General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
Zubair Mahmood Hayat (born 1960) is a retired
four-star rank
army general
Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System.
In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of general commanding an army in the field, but in coun ...
of the
Pakistan Army who served as the 16th
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) ( ur, ) 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 and ...
from 28 November 2016 until his retirement on 27 November 2019.
Biography
Zubair Mahmood Hayat was born into a
military family, and his father, Mohammad Aslam Hayat, served in the
Pakistan Army, retiring as a
major-general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
.
After graduating from a local high school, Hayat joined the
Pakistan Army in 1978, and entered in 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 ...
in
Kakul
Kakul (Kakol) is a village situated in the Tehsil and District Abbottabad, at an elevation of 1300 metres, 5 km northeast of center of Abbottabad city near the Thandiani Hills. Abbottabad is a District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Paki ...
where he
passed out with a class of 62nd PMA Long Course from the
PMA Kakul in 1980.
Hayat gained a
commission as
2nd-Lt. in the
3rd (SP) Medium,
Artillery Corps on 24 October 1980.
Lt. Hayat was further trained as a
forward observer
An artillery observer, artillery spotter or forward observer (FO) is responsible for directing artillery and mortar fire onto a target. It may be a ''forward air controller'' (FAC) for close air support (CAS) and spotter for naval gunfire sup ...
at the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
's
Field Artillery School
The United States Army Field Artillery School (USAFAS) trains Field Artillery Soldiers and Marines in tactics, techniques, and procedures for the employment of fire support systems in support of the maneuver commander. The school further develop ...
in
Fort Sill,
Oklahoma, United States, where he qualified and graduated as an
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
specialist.
In the United Kingdom, he attended the
Staff College
Staff colleges (also command and staff colleges and War colleges) train military officers in the administrative, military staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career. For e ...
in
Camberley, United Kingdom, and is a graduate of the
National Defence University in national security coursework. In 2000–2001,
Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...
Hyatt commanded the infantry regiment during the times of
military tension between India and Pakistan.
In 2002–04,
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Hayat was posted by the
Ministry of Defence on a diplomatic assignment, serving as a
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
and
air attaché
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
at the
High Commission of Pakistan in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, United Kingdom. In 2004–07,
Col. Hayat was later posted as a
defence attaché at the
Embassy of Pakistan in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, United States.
In 2007, Col. Hayat was promoted to
one-star army general, and moved to the
Army GHQ after being recalled to Pakistan. Subsequently,
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. I ...
Hayat was appointed as
Chief of Staff to the
Chief of Army Staff's office, where he served until 2010.
In 2010–12,
Brig. Hayat was promoted to the
two-star rank;
Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Hayat was appointed as a
GOC of the
15th Infantry Division, stationed in
Sialkot Cantt.
In 2013,
Lieutenant-General Hayat was elevated as a field commander of the
XXXI Corps, stationed in
Bahawalpur
Bahawalpur () is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. With inhabitants as of 2017, it is Pakistan's 11th most populous city.
Founded in 1748, Bahawalpur was the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur, ruled by the Abbasi fa ...
but this appointment remained short-lived. In December 2013, he was appointed as
Director-General
A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals''
) or general director is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer, within a governmen ...
of the
Strategic Plans Division Force
Strategic Plans Division Force or (SPD Force) ( ur, ) is Pakistan's agency responsible for the protection of its tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile and the strategic assets. It is the security branch of the National Command Author ...
(SPD Force), which is responsible for providing protection to the country's
nuclear arsenals.
In 2015,
Lt-Gen. Hayat was again posted at the
Army GHQ and appointed as the
Chief of General Staff under
army chief General
Raheel Sharif
General Raheel Sharif (Urdu: ; born 16 June 1956), is a retired four-star army general of the Pakistan Army who served as the 9th Chief of Army Staff from 29 November 2013 to 29 November 2016. After his retirement as Pakistan's army chief, he ...
.
Chairman joint chiefs
In 2016,
Prime Minister Sharif confirmed the timely retirement of
Chairman Joint Chiefs General
Rashad Mahmood, while General
Raheel Sharif
General Raheel Sharif (Urdu: ; born 16 June 1956), is a retired four-star army general of the Pakistan Army who served as the 9th Chief of Army Staff from 29 November 2013 to 29 November 2016. After his retirement as Pakistan's army chief, he ...
dismissed rumours of seeking the extension for his term.
Initially, the race for the appointment for the army chief was rumored to be between Lt-Gen. Hayat and Lt-Gen.
Javed Ramday who was close to the
first family. At the time of this promotion, Lt-Gen. Hayat was the most senior military officer in the military, and Prime Minister Sharif announced to appoint him as the
Chairman Joint Chiefs.
On 28 November 2016, Prime Minister Sharif announced the appointment of the junior-most General
Javed Bajwa as the
chief of army staff, superseding two senior army generals who were retired from their respective
military service
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...
s.
In 2016, Gen. Hayat was awarded with
Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military).
In March 2019, at a conference organised by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), in collaboration with the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Center for Entrepreneurial Development (CED),
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
, he categorically underlined the historical foundation of Pakistan in
Mehrgarh
Mehrgarh (; ur, ) is a Neolithic archaeological site (dated ) situated on the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan in Pakistan. It is located near the Bolan Pass, to the west of the Indus River and between the modern-day Pakistani cities of Quetta, ...
, and the mistakes made by United States in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, in his key note address.
Reception and family background
In Pakistan's
news media
The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), and ...
, Hayat is rumored to have been gifted with an
eidetic memory
Eidetic memory ( ; more commonly called photographic memory or total recall) is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period of time—after seeing it only onceThe terms ''eidetic memory'' and ''pho ...
, and a sharp reader.
Zubair Mahmood Hayat is born into a
military family, and his father, Mahmood Aslam Hayat, briefly served in the
Pakistan Army, retiring as a
major-general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
.
He has also served as PSO to
General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (Urdu: ; born 20 April 1952), is a retired four-star general of the Pakistan Army who served as the 8th Chief of Army Staff , being appointed on 29 November 2007 after his predecessor Pervez Musharraf retired fro ...
. His younger brother, Lt-Gen.
O.M. Hyatt, had briefly served as
chairman of the
Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) before being transferred and posted at the
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
while his youngest sibling, Ahmad Mahmood Hayat served as a Director General in the
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI; ur, , bayn khadamatiy mukhabarati) is the premier intelligence agency of Pakistan. It is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing any information from around the world that is deemed relevant ...
(ISI).
Awards and decorations
Foreign decorations
See also
*
Indo-Pakistani relations
*
India-Pakistan military confrontation (2016-present)
References
External links
Chairman Joint Chiefs
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayat, Zubair Mahmood
1960s births
Punjabi people
People from Lahore
Pakistan Military Academy alumni
Pakistani expatriates in the United States
Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley
National Defence University, Pakistan alumni
Pakistani diplomats
Pakistani military attachés
Pakistani generals
Chairmen Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz
Living people