Asif Nawaz Janjua

General Asif Nawaz Janjua NI(M), HI(M), SBt, psc
4th Chief of Army Staff
In office 16 August 1991 – 8 January 1993
President	Ghulam Ishaq Khan
Prime Minister	Nawaz Sharif
Preceded by	Mirza Aslam Beg
Succeeded by	Abdul Waheed Kakar
Personal details
Born	Asif Nawaz Janjua (1937-01-03)3 January 1937 Chakri Rajgan, Jhelum District, Punjab Province
Died	8 January 1993(1993-01-08) (aged 56) Rawalpindi Cantonment, Punjab, Pakistan
Cause of death	Cardiac arrest
Relatives	Khadijah Shah (granddaughter) Shuja Nawaz (brother)<ref>"'Pakistan's armed forces second to none'". DailyTimes. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.</ref> Amna Nawaz (niece)
Alma mater	Pakistan Military Academy, National Defence University (MSc in War studies)
Nickname(s)	Soldier's Soldier
Military service
Branch/service	Pakistan Army
Years of service	1955–1993
Rank	General
Unit	5th Punjab Regiment
Commands	Chief of General Staff (Pakistan)<br>V Corps (Pakistan)<br>Commandant PMA Kakul<br>7th Infantry Division (Pakistan)<br>Chief of Staff II Corps (Pakistan)
Battles/wars	Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Battle of Chamb Political violence in Karachi Operation Blue Fox Somali Civil War UNOSOM I
Awards	Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military)<br>Hilal-i-Imtiaz(Military)<br>Sitara-e-Basalat with BAR<br>Sword of Honour

General Asif Nawaz Janjua (3 January 1937 – 8 January 1993) was an officer in the Pakistan Army, serving as its fourth Chief of Army Staff from 16 August 1991 until his untimely death in 1993. His tenure is regarded as contributing to civilian control over the Pakistan Armed Forces. Janjua was one of only four high-ranking officers to have died in active service, alongside Admiral Hasan Hafeez Ahmed (1975), General Zia-ul-Haq (1988), and Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir (2002).

His unexpected death was initially surrounded by uncertainty, with some speculating foul play after high levels of arsenic poisoning were detected in his body. His family requested for further investigation, including the exhumation of his body and an autopsy conducted with the assistance of international experts from France, Britain, and the United States. The cause of death was supposedly a heart attack. In April 1993, Janjua's widow Nuzhat, publicly alleged that her husband had been poisoned. She claimed that the assassins were Director General Intelligence Bureau Brigadier Imtiaz, Shahbaz Sharif, and Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan.

Born in the Jhelum District of Punjab Province, Janjua came from a Punjabi Janjua Rajput family. He was educated at St Mary's Cambridge School and later received military training at the Pakistan Military Academy and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Throughout his career, he was recognised for his discipline and leadership, culminating in the award of the Sword of Honour at Sandhurst.

During his military career, Janjua participated in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, where he was involved in key battles such as the Battle of Chamb. He progressed through the ranks, holding various significant positions, including Chief of General Staff and Corps Commander of V Corps. He played a role in overseeing military operations, particularly in Karachi and Sindh, during a period of rising instability in the country.

Biography

Early life, and between the Indo-Pakistani wars (1965–71)

Asif Nawaz Janjua was born in a small village, called Chakri Rajgan, which is located in the Jhelum District in Punjab in Pakistan into a Punjabi Janjua Rajput clan, on 31 January 1937.<ref name="Rowman & Littlefield, Burki, 2015">Burki, Shahid Javed (2015). "§Asif Nawaz (1937-1993)". In Woronov, Jon (ed.). Historical Dictionary of Pakistan (google books) (4th ed.). New York: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 657. ISBN 9781442241480. Retrieved 20 March 2018.</ref><ref name="Oxford University Press, Nawaz, 2008">Nawaz, Shuja (2008). Crossed swords : Pakistan, its army, and the wars within (snippet view) (1st ed.). Karachi: Oxford University Press. p. 665. ISBN 9780195476606. Retrieved 20 March 2018.</ref> He was a military brat and his father, Raja Abdul Ghafoor Khan, had served as an officer in the British Indian Army, retiring at the rank of Major.<ref>Nawaz, Shuja (2008). Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195476606.</ref>

He was educated at the St Mary's Cambridge School on Murree Road in Rawalpindi. Two Irish teachers there who taught him the value of life and humanity, Father Francis and May Flanagan, had a significant influence on his upbringing and future career.<ref name="The Independent, Pakistan Desk, 1993">Ahmad, Rashid (11 January 1993). "Obituary: General Asif Nawaz". The Independent. The Independent, Pakistan. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2018.</ref> After his matriculation, he went to join the Pakistan Military Academy in 1954, and was one of very few cadets to be selected to attend the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in the United Kingdom.<ref>Defence Journal. 1993. Retrieved 20 March 2018.</ref> After completing his initial military training, he passed out from the academy in 1957 and was conferred the Sword of Honour by the academy's commandant.<ref name="Oxford University Press, Nawaz, 2008"/>

