Muhammad Shariff (general) - Revision history

116.206.253.167 at 09:51, 26 November 2022

2022-11-26T09:51:48Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:21, 26 November 2022
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	After the [[Partition of India\|partition]] of [[India]] in [[1947 in Pakistan\|1947]], [[Captain (Army)\|Captain]] Shariff moved to join the newly formed [[Pakistan Army]] where his career progressed extremely well, having attended and graduated from the [[Imperial Defence College]].{{rp\|302}}<ref name="The Gazette of Pakistan, 1979" /> In 1952, [[Major]] Shariff was promoted as a [[lieutenant-colonel]] and qualified as [[psc (military)\|psc]] from the [[Pakistan Command and Staff College\|Command and Staff College]] in [[Quetta]]; he later achieved promotion to [[Brigadier]] in 1959.<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999"/>		After the [[Partition of India\|partition]] of [[India]] in [[1947 in Pakistan\|1947]], [[Captain (Army)\|Captain]] Shariff moved to join the newly formed [[Pakistan Army]] where his career progressed extremely well, having attended and graduated from the [[Imperial Defence College]].{{rp\|302}}<ref name="The Gazette of Pakistan, 1979" /> In 1952, [[Major]] Shariff was promoted as a [[lieutenant-colonel]] and qualified as [[psc (military)\|psc]] from the [[Pakistan Command and Staff College\|Command and Staff College]] in [[Quetta]]; he later achieved promotion to [[Brigadier]] in 1959.<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999"/>

	In 1960, [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)\|Brig.]] Shariff played a crucial role when he commanded the tactical [[Brigade combat team\|strike brigade]] to remove the [[Dir (princely state)\|Nawab of Dir]] and [[Jandol State\|Khan of Jandol]] to prevent secession from [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa\|Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa]], [[Pakistan]].<ref name="Defence Journal, 2002">{{cite web\|last1=Amin\|first1=A.H.\|title=Remembering Our Warriors: Brig. Shamim S. Manto\|url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/february/manto.htm\|website=www.defencejournal.com\|publisher=Defence Journal\|accessdate=26 December 2017\|location=Islamabad\|language=en-pk\|date=February ~~2022~~}}</ref>		In 1960, [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)\|Brig.]] Shariff played a crucial role when he commanded the tactical [[Brigade combat team\|strike brigade]] to remove the [[Dir (princely state)\|Nawab of Dir]] and [[Jandol State\|Khan of Jandol]] to prevent secession from [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa\|Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa]], [[Pakistan]].<ref name="Defence Journal, 2002">{{cite web\|last1=Amin\|first1=A.H.\|title=Remembering Our Warriors: Brig. Shamim S. Manto\|url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/february/manto.htm\|website=www.defencejournal.com\|publisher=Defence Journal\|accessdate=26 December 2017\|location=Islamabad\|language=en-pk\|date=February 2002}}</ref>

