Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. ...

Samson Simon Sharaf is a retired officer in the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

and a Political Economist. He served in Pakistan's Army for 33 years, most notably in Nuclear Policy making. Despite being qualified in security and nuclear strategy, he prefers to call himself a political economist: the role of a modern strategist. In 2007, he became a columnist in national and international media. He also established his water treatment business on lines of Corporate Social Responsibility in cooperation with Nestle Pakistan. Most significant is removal of arsenic from drinking water in cooperation with his partners GEH Wasserchemie Germany. As a social service, he serves as a full time Rector of St. Mary's College Rawalpindi. Since retirement he became an active member of

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI; ur, , ) is a political party in Pakistan. It was founded in 1996 by Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The PTI is one of the thre ...

and served in Shadow Cabinet as the Spokesperson for Defense Production, Adviser to Chairman Imran Khan, member of Constitution Committee and Deputy Chairman of the party's Election Commission. The Election Commission since defunct was a state of the art computerized system connecting to each party member at grass roots. He is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

by faith.

Education

Holy Cross School Dhaka, Presentation Convent High School, Murree, St Josephs Lahore and

St. Anthony's High School (Lahore) , motto_translation = Knowledge with Virtue , established = , type = Private pre-school, primary, high school and college , gender = Boys , religion = Catholicism , denomination = , patron = St. Anthony of Padua , affiliations = , g ...

from where he did his Senior Cambridge in 1971. He completed F.Sc. from

Government College Lahore The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002. Overview In 1864, Gov ...

in 1972. He joined the

Pakistan Military Academy Pakistan Military Academy ( ur, ), also referred to by its acronym PMA. PMA is an officers training school located near Kakul village in the city and district of Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa established in 1947. It is the sole service academy ...

from where he graduated in 1974. In 1985, he obtained an honours degree in

Security Studies __NOTOC__ Security studies, also known as international security studies, is an academic sub-field within the wider discipline of international relations that studies organized violence, military conflict, national security, and internationa ...

from the

University of Balochistan The University of Balochistan (UB) (Urdu: جامعہ بلوچستان; Balochi: بلوچستان ء یونیورسٹی ), also known as Balochistan University, is a public university located in the downtown area of Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. ...

. He also attended

Quaid-i-Azam University Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad ( ur, ; commonly referred to as QAU), founded as University of Islamabad, is a ranked 1 public research university in Islamabad, Pakistan. Founded as the University of Islamabad in 1967, it was initially d ...

, Islamabad, from where he obtained a double M.Sc. in

Defence 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 indus ...

and Strategic studies in 1997. His dissertation was entitled ''Significance of

Kautilya Chanakya (Sanskrit: चाणक्य; IAST: ', ; 375–283 BCE) was an ancient Indian polymath who was active as a teacher, author, strategist, philosopher, economist, jurist, and royal advisor. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya o ...

in Strategic Thought with special Reference to India.''

Military career

He rose through the ranks of the

ending up as a Brigadier. He served as a military instructor in School of Infantry and Tactics and Pakistan Military Academy. He got his military training from L'Ecole Application de l'Infantrie France. In 1999, he also represented Pakistan in Pacific Armies Military Seminar. He commanded a newly raised infantry battalion 25 Sindh. He has served in the General Staff Branch of ''General Headquarters'' (''GHQ'') of the Pakistan Army. In 2005, the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

(Military). He has also been an honorary Colonel of the Battalion of 1st Sindh Regiment and 25 Sindh Regiment.

Current activities

As a columnist Sharaf has written nearly one thousand opinions for 'The Nation' 92 News and other newspapers. He is also a defence analyst, specialising in South Asia, Nuclear and International Political Economy.Pakistan Herald 4 December 2009
He is also currently the Rector of

St Mary’s College, Rawalpindi St Mary's College, Rawalpindi, is an institute of higher learning established by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi in 2006 to meet the growing educational needs of the region. It was first called the Ave Maria College of Profess ...

. He is also Chief Operating Officer of EcoTech Systems International Pakistan. This is a water treatment company specialising in ecological technologies and removal of Arsenic and other contamination from drinking water. Major clients includes Nestle Pakistan and KSB Pakistan. Operations also extend to Bangladesh and ASEAN. In school life Sharaf took boxing and long distance running as sports. His appetite for endurance motivated him into trekking and high altitude climbing. In 1982 he was part of the Swiss French Mountaineering Expedition that summitted Gashebrum 1, Hidden Peak 8068 M in the Korakoram Range Pakistan. Sylvain Saudain, skied from the summit to base camp. He has also trekked the entire perimeter of Pakistan on cross country vehicles, camels and on foot. In 2005, he criss crossed the entire Nara Desert of Pakistan. He calls himself a freckled soldier, just an age older. A drifter and powinda in search of a country he loves.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharaf, Samson Simon Pakistani Christians Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Pakistani generals Pakistani columnists Living people Government College University, Lahore alumni University of Balochistan alumni Quaid-i-Azam University alumni Pakistani political scientists Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf politicians St. Anthony's High School, Lahore alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Defence and security analysts in Pakistan