Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Chaudhary Sarfraz Ali (1 December 1968 – 1 August 2022) was a Pakistani

three-star rank Military star ranking is military terminology, used in mainly English speaking countries, to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One-star A one-star rank is usual ...

general who served as

Corps Commander Quetta The XII Corps is a field corps of the Pakistan Army currently headquartered in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan in Pakistan. With National Guard (Pakistan), reserves, Frontier Corps, paramilitary, and Civil Armed Forces, other military ...

and Commander of the

Azad Kashmir Regiment The Azad Kashmir Regiment (AK Regt) is one of the six infantry regiments in the Pakistan Army named after Azad Kashmir (Pakistan Administered Kashmir). It holds the distinction of being the only Battle Born Regiment in South Asia, formed by loc ...

until his death in a

helicopter crash A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

Early life

Chaudhary Sarfraz Ali was born in

Sargodha Sargodha (Punjabi language, Punjabi/; ; ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Central Punjab, central Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 11th most populous city and ...

Punjab, Pakistan Punjab (, ) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. With a population of over 127 million, it is the Demographics of Pakistan, most populous province in Pakistan and the List of first-level administrative divisions by popu ...

on 1 December 1968 to Squadron Leader Chaudhary Dewan Ali, who served in the

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

PAF Base Sargodha Pakistan Air Force Base Mushaf or more simply PAF Base Mushaf (formerly PAF Station Sargodha and PAF Base Sargodha), ) is a Pakistan Air Force airbase situated at Sargodha in Punjab, Pakistan. It is designated as a "Major Operational Base" (MOB ...

and as an instructor at

PAF College Sargodha PAF College Sargodha is a Pakistan Air Force operated boarding school located in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established in 1953. Founded as a feeding school for Pakistan Air Force Academy, it is now a public school since 1990 funded ...

. Sarfraz has four siblings, two brothers and two sisters. At the time of his death, it was reported that his mother was alive.

Personal life

Sarfraz married Arifa Sarfraz, the daughter of Major General Muhammad Arshad Chaudhary. They have two sons, Ahmed Ali, Muhammad Ali, and daughter Zainab. At the time of Sarfraz's death, Ahmed Ali, an officer in the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

, held the rank of Captain and served as his Aide-de-camp. Though he was initially meant to be onboard, a lack of available seats prevented him from traveling with his father. Just 10 days before the crash, Sarfraz planned his daughter Zainab's wedding ceremony.

Military career

At the age of 20, Sarfraz was commissioned into the

in the 16

after completing the 79th

Pakistan Military Academy Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) is a military academy located nearby Kakul village in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Established in October 1947, it is the only service academy in Pakistan that trains cadets to serve as army of ...

course in March 1989. Known for leading from the front, Sarfraz received his first

Tamgha-e-Basalat Tamgha-i-Basalat () is an award of the Pakistan Armed Forces. See also * Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces References External links Decorations and Medals of PakistanMilitary Awards of Pakistan
(archived 5 July 2009 ...

in 2005 and second in 2008 for his gallantry in commanding Pakistani units during

Operation Rah-e-Rast Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

and

Operation Zarb-e-Azb Operation Zarb-e-Azb (Pashto/ ALA-LC: ; ) was a joint military offensive conducted by the Pakistan Armed Forces against various militant groups, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Tu ...

. From 2012 to 2014, he commanded the

111th Infantry Brigade The 111th Independent Infantry Brigade Group, commonly known as the 111th Brigade or Triple-1 Brigade, is an infantry brigade of the Pakistan Army notable for its frequent involvement and fast response in military coup d'etats since Pakistani in ...

. He served as Pakistan's

defence attaché Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

from 2014 to 2017. In January 2018, he was appointed as Commandant of

Command and Staff College Quetta The Command and Staff College Quetta is a staff college for the Pakistan Armed Forces and military officers from allied countries. Established in 1905 as Staff College, Deolali, it was later shifted to its present location in 1907 and has been ...

. On 25 October 2018, he was appointed Director General of

Military Intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

. He was appointed Commander of the

XII Corps 12th Corps, Twelfth Corps, or XII Corps may refer to: * 12th Army Corps (France) * XII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, a unit of the Imperial German Army * XII ( ...

in December 2020, where he served until his death in August 2022.

Commander 111th Infantry Brigade

On 12 January 2012 when Sarfraz was promoted to Brigadier and appointed as the Commander of the

, the Pakistani Government, Pakistani media and Indian media speculated that a

Coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

was about to take place due to Sarfraz's posting at a time when Prime Minister Gillani had accused

COAS Chief of the Army Staff or Chief of Army Staff, which is generally abbreviated as COAS, is a title commonly used for the appointment held by the most senior staff officer or the chief commander in several nations' armies. * Chief of Army Staff ( ...

