Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army
| Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army | |
|---|---|
| پاک فوج کے کمانڈر انچیف | |
Flag of the Pakistan Army | |
| Ministry of Defence Army Secretariat-I at MoD | |
| Abbreviation | C-in-C |
| Residence | Rawalpindi Cantonment |
| Seat | General Headquarters Rawalpindi Cantonment in Punjab, Pakistan |
| Nominator | Governor General of Pakistan, Prime Minister or President of Pakistan |
| Appointer | Governor General of Pakistan, Prime Minister or President of Pakistan |
| Term length | Not fixed |
| Formation | 15 August 1947 |
| First holder | Frank Messervy |
| Final holder | Gul Hassan Khan |
| Abolished | 3 March 1972 |
| Succession | Chief of Army Staff |
| Unofficial names | Army chief |
| Deputy | Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army |
The Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army (abbreviation: C-in-C of the Pakistan Army) was the professional head of the Pakistan Army from 1947 to 1972. As an administrative position, the appointment holder had main operational command authority over the army.
Direct appointments to the command of the Pakistan Army came from the British Army Council until 1951, when the first native Pakistani commander-in-chief (General Ayub Khan) was nominated and appointed by the Government of Pakistan.
The C-in-C designation was changed to 'Chief of Army Staff' in 1972; General Tikka Khan was the first person to hold the new title. Six generals have served as C-in-C, the first two of them were native British and the post's name was derived from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army.