Pakistan has had 10 honorable four-star rank Army Generals appointed as Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan since from 1972 till present (2021). The designation was created from the previous title ‘Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army’.
The Chief of Army Staff is the senior most appointment in Pakistan Army, and therefore acquires handful of authorities. Besides controlling the land borders of the country, the COAS also acts as a military advisor to the Prime Minister and holds the supremacy of demolishing the government by imposing martial law at any moment, like done in past decades.
Read more: List of Presidents of Pakistan [1947-2021].
List of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of Pakistan [1972 – 2021]
Following are the Chief of Army staff of Pakistan till date:
1. Tikka Khan
Gen. Tikka Khan was the first ever Army official, to obtain the title of Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan (COAS).
Appointment Date: 3 March 1972
Left Office: 1st March 1976
Time in office: 3 years, 364 days
Decorations: Hilal-i-Juraat, Nishan-e-Pakistan
2. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
Appointment Date: 1 March 1976
Left Office: 17 August 1988
Time in Office: 12 years, 169 days
3. Mirza Aslam Baig
Appointment Date: 17 August 1988
Left Office: 16 August 1991
Time in Office: 2 years, 364 days
Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Basalat
4. Asif Nawaz Janjua
Appointment Date: 16 August 1991
Left Office: 8 January 1993
Time in Office: 1 year, 145 days
Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Basalat
5. Abdul Waheed Kakar
Appointment Date: 11 January 1993
Left Office: 12 January 1996
Time in Office: 3 years, 1 day
Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Basalat
6. Jehangir Karamat
Appointment Date: 12 January 1996
Left Office: 6 October 1998
Time in Office: 2 years, 267 days
Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Tamgha-e-Basalat
7. Pervez Musharraf
Appointment Date: 6 October 1998
Left Office: 28 November 2007
Time in Office: 9 years, 53 Days
Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Tamgha-e-Basalat
8. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani
Appointment Date: 29 November 2007
Left Office: 29 November 2013
Time in Office: 6 years, 0 days
Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Hilaal-e-Imtiaz
9. Raheel Shareef
Appointment Date: 29 November 2013
Left Office: 29 November 2016
Time in Office: 3 years, 0 days
Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Hilaal-e-Imtiaz
10. Qamar Javed Bajwa
Appointment Date: 29 November 2016
Time in Office: 4 years (till date)
Decorations: Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Hilaal-e-Imtiaz
Read more: List of Prime Ministers of Pakistan since 1947-2018 [Interesting Facts].
