Mirza Aslam Baig, also known as M.A. Baig, served as the third chief of the Pakistan Army from 1988 to 1991 and retired as a four-star rank general.
Biography
Mirza Aslam Baig was born on 2 August 2, 1931, in the small village of Muslimpatti in the Azamgarh District in British India to a Muslim Muhajir family. His family was well known for its Mughal nobility. His father, Mirza Murtaza Baig, was a professional advocate well-known and respected in Allahabad High Court.
Education
He went to a Local High School in Azamgarh, and for undergraduate studies, he went to Shibli National College. He got a BA degree from Shibli National College in 1949. Mirza played hockey during his college times and was an active member of his team.
His family went to Karachi from Bombay after separation. Mirza’s elder brother was in the Pakistan army. He motivated his younger brother to seek a career in the Pakistan army. Mirza called Pakistan “my dream country”. Mirza graduated from a class of 6th PMA long course in 1952.
Military Services
He was ranked 2 Lieutenant in the 6 Baloch Regiment of the Pakistan Army and assisted in the command of an infantry platoon. In 1956, he was promoted to lieutenant. In 1958, he was made army captain.
The army recommended him to join special forces, and he went to the United States in 1958 to complete the training with US Army Special Forces. In 1960, he returned to Pakistan and joined the elite army special services group SSG.
Baig was posted in Western Pakistan areas adjacent to Afghanistan. In 1965, the second war between Pakistan and India, he performed well in leading the special forces. In 1967, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
In 1971, Mirza moved to East Pakistan as a military adviser. His arguments with his seniors became the cause of his transfer back to Pakistan. Mirza has threats to face a court martial. He was the commandant in 1971 during the third war between Pakistan and India.
In 1972, he completed his MSc in War Studies and published his thesis “A Journey of Pain and Fear”. Baig left special forces and accepted a professorship on war studies at NDU. Till 1999, Baig continued teaching at NDU. During this period, he published his two books.
Major General and Three-star General
In 1978, Baig left the professorship and was promoted to Major General. , and was appointed as the GOC of the 14th Army Division in the Okara Military district of Pakistan.
In March 1979, Baig objected to the decision to hang Bhutto. He said it could cause severe political problems, which would be difficult to correct. He got a promotion and became chief of the general staff.
In 1985, Baig was promoted to a three-star general and was appointed commander of XI Corps in Peshawar. According to the information, Zia Ul Haq doesn’t trust Baig due to his open-mindedness and pro-democracy views.
Vice Army Chief and Army Chief
In 1987, Baig was appointed as vice army chief on merit by Prime Minister MK Junijo. On August 17 1988, President Zia died in an airplane crash, and eventually, Mirza Aslam Baig was the new army chief. American Military officers regarded Baig as a Mild but Bookish general who wanted to drive the country towards democracy.
According to the information, Baig was not friendly with the US and didn’t cooperate with them as ZIa did. He was an open-minded army chief and had no political intentions.
Awards
He has awarded “Nishan-e-Imtiaz”, “Hilal-e-Imtiaz”, “Sitara-e-Basalat”, “Tamgha-e-Difa”, “Sitara-e-Harb 1965 war”, “Sitara-e-Harb 1971 war”, “Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War”, “Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War”, “10 Years Service Medal”, “20 Years Service Medal”, “30 Years Service Medal”, “Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam”, “Tamgha-e-Jamhuria”, “Hijri Tamgha”, “Jamhuriat Tamgha”, “Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha”.
Literature and Articles
Mirza has written many books. His famous books are “National Security: Diplomacy and Defence”, and “Development and Security: thoughts and Reflections.
Aslam was a literary person; he also published articles. Again, the famous one is “The Superpower under Siege”, published in The Nation on March 24, 2013. “Pak-US relations: Terms of engagement” posted in The Nation on August 21, 2011.
Conclusion
Mirza Aslam Baig was a true soldier. He spent a tidy service in the Pak Army. Mirza has focused on his job only. He remains out of the dirty politics in Pakistan. Besides being a soldier, he was a writer as well. He wrote many books and articles.