General Kayani and DG ISI

Pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

of violating the constitution by submitting "illegal" replies against Zardari to the Supreme Court on the memogate scandal, which President Zardari sent to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

begging the American Government to save him from the

. The rumors started by the government and media later turned out to be false as there was no

and just a routine change of command. While commanding the brigade, Sarfraz led the recovery efforts for the

Bhoja Air Flight 213 Bhoja Air Flight 213 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight operated by Pakistani private airline Bhoja Air from Karachi to Islamabad. On 20 April 2012, the Boeing 737-236A aircraft serving the route crashed in bad weather during the final ...

which crashed in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

on 20 April 2012. During the

2014 Azadi March The 2014 Tsunami March (), also called the Azadi movement, was a protest march in Pakistan from 14 August to 17 December 2014. The march was organized by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) against the Pakistani ...

, he led a team of officers to disperse protestors from the

Pakistan Awami Tehreek The Pakistan Awami Tehreek commonly known as PAT () (''Pakistan People's Movement'') is a political party in Pakistan, founded by Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, took part in general elections in 1990 and 2002. Manifesto Pakistan Awami Tehreek pres ...

(PAT) and

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan established in 1996 by cricketer and politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is led by Gohar Ali Khan since late 2023. ...

(PTI) who were demonstrating outside the

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I ...

headquarters against

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...

and his government.

Defence attaché

Sarfraz served as Pakistan's

Defence attaché Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

from 2014 to 2017. In July 2016, he was invited to give a speech at the

Naval Postgraduate School Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a Naval command with a graduate university mission, operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. The NPS mission is to provide "defense-focused graduate education, including clas ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to the students of the schools National Security Affairs, South Asia curriculum. He informed them about the

's campaign against extremism, terrorism, and securing the AFG-PAK border. Sarfraz was also known for being a cook as he would prepare breakfast for fellows/unit officers who arrived from

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and were posted at the embassy. While serving in this position, he was promoted to Major General on 9 February 2017.

DG ISI and Army Chief prospect

In October 2021, Sarfraz was among three generals interviewed by

Prime Minister Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician, philanthropist, and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He was the founder of the political party Pak ...

for the post of

Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence The Director-General (DG) is head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, intelligence service, operationally responsible for providing critical national security and intelligence assessment to the governm ...

Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad (; born 6 November 1950) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 38th Interior Minister of Pakistan in Imran Khan government from 2020 to 2022. He is the founder and leader of Awami Muslim League, and also maintains cl ...

stated on an interview that

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician, philanthropist, and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He was the founder of the political party Pak ...

wanted to appoint Sarfraz, as

after

Qamar Javed Bajwa Qamar Javed Bajwa (; born 11 November 1960) is a retired Pakistani four-star general who served as the tenth chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan from 29 November 2016 to 29 November 2022. In 2018, he was ranked 68th in the ''Forbes'' list of ...

's retirement.

Legacy

Sarfraz avoided publicity and never took credit for the work he did for

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

. In addition, he was an avid reader and his colleagues state that he was humble, open-minded, and easily accessible to civilian leaders. Sarfraz focused on women's education and their skill development. He renovated several schools in the area, notably establishing two women cadet colleges in

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

, and requested the local authorities and media to not credit or mention him for this work. He helped famous Baloch folk singers

Akhtar Chanal Zahri Akhtar Chanal Zahri (born 1954) is a Baloch people, Baloch folk singer. He is famous for his singing in ''Coke Studio Pakistan''. Career Akhtar Chanal Zahri was born at Khuzdar, Balochistan, Pakistan in 1954. In 1964, Akhtar Chanal started tak ...

and Jangi Khan get free treatment in

Combined Military Hospitals Combined Military Hospitals (, abbreviated as CMH) are Pakistan Armed Forces hospitals situated in various cantonments of Pakistan. History During the British Raj, the British Indian Army troops depended for their medical treatment entirely o ...

. Lt Col Ahmed Nawaz adds that whenever a Pakistani soldiers funeral was brought, Sarfraz would lead the funeral prayer and his eyes would be filled with tears upon kissing the coffin of the soldier. His subordinates recall that Sarfraz was very kind towards them, always led from the front, and was known for being tough on soldiers who were slacking in their work.

Helicopter crash

On 1 August 2022,

Pakistan Army Aviation Corps The Pakistan Army Corps of Aviation is a Military administration, military administrative and combined arms service Military branch, branch of the Pakistan Army. The Aviation Corps is tasked with configuration of all army aviation aircraft a ...

Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil The Airbus Helicopters H125, previously the Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil, or Squirrel, is a single-engine light utility helicopter designed and originally manufactured by the French corporation Aérospatiale, and later by Eurocopter, now Air ...

carrying six officers, including Sarfraz, Director General

Pakistan Coast Guards The Pakistan Coast Guards (abbreviation: PCG) () is a maritime law enforcement agency of the Civil Armed Forces of Pakistan. It is managed and controlled by the Pakistan Army, with a mission of riverine operations and coastal operations includ ...

