46 Facts About Jehangir Karamat

Jehangir Karamat's tenure is regarded as his pivotal role in enhancing the democracy and the civilian control when he staunchly backed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's authorisation of atomic-testing programme in 1998.

On 6 October 1998, Karamat was forcibly relieved from his four-star commands by Prime minister Nawaz Sharif over a disagreement on national security and reforms of the intelligence community.

Jehangir Karamat is one of very few army generals in the military history of Pakistan to have resigned over a disagreement with the civilian authorities.

Jehangir Karamat has been credited for foresight prediction of the dangers of unbalanced civil-military relations and the rise of foreign-supported homegrown terrorism in the country.

Jehangir Karamat was born on 20 February 1941 in Karachi, Sindh in British Indian Empire, into a Pashtun-Kakazai family who initially hailed from Montgomery in Punjab.

Jehangir Karamat's father, Ahmad Karamat, was an officer in the Indian Civil Service with the Indian government who would later embarked his career as a bureaucrat in the Government of Pakistan after the partition of India in 1947.

Jehangir Karamat's mother moved with him in Kakul to overlook his education, and graduated with a class of 24th PMA Long Course, standing as a top-ranking cadet at Kakul when he conferred with the Sword of Honor in 1961.

In 1961, Jehangir Karamat gained commissioned as 2nd-Lt in the 13th Lancers of the Corps of Armoured.

Jehangir Karamat was directed to attend the Command and Staff College in Quetta where he was noted for his intellect and competence at every level of courses he took as required in the curriculum.

In 1976, Jehangir Karamat completed his MSc in International Relations from there; and following his return, Jehangir Karamat completed his master's programme at the National Defence University.

Jehangir Karamat was posted in his Armoured Corps to initially commanding a formation of main battle tanks.

Jehangir Karamat commanded an infantry platoon during the second war with India in the Akhnur Sector in the Indian-administered Kashmir.

Jehangir Karamat's platoon was the first unit that had penetrated 23 miles into the enemy territory, which encouraged backup military companies to move forward into the enemy territory.

Jehangir Karamat progressed well in the army, eventually promoted to captain in 1966; and elevated as major in 1971.

In 1971, Major Jehangir Karamat commanded the company of the Aromoured Corps on the Western Front of the third war with India, defending the territories of Punjab, Pakistan against the approaching Indian Army.

Jehangir Karamat was the commanding officer in the 15th Lancers attached to the Baloch Regiment, along with the 13th Lancers that was fighting in the Shakargarh area of Sialkot Sector, which is known as Battle of Barapind.

Jehangir Karamat was posted as an instructor at the Armed Forces War College of the National Defence University, instructing on courses War studies.

Jehangir Karamat was moved at the Air War College, and did not take participation in the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan during his teaching assignments beforing promoting as one-star rank army general in the Pakistan Army.

Jehangir Karamat returned from his combat duty, promoting to the two-star rank assignment at the Army GHQ.

From 1988 to 1991, Major-General Jehangir Karamat served as the DGl of the Directorate-General of the Military Operations, where he was credited with playing a crucial role in advancing the fighting capabilities of the Pakistan Army while he planned numerous military exercises for Pakistan Army, and reviewed the contingency operations in Kargil sector.

Jehangir Karamat was appointed as Director-General of the Pakistan Army Rangers in Sindh but this appointment was short-lived when he was promoted to the three-star rank in 1992.

In 1992, Lieutenant-General Jehangir Karamat was appointed as field command of the II Strike Corps, stationed in Multan, which he commanded until 1994.

Jehangir Karamat was eventually elevated as the Chief of General Staff at the Army GHQ under then-chief of army staff General Abdul Waheed Kakar.

Jehangir Karamat rose to public prominence when he had the Military Intelligence to infiltrate within the Pakistan Army to apprehend the rogue culprits for attempting a coup d'etat.

Jehangir Karamat's actions were widely perceived in the country, and for his efforts, General Karamat was conferred with national honours in public conventions and state gatherings.

General Jehangir Karamat reached to then-Speaker of the National Assembly Yousaf Raza Gillani and "leaked" an intelligence information and tried convincing Benazir Bhutto and President Leghari to resolve their issues, and emphasised to focus on good governance.

The appointment was met no resistance in the military, and General Jehangir Karamat appointed as Chairman joint chiefs; he supersedes no one.

General Jehangir Karamat drove Pakistan Armed Forces to focus on more professional duties rather than playing politics.

Jehangir Karamat worked on integrating Pakistan's military on a common platform, and had his staff worked on inter-services coordination in the battlefield.

Jehangir Karamat strengthened the joint work coordination and joint logistics of the military at the war time situations, resolving many issues that would hamper the performances of the inter-services in the war or peacetime situations.

Zinni'e meeting with Jehangir Karamat was described by Strobe Talbott as less contentious.

General Jehangir Karamat made it clear that the final decision would be carried out by the civilian government.

Although, General Jehangir Karamat debated towards presenting the national security and military point of view, the final decision was left on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's say.

On 6 October 1998, General Jehangir Karamat who lectured at the Naval War College in Karachi on the civic-military relations and presented the idea on reestablishing the official National Security Council where military could have representation in the country's politics.

General Jehangir Karamat openly spoke on the role of the internal intelligences, such as FIA and IB, carrying out vendettas-like operations against political opponents and insecurity-driven and expedient policies while Pakistan capsized, at the behest of the politicians.

At the military, Admiral Fasih Bokhari criticized General Jehangir Karamat for resigning but Jehangir Karamat defended his actions as "right thing" to do as he lost the confidence of a constitutionally and popularly elected Prime Minister.

Jehangir Karamat had significance influence on Bokhari and Musharraf's philosophy and critical thinking.

In 2000, Jehangir Karamat accepted the professorship of War studies at the CISAC Institute of the Stanford University in Stanford, California, United States.

In 2001, Jehangir Karamat joined the United Nations and was a part of the area study on Afghanistan.

Thereafter, Jehangir Karamat joined the influential Islamabad Policy Research Institute as the chairman of the board of governors.

In 2004, Jehangir Karamat was first mentioned and named for the appointment as the Pakistan Ambassador to the United States.

Jehangir Karamat's nomination came after the outgoing Pakistan Ambassador, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, termed was due expired.

On 10 December 2004, Karamat presented his credentials to President George W Bush.

On 23 March 2006, Pakistani news media reported that Ambassador Jehangir Karamat was to be replaced by retired Major General Mahmud Ali Durrani.

The reports further stated Ambassador Jehangir Karamat, who took his post on a two-year contract, would be returning home after only a year and a half.

General Jehangir Karamat is the director and contributor to the Spearhead Research Institute.