	In 1964–66, [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)\|Brig.]] Shariff moved to the staff assignment at the [[GHQ (Pakistan Army)\|Army GHQ]], serving in the [[Pakistan Army Education Corps\|Corps of Education]] where he served on the army board to select the potential candidates to be educated at the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]].<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999"/> In 1966, [[Major-General]] Shariff was appointed as the [[List of serving Generals of the Pakistan Army\|Inspector General Training and Evaluation]] (IGT&E) at the [[GHQ (Pakistan Army)\|Army GHQ]], and later appointed as the [[Commandant]] of the [[Pakistan Command and Staff College\|Command and Staff College]] in [[Quetta]], which he served until 1970.{{rp\|374}}<ref name="Ilmi Kitab Khana, 1979" />		In 1964–66, [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)\|Brig.]] Shariff moved to the staff assignment at the [[GHQ (Pakistan Army)\|Army GHQ]], serving in the [[Pakistan Army Education Corps\|Corps of Education]] where he served on the army board to select the potential candidates to be educated at the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]].<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999"/> In 1966, [[Major-General]] Shariff was appointed as the [[List of serving Generals of the Pakistan Army\|Inspector General Training and Evaluation]] (IGT&E) at the [[GHQ (Pakistan Army)\|Army GHQ]], and later appointed as the [[Commandant]] of the [[Pakistan Command and Staff College\|Command and Staff College]] in [[Quetta]], which he served until 1970.{{rp\|374}}<ref name="Ilmi Kitab Khana, 1979" />
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	His relations with Gen. Zia were limited but he seemed to dislike General Zia personally.{{rp\|125–126}}<ref name="Stanford University Press, 2012">{{cite book\|last1=Khan\|first1=Feroz Hassan\|title=Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistan' atomic bomb\|date=2012\|publisher=Stanford University Press\|location=Palo Alto, ca, u.s.\|isbn=9780804784801\|pages=400\|edition=1st\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yGgrNAsKZjEC&q=muhammad+sharif+zia&pg=PA125\|accessdate=26 December 2017\|language=en-us\|format=google books\|chapter={{small\|Punishing Pakistan}}}}</ref> In 1974–75, Lt-Gen. Shariff had submitted a report to the then-army chief General [[Tikka Khan]] that detailed [[Major-General\|Maj-Gen.]] Zia's actions of bypassing the [[Chain of Command\|chain of command]] in the military but the report was overshadowed due to Zia's dedication towards promoting the professionalism in the military.{{rp\|125–126}}<ref name="Stanford University Press, 2012"/> His duties as [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee\|Chairman Joint Chiefs]] had been largely ineffective, and his deputy Admiral [[Mohammad Shariff\|M.S. Khan]] had led the delegation to meet with [[Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of China\|Vice Chairman]] [[Li Xiannian]] when he paid a state visit to Pakistan on 22 January 1977.{{rp\|28}}<ref>{{cite book\|last1=Service\|first1=United States Foreign Broadcast Information\|title=Daily Report: People's Republic of China\|publisher=National Technical Information Service\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d5ssAAAAMAAJ&q=vice+admiral+mohammad+shariff+vice+chief+naval\|accessdate=5 January 2017\|language=en\|year=1979}}</ref>		His relations with Gen. Zia were limited but he seemed to dislike General Zia personally.{{rp\|125–126}}<ref name="Stanford University Press, 2012">{{cite book\|last1=Khan\|first1=Feroz Hassan\|title=Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistan' atomic bomb\|date=2012\|publisher=Stanford University Press\|location=Palo Alto, ca, u.s.\|isbn=9780804784801\|pages=400\|edition=1st\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yGgrNAsKZjEC&q=muhammad+sharif+zia&pg=PA125\|accessdate=26 December 2017\|language=en-us\|format=google books\|chapter={{small\|Punishing Pakistan}}}}</ref> In 1974–75, Lt-Gen. Shariff had submitted a report to the then-army chief General [[Tikka Khan]] that detailed [[Major-General\|Maj-Gen.]] Zia's actions of bypassing the [[Chain of Command\|chain of command]] in the military but the report was overshadowed due to Zia's dedication towards promoting the professionalism in the military.{{rp\|125–126}}<ref name="Stanford University Press, 2012"/> His duties as [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee\|Chairman Joint Chiefs]] had been largely ineffective, and his deputy Admiral [[Mohammad Shariff\|M.S. Khan]] had led the delegation to meet with [[Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of China\|Vice Chairman]] [[Li Xiannian]] when he paid a state visit to Pakistan on 22 January 1977.{{rp\|28}}<ref>{{cite book\|last1=Service\|first1=United States Foreign Broadcast Information\|title=Daily Report: People's Republic of China\|publisher=National Technical Information Service\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d5ssAAAAMAAJ&q=vice+admiral+mohammad+shariff+vice+chief+naval\|accessdate=5 January 2017\|language=en\|year=1979}}</ref>