Upon returning to Pakistan, 2nd-Lt. Janjua joined the 5th Sherdils Battalion of the Punjab Regiment on 31 March 1957.<ref name="ISPR (ARMY DIVISION)">"COLONEL IN CHIEF – PUNJAB REGIMENT". www.pakarmymuseum.com. ISPR (ARMY DIVISION). Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.</ref>

In 1965, Captain Nawaz saw action in the second war with India in 1965 on the northern front.<ref>Defence Journal. 1993. Retrieved 21 March 2018.</ref> In 1971, Major Janjua fought in the third war with India in 1971 after taking over the command of his 5th Battalion and saw combat in the Chamb sector against the Indian Army.<ref>Nawaz, Shuja (2008). Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195476606. Retrieved 21 March 2018.</ref>

After the third war with India in 1971, Major Janjua continued his military service and graduated from the Command and Staff College in Quetta, where he excelled in his studies.<ref name="Excerpts from">Nawaz, Shuja (2008). Excerpts from Crossed Swords. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195476606. Retrieved 21 March 2018.</ref> In 1976–77, Col. Janjua attended the National Defence University where he attained his MSc in War Studies.<ref name="Excerpts from"/>

War and command appointments in the military

In 1977, Brigadier Janjua was appointed as Chief of Staff of the II Corps stationed in Multan under the command of its field commander, Lt-Gen. M. Shariff.<ref name="Excerpts from"/> In 1982, he was promoted as two-star rank army general, and escaped from martial law appointments by President Zia-ul-Haq.<ref name="Rowman & Littlefield, Burki, 2015" /> From 1982 to 1985, Major-General Janjua was posted in Peshawar and served as the GOC of the 7th Infantry Division, posted with the XI Corps.<ref name="Rowman & Littlefield, Burki, 2015" />

In 1985, Maj-Gen. Janjua was appointed as Commandant of the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul which he served until 1988.<ref name="Rowman & Littlefield, Burki, 2015" /> In 1988, he was among the last army generals who were approved for the three-star rank promotion by Prime Minister Mohammad Junejo, and was appointed as Corps Commander of the Sindh-based V Corps by then-Chief of Army Staff Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg.<ref name="Rowman & Littlefield, Burki, 2015" />

When General Nawaz took command of his Corps in Karachi it had begun to be embroiled in operations against MQM militants in the city. He would soon come to oversee law and order operations by his Corps in the disturbed city of Karachi. As V Corps was also responsible for security in all of Sindh, it had been embroiled in anti-dacoity and law and order operations in Sindh since the early 1980s. The province had destabilised in the wake of the anti-Zia-ul-Haq Movement for the Restoration of Democracy.

In April 1991, Lt-Gen. Janjua was moved to Rawalpindi when he was appointed at the Army GHQ as the Chief of General Staff (CGS), the second-in-command of the army, under the army chief Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg.<ref name="ARashid"/>

Chief of Army Staff

Main articles: Civilian control of the military, United Nations intervention in Somalia, Indo Pakistani relation, Operation Clean-up, and News channels in Pakistan

In 1991, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved the timely retirement of Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg, and there were four senior army generals who were in the race for promotion to four-star appointment in the Pakistani military, included with seniority:

• Lt-Gen. Asif Nawaz, the Chief of General Staff at the Army GHQ based in Rawalpindi.<ref name="Asia recorder"/>
• Lt-Gen. Shamim Alam, the field commander of the XXXI Corps, stationed in Bahawalpur, Punjab in Pakistan.<ref name="Asia recorder"/>
• Lt-Gen. Z.A. Naz, the field commander of the I Corps, stationed in Mangla, Punjab in Pakistan.<ref name="Asia recorder"/>
• Lt-Gen. Hamid Gul, the field commander of the II Corps, Multan, Punjab in Pakistan.<ref name="Asia recorder">Asian recorder. Published by K. K. Thomas at Recorder Press, 1991</ref>

The senior most military officer in the military, Lt-Gen. Janjua's recommendation came from the former Chairman joint chiefs Gen.Rahimuddin Khan when the second most senior military officer, Lt-Gen. Shamim Alam was eventually elevated as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.<ref>Nawaz, Crossed Swords, (2007)</ref> Lt Gen. Janjua was confirmed to this four-star promotion by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan on 11 June 1991.<ref name="ARashid">Ahmed Rashid. "Obituary: General Asif Nawaz " Archived 5 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Independent, 11 January 1993</ref><ref>"New and improved" The Economist, June 1991</ref>

