XXXI Corps (Pakistan)
| XXXI Corps | |
|---|---|
 Badge of XXXI Corps | |
| Active | 1986 |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Branch |  Pakistan Army |
| Type | XXX Corps |
| Role | Maneuver/Deployment oversight. |
| Size | 45,000 approximately (Though this may vary as units are rotated) |
| Garrison/HQ | Bahawalpur Cantonment, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Nickname(s) | Bahawalpur Corps[1] |
| Colors Identification | Red and white |
| Anniversaries | 1986 |
| Decorations | Military Decorations of Pakistan military |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Lt-Gen. S. M. Malik |
| Notable commanders | Gen. Shamim Alam Lt-Gen. Mohammad Shafiq Lt-Gen. Haroon Aslam |
| Maneuver Corps of the Pakistan Army | ||||
|
The XXXI Corps is a field corps of the Pakistan Army, currently stationed in Bahawalpur, Punjab in Pakistan. [2]
It is currently commanded by Lt-Gen. Saqib Mehmood Malik as of 2023.[3]
History
[edit]The XXXI Corps was formed and raised as part of the major reorganization of the Pakistani military in 1985– it was one of the three corps that were formed to address the security in the country.[4] The XXXI Corps took over the area of responsibility of southern region of Punjab from the II Corps, which is more well suited for forestry warfare techniques.[2] It was initially headquartered in Pano Akil but later moved to Bahawalpur Cantonment as the corps headquarter.[5] Together with the V Corps in Sindh, the XXXI Corps is responsible for the maneuvering combat readiness in the southern Punjab's desert zone.[2]
In 2023, 35th Infantry Division attached to the XXXI Corps equipped with VCC-2 APCs were reportedly be taking part in anti-bandit operations near Bahawalpur alongside Punjab Police, based on social media and news reports. The units from the 35th were then rotated with fresh replacements consisting of VCC-1 APCs. The police were also equipped with locally-made M113A1/A2 APCs.[6][7][8]
Structure
[edit]Its present order of battle is as follows:[9]
| Structure of XXXI Corps | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corps | Corps HQ | Corps Commander | Assigned Units | Unit HQ |
| XXXI Corps | Bahawalpur | Lt. Gen Saqib Mehmood Malik 
|
26th Mechanized Division | Bahawalpur |
| 35th Infantry Division | Bahawalpur | |||
| 14th Infantry Division | Okara | |||
| 101st Independent Infantry Brigade | U/I Location | |||
| 14th Independent Armored Brigade | Bahawalpur | |||
| Independent Artillery Brigade | U/I Location | |||
| Independent Engineering Brigade | U/I Location | |||
| Independent Signal Brigade | U/I Location | |||
List of Commanders XXXI Corps
[edit]| Corps Commander | Start Date | End Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lt Gen Saqib Mehmood Malik | 4 December 2022 | Incumbent | |
| Lt Gen Faiz Hameed | 9th Aug 2022 | 3 December 2022 | |
| Lt Gen Khalid Zia | Nov 2020 | 8 August 2022 | |
| Lt Gen Syed Muhammad Adnan | April 2019 | Nov 2020 | |
| Lt Gen Javed Mehmood Bukhari | August 2018 | April 2019 | |
| Lt Gen Sher Afgun | December 2016 | August 2018 | |
| Lt Gen Javed Iqbal Ramday | April 2015 | December 2016 | |
| Lt Gen Javed Iqbal | December 2013 | April 2015 | |
| Lt Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat | January 2013 | December 2013 | |
| Lt Gen Muhammad Haroon Aslam | March 2011 | January 2013 | |
| Lt Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi | October 2009 | March 2011 | |
| Lt Gen Muhammad Yousaf | October 2008 | October 2009 | |
| Lt Gen Raza Mohammad Khan | April 2007 | October 2008 | |
| Lt Gen Imtiaz Hussain | May 2005 | April 2007 | |
| Lt Gen Syed Parwez Shahid | September 2003 | May 2005 | |
| Lt Gen Shahid Hamid | October 2001 | September 2003 | |
| Lt Gen Munir Hafiez | August 2000 | October 2001 | |
| Lt Gen Tahir Ali Qureshi | October 1998 | August 2000 | |
| Lt Gen Muzaffar Hussain Usmani | May 1997 | October 1998 | |
| Lt Gen Khalid Nawaz Malik | January 1996 | May 1997 | |
| Lt Gen Iftikhar Ali Khan | June 1993 | January 1996 | |
| Lt Gen Muhammad Akram Khan | August 1991 | May 1993 | |
| Lt Gen Shamim Alam Khan | April 1991 | August 1991 | |
| Lt Gen Mohammad Shafiq | March 1988 | April 1991 |
References
[edit]- ^ "COAS visits formations of Bahawalpur Corps". brecorder.com.
- ^ a b c "XXXI Corps". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "General Asim Munir kicks off Pakistan army's game of thrones with major reshuffle". WION.
- ^ Alam, Dr Shah (1 July 2012). Pakistan Army: Modernisation, Arms Procurement and Capacity Building. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. ISBN 978-93-81411-79-7. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ Sathasivam, Kanishkan (24 October 2017). Uneasy Neighbors: India, Pakistan and US Foreign Policy. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-87682-7. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ Haq, Irfanul (10 April 2023). "'Grand operation' against katcha area outlaws starts in Punjab". Dawn. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ @FarooqB90714421 (16 April 2023). "PA VCC-2s from 35 Div taking part in Kacha Anti-Dacoit Op in Lower Punjab Region. Plus a M113A1/A2 HIT Up-Armoured with Punjab police" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @FarooqB90714421 (2 December 2023). "PA VCC1s (With RPG-Net but without additional armour) during Anti-Dacoit Ops in Lower Punjab Region. Its likely these VCC1s replaced the VCC2s which had likely become exhausted as they were taking part in the op previously" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Global Security website page on XXXI Corps
Further reading
[edit]- Cloughley, Brian (1999). A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections. Karachi, Sind, Pakistan: Karachi University Press. ISBN 9780195790153.