	His relations with Gen. Zia soured and he was not supportive towards the actions by General Zia of [[Operation Fair Play\|military takeover]] of the [[Government of Pakistan\|civilian government]],{{citation needed\|date=September ~~2022~~}} and regretted that this ultimate step had become inevitable.<ref>{{cite book \|last1=Arif \|first1=Khalid Mahmud \|year=1995 \|title=Working with Zia : Pakistan's power politics, 1977–1988 \|location=Karachi \|publisher=Oxford University Press \|page=98 \|isbn=978-0-19-577570-9 \|language=en \|quote=[Upon being informed that Operation Fair Play was underway,] General Shariff felt sorry that this ultimate step had become inevitable.}}</ref> In July 1977, General Shariff prematurely sought retirement and he submitted his resignation to the [[President of Pakistan]], asking him to relieve him of his duty.{{rp\|304}}<ref name="The Gazette of Pakistan, 1979" />		His relations with Gen. Zia soured and he was not supportive towards the actions by General Zia of [[Operation Fair Play\|military takeover]] of the [[Government of Pakistan\|civilian government]],{{citation needed\|date=September 2018}} and regretted that this ultimate step had become inevitable.<ref>{{cite book \|last1=Arif \|first1=Khalid Mahmud \|year=1995 \|title=Working with Zia : Pakistan's power politics, 1977–1988 \|location=Karachi \|publisher=Oxford University Press \|page=98 \|isbn=978-0-19-577570-9 \|language=en \|quote=[Upon being informed that Operation Fair Play was underway,] General Shariff felt sorry that this ultimate step had become inevitable.}}</ref> In July 1977, General Shariff prematurely sought retirement and he submitted his resignation to the [[President of Pakistan]], asking him to relieve him of his duty.{{rp\|304}}<ref name="The Gazette of Pakistan, 1979" />

	In public circles, General Shariff privately made it clear that the [[1977 Pakistani coup d'état\|martial law]] was in fact unconstitutional.<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999" /> Furthermore, General Shariff was of the view of strengthening the Chairman joint chiefs' role to be more assertive and with more power than the army chief, but before the system could evolve itself, the July 1977 coup disturbed the power balance, and tilted it heavily in favor of the army chief.<ref>Brig (retd) Yasub Ali Dogar. [http://www.defencejournal.com/jan99/defence.htm "Pakistan's Higher Defence Reorganisation"] ''Defence Journal'' January 1999</ref>		In public circles, General Shariff privately made it clear that the [[1977 Pakistani coup d'état\|martial law]] was in fact unconstitutional.<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999" /> Furthermore, General Shariff was of the view of strengthening the Chairman joint chiefs' role to be more assertive and with more power than the army chief, but before the system could evolve itself, the July 1977 coup disturbed the power balance, and tilted it heavily in favor of the army chief.<ref>Brig (retd) Yasub Ali Dogar. [http://www.defencejournal.com/jan99/defence.htm "Pakistan's Higher Defence Reorganisation"] ''Defence Journal'' January 1999</ref>

116.206.253.167 at 09:51, 26 November 2022

2022-11-26T09:51:48Z

New page

{{Short description|Pakistani general}}
{{other people||Muhammed Sharif (disambiguation){{!}}Muhammed Sharif}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Muhammad Shariff
| image = File:General Muhammad Shariff.jpg
| caption =
| office = 1st [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee]]
| predecessor = None ''(Post created)''
| successor = [[Mohammad Shariff (admiral)|Mohammad Shariff]]
| term_start = 1 March 1976
| term_end = 22 January 1977
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1921|2|22}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1999|8|6|1921|2|22}}
| resting_place = [[Lahore]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]]
| birth_place = [[Lahore]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British Raj|British India]]
| death_place = Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
| resting_place_coordinate = 
| nickname = ''M. Shariff''
| birth_name = Muhammad Shariff
| allegiance = {{PAK}}
| branch = {{Army|PAK}}
| serviceyears = 1942–1977
| rank = [[File:OF-9 Pakistan Army.svg|20px]]General
| unit = [[2nd Punjab Regiment|3/2]] [[Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)|Punjab Regiment]]
| commands = [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff]] [[II Corps (Pakistan)|II Corps]] in [[Multan]] [[Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations|Permanent Rep.]] at [[Central Treaty Organization|CENTO]] [[General officer commanding|GOC]] [[Structure of the Pakistan Army|33rd Infantry Division]], [[Quetta]] [[Pakistan Army Education Corps]] [[Inspector-General|Ins-Gen.]] [[Structure of the Pakistan Army|Training and Evaluation]]
| battles = [[World War II]] [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] 
| mawards = [[File:Nishan-e-Imtiaz.png|40px]]{{small|[[Nishan-i-Imtiaz|Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military)]]}} [[File:Sitara-e-Pakistan (SPk) (1957-86).png|40px]]&ensp;{{small|[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces|Sitara-e-Pakistan]]}} [[File:Sitara-e-Imtiaz.png|40px]]{{small|[[Sitara-i-Imtiaz|Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military)]]}}
| battles_label =
| awards =
| relations =
| laterwork =
| honorific_prefix = [[General (Pakistan)|General]]
| honorific_suffix = {{small|[[Nishan-e-Imtiaz|NI(M)]]&ensp;[[Civil_decorations_of_Pakistan|SPk]]&ensp;[[Sitara-i-Imtiaz|SI(M)]]}}
}}