Brigadier (approved Maj Gen) Amjad Hanif, Brigadier Muhammad Khalid, Pilot Major Saeed Ahmed, Co-Pilot Major Muhammad Talha Manan and Naik Mudassir Fayyaz (helicopter crew) went missing during flood relief operations in

Balochistan, Pakistan Balochistan (; ; , ) is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Khybe ...

. On 2 August 2022, the wreckage of the helicopter was found with no survivors.

Funeral

Their

Janaza Islamic funerals () follow fairly specific Ritual#Islam, rites, though they are subject to regional interpretation and variation in custom. In all cases, however, sharia (Islamic religious law) calls for burial of the body as soon as possible. T ...

was offered in

garrison on 3 August 2022, with the

CJCSC The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) is, in principle, the highest-ranking and senior most uniformed military officer, typically at four-star rank, in the Pakistan Armed Forces who serves as a principal staff officer (PSO) and ...

, and other high ranking army officers and politicians attending. Sarfraz was buried in Shuhada graveyard in

Reactions

Domestic

* — Chairman PTI, Former

offered his condolences to the families of all the victims on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

, stating that he had found Sarfraz to be “a thorough professional and an upright, honest human being.” Khan visited the home of Sarfraz on 6 August 2022 to offer condolences. * — Journalist

Arshad Sharif Arshad Sharif (; 22 February 1973 – 23 October 2022) was a Pakistani journalist, writer, and news anchor. He specialized in investigative journalism and covered many political events in the country for national and international news organisa ...

tweeted, “Praying to Allah to protect and save the brave sons of Pakistan 🇵🇰 Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali, Mj Gen Amjad, Engr Cmdr Brig Khalid, Maj Saeed (Pilot), Maj Talha (Co-Pilot), Naik Mudassir. Allah let there be a miracle to save them. Ameen.” * —

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Cabinet of Pakistan, cabinet, desp ...

tweeted, "Nation is deeply grieved on the martyrdom of Lt. General Sarfraz Ali & 5 other officers of Pakistan Army. They were doing a sacred duty of providing relief to flood affectees. Will remain eternally indebted to these sons of soil. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families!" He visited the home of Sarfraz to offer condolences on 17 August 2022.

International

— On 5 August 2022, a statement released by the

United Arab Emirates Army The United Arab Emirates Army (UAEA) is the land force branch of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces.The UAE Armed Forces were officially formed in 1976, unifying the military forces of the individual emirates under a single command. History ...

's media wing stated the

President of the UAE The president of the United Arab Emirates (), or the Raʾīs (), is the head of state of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The president and vice presidents are ''de jure'' elected every five years by the Federal Supreme Council, and the prime ...

Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 11 March 1961), also known as MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who is serving as the third and current president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi since 2022. Mohamed completed his e ...

expressed "his deepest condolences of the tragic loss of precious lives due to the crash." — On 6 August 2022,

Chairman of the General Staff The Chairman of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (abbreviated COGS) also known as the ''"Chief of the General Staff"'' is the chief and highest ranking officer of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces. He usually holds the highest military rank wi ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

Fayyadh Al Ruwaili, expressed his "deepest condolences" on a phone call with military leadership. — On 19 August 2022,

Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States The Pakistan Ambassador to the United States is in charge of the Pakistan Embassy, Washington, D.C., and Pakistan's diplomatic mission to the United States. The official title is Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United Sta ...

Masood Khan Masood Khan () is a retired Pakistani-Kashmiri diplomat who served as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States. Khan also served as the 27th President of Azad Kashmir. Khan joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1980. From August 2003 to ...

, told reporters that the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

and

Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs ...

expressed their condolences over the losses. He went on to say that Sarfraz was an extremely humane and kind-hearted person who always helped the needy and was also popular in Washington.

Memorials

On 3 November 2022, the first ''Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali Shaheed Junior Tennis Tournament'' was held in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

which was hosted by tournament director Inam-ul-Haq. On 13 December 2022, the first ''Lt. General Sarfraz Shaheed Football Tournament'' was held in

Loralai Loralai (, ), also known as Bori (), is a Pakistani city that serves both as the division headquarter of Loralai Division and the district headquarter of Loralai District. It is located in the northeastern part of Balochistan province of Paki ...

with the aim of the tournament to promote sports culture in the area.

Awards and decorations

Foreign decorations

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Chaudhary Sarfraz 1968 births 2022 deaths People from Sargodha People from Punjab, Pakistan 2022 in Balochistan, Pakistan Pakistan Army lieutenant generals People from Sargodha District Pakistan Command and Staff College alumni Pakistani military attachés 21st-century Pakistani military personnel People from Sialkot Pakistan Military Academy alumni Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2022 Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz 20th-century Pakistani military personnel National Defence University, Pakistan alumni Military personnel from Punjab, Pakistan Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents in Pakistan