General Abdul Waheed Kakar

General Abdul Waheed Kakar
Name	Abdul Waheed Kakar
Birth date	1937
Birth place	Shikarpur District, Sindh
Allegiance	Pakistan
Branch	Pakistan Army
Serviceyears	1953–1996
Rank	General (Pakistan)
Unit	Sind Regiment (Pakistan)
Awards	Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military), Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military), Tamgha-e-Basalat

General Abdul Waheed Kakar was a senior Pakistani army officer who served as the ninth Chief of Army Staff from 1993 to 1996. A career Pakistan Military Academy graduate and Sind Regiment (Pakistan) officer, he played a central role during the 1993 constitutional crisis involving Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, and Nawaz Sharif. Kakar presided over transitions affecting civil‑military relations during the administrations of Farooq Leghari and key political figures.

Early life and education

Kakar was born in Shikarpur District, Sindh Province, then part of British India and later West Pakistan. He attended local schools in Sindh before entering the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul. He underwent staff training at the Command and Staff College, Quetta and attended the National Defence University, Pakistan for higher military studies. His formative education connected him with contemporaries from Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Peshawar who later rose to prominence in the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force, and Inter-Services Intelligence.

Military career

Commissioned into the Pakistan Army in the 1950s, Kakar served in the Sind Regiment (Pakistan) and participated in postings across Balochistan, Punjab, and Azad Kashmir. He held instructional appointments at the Pakistan Military Academy and the Command and Staff College, Quetta, liaising with officers linked to operations in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and subsequent counterinsurgency efforts in Balochistan insurgency. Promoted through command and staff ranks, he commanded a brigade and later an infantry division that operated near the Line of Control in Kashmir. As a senior staff officer at General Headquarters, Kakar interacted with leaders of the Ministry of Defence, Inter-Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence, and provincial corps commanders from Southern Command (Pakistan), XI Corps (Pakistan), and X Corps (Pakistan). He was noted for professional links with generals such as Mirza Aslam Beg, Pervez Musharraf, Asif Nawaz Janjua, and Jehangir Karamat.

Tenure as Chief of Army Staff

Appointed Chief of Army Staff in 1993 by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and during the tenure of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Kakar oversaw the Pakistan Army during a period marked by political instability and regional security concerns. His tenure coincided with events involving India–Pakistan relations, including confidence-building dialogues and tensions along the Line of Control with commands led by corps commanders from Muzaffarabad and Sialkot. He coordinated with the Ministry of Defence (Pakistan), the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (Pakistan), and civil institutions such as the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Election Commission of Pakistan on matters of national security. Internationally, he engaged with counterparts from the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and Turkey, and hosted military delegations from Jordan and Egypt.

Role in politics and 1993 constitutional crisis

Kakar’s appointment followed the 1993 power struggle between President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, culminating in the resignations of both officeholders after intervention by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and mediated by political actors including Benazir Bhutto and Farooq Leghari. During the 1993 constitutional crisis, Kakar played a stabilizing professional role alongside other institutional leaders such as Chief Justice Nasim Hasan Shah and Caretaker Prime Minister Moeenuddin Ahmad Qureshi. He worked with provincial governors like Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan and military governors in coordination with the Inter-Services Intelligence for maintaining law and order. His decisions affected interactions between the Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League (N), and he engaged with international diplomatic missions including the Embassy of the United States, Islamabad and the High Commission of the United Kingdom, Islamabad during electoral preparations.

Reforms and legacy

Kakar emphasized professionalization and depoliticization within the Pakistan Army, supporting reforms in officer education at the Pakistan Military Academy and organizational changes at GHQ and the Joint Staff Headquarters. His tenure saw efforts to strengthen civil oversight institutions like the Ministry of Defence (Pakistan) and coordination with the Election Commission of Pakistan for secure electoral processes. Historians and analysts from institutions such as the Quaid-i-Azam University strategic studies departments and think tanks in Islamabad and Karachi assess his legacy in context with successors like Pervez Musharraf and predecessors like Asif Nawaz Janjua. Kakar received military honors including the Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) and is cited in studies on civil–military relations in Pakistan.

Personal life and later years

After retirement in 1996, Kakar resided in Islamabad and maintained ties with veterans’ associations, retired officers from units like the Sind Regiment (Pakistan), and academic forums at the National Defence University, Pakistan. He engaged with veteran welfare groups and occasionally contributed to seminars involving policymakers from Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan) and scholars from Pakistan Institute of International Affairs. His family connections include relatives in Sindh and professional acquaintances among former chiefs and governors. Kakar’s later life remained private, with limited public engagement compared to contemporaries who entered active politics.

Category:Pakistani generals Category:People from Shikarpur District Category:Chiefs of Army Staff (Pakistan)