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Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad

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(Redirected from Ashfaq Nadeem)

Lieutenant General
Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad
HI(M)
اشفاق ندیم احمد
Commander II Corps
In office
April 2015 – 13 December 2016
Succeeded bySarfraz Sattar
Chief of General Staff
Pakistan Army
In office
29 November 2013 – April 2015
Preceded byRashad Mahmood
Succeeded byZubair Mahmood Hayat
Personal details
Born1959 (1959)
Neela, Chakwal, Pakistan
Died24 September 2021 (aged 62)
Islamabad, Pakistan
Resting placeH-8, Islamabad, Pakistan
EducationSt Mary's Cambridge School
Pakistan Military Academy
Staff College, Camberley
Quaid-e-Azam University (MSc)
Industrial College of the Armed Forces (MSc)
Military service
Branch/service Pakistan Army
Years of service
1980-2016
RankLieutenant General
UnitAzad Kashmir Regiment
CommandsII Corps
Chief of General Staff
Azad Kashmir Regiment
Battles/wars

Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad[a] (1959 — 24 September 2021) was a retired three-star rank general who served as the Chief of General Staff of the Pakistan Army from November 2013 to April 2015. He was described as the mastermind of the military Operation Zarb-e-Azb.[2] He later became a businessman and was elected as the 10th Managing Director of Mari Petroleum, serving from 2017 to 2020.[3]

Early life

[edit]

Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad was born in Neela, Chakwal[4] in 1959. His father, Ahmed Khan Qureshi, was an engineer at Radio Pakistan.[5]

Ahmad and his brothers attended the St Mary's Cambridge School in Rawalpindi.[5]

Personal life

[edit]

Ahmad had two brothers, Professor Dr Irfan Salim Ahmed, executive director of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology at the University of Illinois (died 2024)[6] and Imran Naeem Ahmed, a journalist[5] who is the co-founder of Journalism Pakistan.[7]

Ishfaq and his wife Asma have one child, Sarmad Ishfaq.[citation needed]

Military career

[edit]

Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad joined the Junior Cadet Battalion — I of the Pakistan Military Academy. He was commissioned into the Pakistan Army in 1980 from the 62nd Long Course of the Academy.[5]

As a Lieutenant Colonel, Ahmad was a faculty member at the Command and Staff College, Quetta. He later commanded an infantry battalion and an infantry brigade. He was also on the Directing Staff of the National Defence University and the Chief of Staff of the Strike Corps in Mangla as a Brigadier.[8][5]

Ahmad graduated from Quaid-i-Azam University with a Master of Science in War Studies in 2002 and subsequently earned a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 2006.[8]

In May 2009, Ishfaq was promoted to the rank of Major General.[9] He was appointed General Officer Commanding Swat on 4 July 2009 and assumed duty on 14 August 2009.[10] In November 2010, the General Manager of Human Resource Management at the National Bank of Pakistan reached out to General Ishfaq seeking an update on the status of two regional employees, including Manager Nawab Ali, who were kidnapped by military personnel despite having certificates that they were not involved in "anti-state activity".[11] The bank received no response from General Ishfaq or the Commandant of Shangla Task Force Circuit House Mingora.[12] In 2016, Nawab Ali's body was brought to District Headquarter Hospital Batkhela who noted that he died while in custody of "security agencies".[13]

Major General Ishfaq Nadeem served as the Director General of Military Operations from April 2011 to 8 August 2013.[1][14] He condemned the 2011 NATO attack in Pakistan which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and injured 12.[15] The Express Tribune said that Ishfaq "went so far as to call the attack deliberate."[16] On 9 August 2013, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General.[17]

On 29 November 2013, the new Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif appointed Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad as the Chief of General Staff.[5][18] He was appointed as the Colonel Commandant of the Azad Kashmir Regiment in January 2014.[19]

He was appointed as Commander II Corps in April 2015.[20] He oversaw the preparation of Operation Zarb-e-Ahan against the Chotu gang in April 2016.[21] He handed over command of the corps to Lt. General Sarfraz Sattar on 14 December 2016.[22]

Chief of Army Staff prospect

[edit]

In November 2016, General Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed was the second most senior officer in the race for the position of the Chief of Army Staff and was superseded by the most junior officer, Lt General Qamar Javed Bajwa.[23] Bajwa was appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who wanted someone that was a "military expert" and "pro-democracy".[24] Rana Banerji, a fellow at the Institute Of Peace and Conflict Studies, said that though Ishfaq had been reputed to be the most efficient, he was regarded as "too brusque and blunt".[25]

General Ishfaq was set to retire in August 2017,[26] but he quit on 14 December 2016.[22]

Business career

[edit]

Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad was appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Mari Petroleum on 24 January 2017 with effect from 26 January.[27] In this role, he established a domestic hockey team and stadium in September 2018.[28] He served until 11 August 2020.[29]

Death

[edit]

Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad died from cardiac arrest at his residence on the morning of 24 September 2021 and was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.[30] He was buried in the graveyard of H-8, Islamabad.[31]

After his death, it was reported that the Pakistan Hockey Federation was considering honouring his contributions to hockey.[32] By October 2023, the hockey stadium in Rawalpindi was renamed after him.[33]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Urdu: اشفاق ندیم احمد; Sometimes spelled Ashfaq Nadeem Ahmed[1] or Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed.