[[General (Pakistan)|General]] '''Muhammad Shariff''' {{small|{{small|[[Nishan-e-Imtiaz|NI(M)]]&ensp;[[Civil_decorations_of_Pakistan|SPk]]&ensp;[[Sitara-i-Imtiaz|SI(M)]]}}}} ({{lang-ur|{{nq|محمد شريف}}}} ; 22 February 1921 – 6 August 1999) was a senior [[Pakistan Army]] general who was the first [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (Pakistan)|Chairman]] of [[Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Pakistan|Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee]], serving in this post from 1976 until tendering his [[resignation]] in 1977 over the disagreement with the [[Operation Fair Play|military takeover]] of the [[Government of Pakistan|civilian government]] by the [[Pakistani military]].{{rp|61}}<ref name="Springer">{{cite book|last1=Siddiqa-Agha|first1=A.|authorlink1=Ayesha Siddiqa|title=Pakistan's Arms Procurement and Military Buildup, 1979–99: In Search of a Policy|date=2001|publisher=Springer|isbn=9780230513525|pages=218|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=beJ8DAAAQBAJ&q=General+%28Retd%29+Muhammad+sharif%21+Former+Chairman&pg=PA61|accessdate=26 December 2017|language=en-us}}</ref>{{rp|301–304}}<ref name="The Gazette of Pakistan, 1979">{{cite book|last1=GoP|first1=Govt. of Pakistan|title=The Gazette of Pakistan|date=1979|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sb1PAQAAMAAJ&q=456|accessdate=26 December 2017|language=en}}</ref>

==Biography==

Muhammad Shariff was born on 22 February 1921 into a [[Punjabi people|Punjabi]] family in [[Lahore]], [[Punjab, British India|Punjab]] in [[British Indian Empire|India]].{{rp|374}}<ref name="Ilmi Kitab Khana, 1979">{{cite book|title=Ilmi Encyclopaedia of General Knowledge|date=1979|publisher=Ilmi Kitab Khana|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Defence Journal, 1999">{{cite web|last1=Sehgal|first1=Major Ikram|authorlink1=Ikram Sehgal|title=Obituary: A Soldier of Character General (Retd) Muhammad Shariff Former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|url=http://www.defencejournal.com/aug99/obituary.htm|website=www.defencejournal.com|publisher=Defence Journal|accessdate=26 December 2017|language=en-pk|date=August 1999}}</ref> After being educated at the [[Lawrence College, Murree|Lawrence College]] in [[Murree]], Shariff was [[Commissioned officer|commissioned]] in the 3rd infantry battalion of the [[2nd Punjab Regiment]] of the [[British Indian Army]] in 1942.<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999"/> [[Second Lieutenant|2nd-Lt.]] Shariff saw actions in the [[Burma Campaign|Burma front]] during [[World War II]] with the [[British Indian Army]].<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999"/>