His command over the army came when the military embargo had been placed by the United States due to the suspicion about his country's clandestine atomic bomb program.<ref name="NYT">"Gen. Asif Nawaz of Pakistan, 56, A Champion of Democracy, Dies" Archived 29 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times, 9 January 1993</ref> Gen. Janjua immediately made a press release through the ISPR where he committed to preventing military interference in national politics when he noted that the "army's image had been tarnished and its officers corrupted in Pakistan's 25 years of martial law."<ref name="NYT" /> Gen. Janjua, who had pro-western views, worked together with Chairman joint chiefs Gen. Shamim and his JS HQ to improve bilateral relations between Pakistan and the United States when he agreed to deploy the combat brigades of the Pakistan Army in Somalia as part of the UN Mission to end the civil war in the country.<ref name="NYT"/>

His political views reflected political liberalism and he tried to improve the military-to-military relations with the Indian Army when he successfully took Pakistan out of what he saw as the dead-end policy of Islamism by former conservative President Zia.<ref name="ARashid"/> During Nawaz's tenure, the army took on the surprising role of becoming a protector of a free press and the liberal values of criticism.<ref name="ARashid"/>

As an army chief, Gen. Janjua played a crucial role in providing military aid to the civilian Government of Pakistan when he deployed the Pakistan Army Rangers to aid the Sindh Police against the dacoits and gangs in Karachi and rural Sindh.<ref name="ARashid"/>

Death

Janjua died on 8 January 1993, while he was jogging near his home in Rawalpindi. The death was ruled a heart attack and no autopsy was conducted before the burial, in line with Muslim customs.

In April 1993, Janjua's widow Nuzhat, claimed that her husband had been poisoned by Brigadier Imtiaz, head of the Intelligence Bureau, Shahbaz Sharif, and Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan.<ref>Gupta, Shekhar (31 October 1993). "Night of the Generals". India Today.</ref><ref>Brigadier Samir Bhattacharya (2014). Nothing But!: Book Five: All Is Fair in Love and War. Partridge. p. 403. ISBN 978-1-4828-1731-7.</ref>

His family commissioned a private forensic test on hair from his hairbrush, which was conducted in the United States. The tests revealed 67 micrograms of arsenic in his hair, significantly higher than the normal level of 4 micrograms. According to the lab report, "The arsenic... falls within the range considered toxic," indicating elevated levels of arsenic in the hair. The forensic toxicologist stated that the arsenic level by itself is not enough to determine the cause of death but raises a flag that further analysis is warranted.<ref name="apnews.com">"General's Death Remains a Mystery in Pakistan". AP NEWS. 28 September 1993. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.</ref> Initially, the government deployed police at his grave to prevent his body from being exhumed. There were rumours that Janjua's stomach was removed prior to his burial.<ref>Bidanda M. Chengappa (February 2000). "The ISI Role in Pakistan's Politics". Columbia University.</ref><ref>Asian Recorder. Vol. 40. 1994.</ref> It was later reported that Janjua's family members had hired private security guards to protect his grave, fearing his body would be tampered with.<ref>"The Facts of the Case" (PDF). Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 21 July 1993. p. 65.</ref>

As a result, his body was exhumed, and an autopsy was conducted by French, British, and American doctors. The cause of death was determined to be a heart attack.<ref>"No Poison Found in Pakistan Officer's Body". The New York Times. Reuters. 14 December 1993. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.</ref> A Supreme Court investigation also ruled that Janjua died of natural causes, without performing an autopsy.<ref name="apnews.com"/>

Janjua was among just four senior officers to have died while in active service, alongside Admiral Hasan Hafeez Ahmed (1975), General Zia-ul-Haq (1988), and Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir (2002).<ref name="NYT"/><ref>"Indian Air Force meets 294 accidents in almost 58 years". The News. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.</ref>

Legacy

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, then described Asif Nawaz as "a true professional soldier," and further stated that "he did what he said he would do – he kept the army out of politics."<ref name="NYT"/> Unlike many of his predecessors, Asif Nawaz was incorruptible and often talked of how he would relax when he retired, unlike other generals who plunged into politics.<ref name="ARashid"/>

Awards and decorations

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Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) (Order of Excellence)		Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) (Crescent of Excellence)
Sitara-e-Basalat (Star of Valour) with BAR	Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War (War Star 1971)	Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War (War Medal 1965)	Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War (War Medal 1971)
10 Years Service Medal	20 Years Service Medal	30 Years Service Medal	Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam (100th Birth Anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah) 1976
Tamgha-e-Qayam-e-Jamhuria (Republic Commemoration Medal) 1956	Hijri Tamgha (Hijri Medal) 1979	Tamgha-e-Jamhuriat (Democracy Medal) 1988	Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha (Resolution Day Golden Jubilee Medal) 1990

Further reading

• "Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within (Oxford Pakistan Paperbacks)" by Shuja Nawaz, Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Gupta, Shekhar (31 October 1993). "Night of the Generals". India Today.

External links

• Official profile at Pakistan Army website

Military offices
Preceded by Shamim Alam Khan	Chief of General Staff 1991	Succeeded by Farrakh Khan
Preceded by Mirza Aslam Beg	Chief of Army Staff 1991–1993	Succeeded by Abdul Waheed Kakar