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "Appointment of new DGMO part of routine: ISPR". The Express Tribune. 13 August 2013.
  2. ↑ Nimra Mina (24 September 2021). ""The Only Desire Left In My Career Was To Avenge 1971, If Any One Of You Finds A Chance, Do Take Revenge", Words Of Late General Ishfaq Nadeem, The Mastermind Of Operation Zarb-E-Azb". Archived from the original on 24 September 2021.
  3. ↑ "Integrated Annual Report" (PDF). Mari Energies. 2025. p. 10.
  4. ↑ CAPT (RETR) BILAL HASHAM. "Prominent personalities". Chakwal Gazateer 2020 (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 May 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Gen Ishfaq Nadeem new Chief of General Staff". The News International. 30 November 2013.
  6. ↑ Mae Antar (3 May 2024). "Dr. Irfan Ahmad dies at 66 of respiratory complications". IPM News.
  7. ↑ Dr. Nauman Niaz (TI) (10 September 2025). "From print to digital: How Imran Naeem Ahmad revolutionized Pakistani journalism with JournalismPakistan.com".
  8. 1 2 ""Counter-Insurgency Operation Against Taliban Militants in Swat Valley (Pakistan)"". 2011. Archived from the original on 20 November 2011.
  9. ↑ "25 brigadiers promoted to rank of major general". Dawn. 9 May 2009.
  10. ↑ "Swat GOC Gen Ijaz replaced". Dawn. 5 July 2009. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  11. ↑ "DETENTION OF STAFF BY THE SECURITY FORCES" (PDF). Peshawar High Court, Mingora Bench. p. 16.
  12. ↑ "On facts" (PDF). Peshawar High Court, Mingora Bench. p. 11.
  13. ↑ "Before the Hon'ble Peshawar High Court Peshawar" (PDF). Peshawar High Court, Mingora Bench. p. 2.
  14. ↑ Micah Zenko (2 August 2011). "What Did Pakistan Know?". Council on Foreign Relations.
  15. ↑ "Pakistan" (PDF). 9 December 2011.
  16. ↑ "2011 NATO attack in Pakistan". The Express Tribune. 1 January 2012.
  17. ↑ Sikander Shaheen (9 August 2013). "4 two-star generals promoted". The Nation (Pakistan).
  18. ↑ Kamran Haider; Chris Kay (5 October 2016). "India Tensions Complicate Pakistan's Pick for Next Army Chief". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Lieutenant General Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad, from the Kashmir regiment and commander of the Multan Corps in southern Punjab. He was among the first key appointees under Raheel Sharif and previously served as chief of general staff and director general of military operations. He led the first major anti-terrorism offensive in the northwest in 2009.
  19. ↑ "A window into the past: 10 Azad Kashmir Regiment (Zinda Dil)". 2015.
  20. ↑ "Army's key posts change hands". Dawn. 10 April 2015.
  21. ↑ "Pakistani helicopters strike gang on island hideout in full-scale offensive". 19 April 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Change of Command ceremony held at Multan Corps Headquarters". Associated Press of Pakistan. 14 December 2016.
  23. ↑ Baqir Sajjad Syed (10 December 2016). "Seven major generals promoted to lieutenant general". Dawn.
  24. ↑ "PM wanted to appoint pro-democratic military expert as army chief". The News International. 27 November 2016.
  25. ↑ "In Context: Pakistan's New Army Chief Gen Bajwa". Institute Of Peace & Conflict Studies. 27 November 2016.
  26. ↑ "Who could be next Army Chief?". The News International. 21 November 2016.
  27. ↑ "Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem made MD Mari Petroleum". The News International. 24 January 2017.
  28. ↑ "MPCL raises its hockey team". Brecorder. 14 September 2018.
  29. ↑ "Faheem Haider replaces Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem (R) as Mari Petroleum CEO". 10 August 2020.
  30. ↑ "Former CGS Ishfaq Nadeem passes away". Dawn. 25 September 2021.
  31. ↑ "Lt-General Ishfaq Nadeem laid to rest". The News International. 25 September 2021.
  32. ↑ "PHF mulls honouring services of Lt-Gen Ishfaq Nadeem". The News International. 29 September 2021.
  33. ↑ "Navy reach national hockey quarter-finals". Dawn. 19 October 2013.
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