Khalid Mahmud Arif
Khalid Mahmud Arif | |
|---|---|
| خالد محمود عارف | |
General Khalid | |
| Vice Chief of Army Staff | |
| In office 23 March 1984 – 29 March 1987 | |
| President | Zia Ul Haq |
| Preceded by | Lt. Gen Sawar Khan |
| Succeeded by | Lt. Gen Mirza Aslam Beg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 December 1930 Jalandhar, East Punjab, British India (present-day in India) |
| Died | 6 March 2010 (aged 79) Lahore, Pakistan |
| Occupation | Military historian |
| Awards | Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military) Sitara-e-Basalat Legion of Merit |
| Nickname | K.M. Arif |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Pakistan |
| Branch/service | Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1950–1987 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | 11th Cavalry (Frontier Force), Armoured Corps |
| Commands | Vice Chief of Army Staff Ins-Gen. Training and Evaluation DG Military Intelligence (DGMI) OC, 111th Infantry Brigade |
| Battles/wars | |
General Khalid Mahmud Arif NI(M) HI(M) SI(M) SBt LoM (Urdu: خالد محمود عارف 29 December 1930 – March 2020) popularly known as K.M. Arif, was a senior officer of the Pakistan Army, serving as the vice-chief of army staff under President Zia-ul-Haq, who retained the command of the army since 1976.
His career in the army was mostly spent in the military intelligence, and served in the East Pakistan Rifles, briefly fighting in the civil war aided by neighboring India.: 140 Upon repatriation to Pakistan in 1973, he continued with his military service in the army and eventually ascended as director-general of military intelligence before assuming the staff appointment at the Army GHQ.: 175 Appointed as vice-chief of army staff in 1984, he played crucial role in stabilizing the administration of President Zia-ul-Haq, and was succeeded by General Mirza Aslam Beg as army chief in March 1987.: 701
Upon his retirement in 1987, he authored several books on the political and military history of Pakistan, of which Working With Zia: Pakistan's Power Politics is the best known.