due to strong advocacy for democracy.

Karamat has been credited for foresight prediction of the dangers of unbalanced civil-military relations and the rise of foreign-supported homegrown terrorism in the country.

Many of his recommendations on national security eventually became part of counterterrorism policy by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2013.

In this war performance, the 13th Lancers had suffered death of fourteen soldiers, including three officers, while twenty eight were wounded.

During this time, Maj. Karamat was the commanding officer in the 15th Lancers attached to the Baloch Regiment, along with the 13th Lancers that was fighting in the Shakargarh area of Sialkot Sector, which is now known as Battle of Barapind.