Sawar Khan


Sawar Khan , is a retired four-star rank army general who served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff under President Zia-ul-Haq from 1980 until 1984. Prior to that, he served as the Governor of Punjab to enforce martial law imposed by then-army chief Gen. Zia against civilian government in 1977.

Biography

Sawar Khan was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army in 1946 after his passing out from the OTS in Bangalore. As an army captain, Sawar served as an instructor gunnery at the School of Artillery. His combat services witnessed his participation in second and third war with India. In 1975-76, Maj-Gen. Sawar was posted in Army GHQ in Rawalpindi as an Adjutant-General.
On 24 March 1976, Major-General Sawar was informal by then-Defence Secretary, Ghulam Ishaq, of government's decision of retiring the commissions of seven army generals, with Sawar promoting to three-star rank. Lieutenant-General Sawar Khan was eventually appointed as the field commander of the XI Corps based in Peshawar. In 1978, Lt-Gen. Sawar Khan was posted as a field commander of the IV Corps in Lahore, taking over the command by Lt-Gen. Iqbal Khan.

Governorship of Punjab and vice-chief of army staff

In 1978, Lt-Gen. Sawar was appointed as martial law administrator and took over the governorship of Punjab, performing a difficult task in the province where the democratic movements were taking place.
In 1980, Lt-Gen. Sawar Khan was promoted to four-star rank and was posted as the Vice Chief of Army Staff under President Zia-ul-Haq at the Army GHQ in Rawalpindi. His views reflected the anti-Russian views and supported the covert operations against the Soviet Union intervened in Afghanistan, which he viewed as a direct threat to Pakistan. In 1984, Lt-Gen. Sawar sought retirement from the military and was eventually replaced by Lt-Gen. Khalid Mahmud Arif; and by the time, Sawar retired from the army, he built up his reputation in the army as a professional soldier.