After the [[Partition of India|partition]] of [[India]] in [[1947 in Pakistan|1947]], [[Captain (Army)|Captain]] Shariff moved to join the newly formed [[Pakistan Army]] where his career progressed extremely well, having attended and graduated from the [[Imperial Defence College]].{{rp|302}}<ref name="The Gazette of Pakistan, 1979" /> In 1952, [[Major]] Shariff was promoted as a [[lieutenant-colonel]] and qualified as [[psc (military)|psc]] from the [[Pakistan Command and Staff College|Command and Staff College]] in [[Quetta]]; he later achieved promotion to [[Brigadier]] in 1959.<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999"/>

In 1960, [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|Brig.]] Shariff played a crucial role when he commanded the tactical [[Brigade combat team|strike brigade]] to remove the [[Dir (princely state)|Nawab of Dir]] and [[Jandol State|Khan of Jandol]] to prevent secession from [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa]], [[Pakistan]].<ref name="Defence Journal, 2002">{{cite web|last1=Amin|first1=A.H.|title=Remembering Our Warriors: Brig. Shamim S. Manto|url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/february/manto.htm|website=www.defencejournal.com|publisher=Defence Journal|accessdate=26 December 2017|location=Islamabad|language=en-pk|date=February 2022}}</ref>

In 1964–66, [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|Brig.]] Shariff moved to the staff assignment at the [[GHQ (Pakistan Army)|Army GHQ]], serving in the [[Pakistan Army Education Corps|Corps of Education]] where he served on the army board to select the potential candidates to be educated at the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]].<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999"/> In 1966, [[Major-General]] Shariff was appointed as the [[List of serving Generals of the Pakistan Army|Inspector General Training and Evaluation]] (IGT&E) at the [[GHQ (Pakistan Army)|Army GHQ]], and later appointed as the [[Commandant]] of the [[Pakistan Command and Staff College|Command and Staff College]] in [[Quetta]], which he served until 1970.{{rp|374}}<ref name="Ilmi Kitab Khana, 1979" />

In 1970, [[Major-General|Maj-Gen.]] Shariff was promoted to the [[Three-star rank|three-star]] rank in the army, and took over the diplomatic assignment as opposed to the command assignment.{{rp|374}}<ref name="Ilmi Kitab Khana, 1979" /> [[Lieutenant-General]] Shariff was posted as the [[Pakistani diplomatic missions|permanent representative]] at the [[Central Treaty Organization|CENTO]]'s [[Headquarters|HQ]] in [[Ankara]], [[Turkey]], which he remained until 1971.<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999" />

On 12 December 1971, [[Lieutenant-General|Lt-Gen.]] Shariff returned to Pakistan and partially took over the command of the [[Structure of the Pakistan Army|33rd Infantry Division]], stationed in [[Quetta]], from its [[General officer commanding|GOC]], [[Major-General|Maj-Gen.]] Naseer Ahmad, who was [[wounded in action]] against the [[Indian Army]].<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999" /> After inspecting the [[Division (military)|infantry division]], Lt-Gen. Shariff eventually handed over the command of the [[Structure of the Pakistan Army|33rd Infantry Division]] to then [[Major-General|Maj-Gen.]] [[Iqbal Khan (general)|Iqbal Khan]] and departed to Turkey.<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999" />

In 1972, Lt-Gen. Shariff was appointed as [[General Officer Commanding-in-Chief|field commander]] of the [[II Corps (Pakistan)|II Corps]], stationed in [[Multan]].{{rp|441}}<ref name="Oxford University Press, 2002">{{cite book|last1=Nawaz|first1=Shuja|title=Crossed swords : Pakistan, its army, and the wars within|date=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Karachi|isbn=9780195476606|language=en}}</ref> During this time, Lt-Gen. Shariff played a crucial role in his role as a [[secondment]] when he led his [[II Corps (Pakistan)|II Corps]] to provide the [[military aid to the civil power]] to maintain [[Law and order in Pakistan|law and order]] in [[Karachi]], amid the [[Karachi labour unrest of 1972|labour unrest]].<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999" /> In 1974, Lt-Gen, Shariff was appointed as an honorary [[Colonel commandant]] of the [[Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)|Punjab Regiment]].<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999" />

==Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee==
[[File:GeneralMuhammadshariff.jpg|thumb|left|Gen. Shariff (second left) along with Gen. Zia (third left) in the passing out parade of the 55th PMA Long Course, 16 April 1977.]]
In 1976, General [[Tikka Khan]]'s retirement as a [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|chief of army staff]] was due, and Lt-Gen. Shariff was the most senior army general in the [[Pakistani military]].{{rp|262}}<ref name="Oxford University Press, 1993">{{cite book|last1=Wolpert|first1=Stanley A.|title=Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan: his life and times|date=1993|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Karachi|isbn=9780195076615|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C-ltAAAAMAAJ&q=lt+gen+muhammad+shariff|accessdate=26 December 2017|language=en}}</ref> Initially, Lt-Gen, Shariff was in the race for the promotion to [[Four-star rank|four-star]] rank alongside six other army generals.{{rp|67}}<ref name="Penguin Books 2007">{{cite book|last1=Baruah|first1=Amit|title=Dateline Islamabad|date=2007|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=9780143102465|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yu6LvrhQst4C&q=lt+gen+muhammad+shariff&pg=PA67|accessdate=26 December 2017|language=en}}</ref>

Eventually, [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] promoted and elevated the junior-most Lt-Gen, [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Zia-ul-Haq]], to the [[Four-star rank|four-star]] appointment and appointed him as nation's second [[Army Chief of Staff (Pakistan)|army chief]] in 1976.{{rp|67}}<ref name="Penguin Books 2007"/> [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto|Prime Minister Bhutto]] moved to create the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee]] and promoted Lt-Gen. Shariff to the four-star rank, posting him as first [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee]] on 1 March 1976.{{rp|contents}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Alam|first1=Dr Shah|title=Pakistan Army: Modernisation, Arms Procurement and Capacity Building|date=2012|publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd|isbn=9789381411797|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WvapCQAAQBAJ&q=lt+gen+muhammad+shariff+chairman&pg=PT51|accessdate=26 December 2017|language=en}}</ref>

His relations with Gen. Zia were limited but he seemed to dislike General Zia personally.{{rp|125–126}}<ref name="Stanford University Press, 2012">{{cite book|last1=Khan|first1=Feroz Hassan|title=Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistan' atomic bomb|date=2012|publisher=Stanford University Press|location=Palo Alto, ca, u.s.|isbn=9780804784801|pages=400|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yGgrNAsKZjEC&q=muhammad+sharif+zia&pg=PA125|accessdate=26 December 2017|language=en-us|format=google books|chapter={{small|Punishing Pakistan}}}}</ref> In 1974–75, Lt-Gen. Shariff had submitted a report to the then-army chief General [[Tikka Khan]] that detailed [[Major-General|Maj-Gen.]] Zia's actions of bypassing the [[Chain of Command|chain of command]] in the military but the report was overshadowed due to Zia's dedication towards promoting the professionalism in the military.{{rp|125–126}}<ref name="Stanford University Press, 2012"/> His duties as [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|Chairman Joint Chiefs]] had been largely ineffective, and his deputy Admiral [[Mohammad Shariff|M.S. Khan]] had led the delegation to meet with [[Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of China|Vice Chairman]] [[Li Xiannian]] when he paid a state visit to Pakistan on 22 January 1977.{{rp|28}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Service|first1=United States Foreign Broadcast Information|title=Daily Report: People's Republic of China|publisher=National Technical Information Service|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d5ssAAAAMAAJ&q=vice+admiral+mohammad+shariff+vice+chief+naval|accessdate=5 January 2017|language=en|year=1979}}</ref>

His relations with Gen. Zia soured and he was not supportive towards the actions by General Zia of [[Operation Fair Play|military takeover]] of the [[Government of Pakistan|civilian government]],{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} and regretted that this ultimate step had become inevitable.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Arif |first1=Khalid Mahmud |year=1995 |title=Working with Zia : Pakistan's power politics, 1977–1988 |location=Karachi |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=98 |isbn=978-0-19-577570-9 |language=en |quote=[Upon being informed that Operation Fair Play was underway,] General Shariff felt sorry that this ultimate step had become inevitable.}}</ref> In July 1977, General Shariff prematurely sought retirement and he submitted his resignation to the [[President of Pakistan]], asking him to relieve him of his duty.{{rp|304}}<ref name="The Gazette of Pakistan, 1979" />

In public circles, General Shariff privately made it clear that the [[1977 Pakistani coup d'état|martial law]] was in fact unconstitutional.<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999" /> Furthermore, General Shariff was of the view of strengthening the Chairman joint chiefs' role to be more assertive and with more power than the army chief, but before the system could evolve itself, the July 1977 coup disturbed the power balance, and tilted it heavily in favor of the army chief.<ref>Brig (retd) Yasub Ali Dogar. [http://www.defencejournal.com/jan99/defence.htm "Pakistan's Higher Defence Reorganisation"] ''Defence Journal'' January 1999</ref>

In 1977, General Shariff left the chairmanship of the joint chiefs to his deputy Admiral [[Mohammad Shariff]] but it was not until 1979 when his resignation actually became effective.{{rp|304}}<ref name="The Gazette of Pakistan, 1979" /><ref name="Defence Journal, 1999" /> He died in Lahore on 6 August 1999.<ref name="Defence Journal, 1999" />

== Awards and decorations ==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| colspan="4" |{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Nishan-e-Imtiaz.png|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Pakistan (SPk) (1957-86).png|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Sitara-e-Imtiaz.png|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Diffa.png|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War Ribbon.png|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War.png|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=War Medal 1965(Tamgha-e-Jang, A.H.1385).png|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War.png|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award‐star|ribbon=Pakistan Independence Medal 1947.png|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Republic Medal 1956 (Pakistan).png|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Ribbon - War Medal.png|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Ribbon India Service Medal.png|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=QE II Coronation Medal 1953.png|width=106}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|
| colspan="2" |'''[[Nishan-e-Imtiaz]]'''
'''[[Nishan-e-Imtiaz|(Military)]]'''

''(Order of Excellence)''
|
|-
|'''[[Civil decorations of Pakistan|Sitara-e-Pakistan]]'''
''(SPk)''
|'''[[Sitara-i-Imtiaz|Sitara-e-Imtiaz]]'''
'''[[Sitara-i-Imtiaz|(Military)]]'''

''(Star of Excellence)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Tamgha-e-Diffa]]'''
''(General Service Medal)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War]]'''
''(War Star 1965)''
|-
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign%20/%20war%20medals|Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War]]'''
''(War Star 1971)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War]]'''
''(War Medal 1965)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign%20/%20war%20medals|Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War]]'''
''(War Medal 1971)''
|'''[[Pakistan Medal|Pakistan Tamgha]]'''
[[Pakistan Medal|''(Pakistan Medal)'']]

'''1947'''
|-
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces|Tamgha-e-Jamhuria]]'''
''(Republic Commemoration Medal)''

'''1956'''
|'''[[War Medal 1939-1945|War Medal]]'''
'''[[War Medal 1939-1945|1939-1945]]'''
|'''[[India Service Medal]]'''
[[India Service Medal|'''1939–1945''']]
|'''[[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal|Queen Elizabeth II]]'''
'''[[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal|Coronation Medal]]'''

'''(1953)'''
|}

=== Foreign decorations ===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3" style="background:#006400; color:#FFFFFF; text-align:center" |'''Foreign Awards'''
|-
! rowspan="3" |'''{{flag|UK}}'''
|'''[[War Medal 1939-1945]]'''
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Ribbon - War Medal.png|width=130}}
|-
|[[India Service Medal|'''India Service Medal 1939–1945''']]
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Ribbon India Service Medal.png|width=130}}
|-
|'''[[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal]]'''
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=QE II Coronation Medal 1953.png|width=130}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.defencejournal.com/aug99/obituary.htm Obituary of General Muhammad Shariff]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=Post created}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (Pakistan)|Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee]]|years=1976 – 1977}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Mohammad Shariff]]}}
{{end}}

{{CJCSC Pakistan |state=expanded}}
{{Pakistan Army template}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shariff, Muhammad}}
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