{{infobox military unit , unit_name = 12th Infantry Division , image = , caption = , dates = 1948- Present , country = {{PAK , allegiance = , branch = {{army, PAK , type = Division , role = , size = 75,000 men (though this may vary as units are rotated) , command_structure =

X Corps (Pakistan) The X Corps is a field corps of Pakistan Army, currently headquartered in Chaklala Cantonment, Punjab, Pakistan. Together with the I Corps, it has an area of responsibility to protect the Kashmir region— the side only which Pakistan administ ...

, garrison =

Murree Murree () is a mountain resort city in the northernmost region of the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Lying in the Galyat region of the Pir Panjal Range under the western Himalayas, it forms the outskirts of the Islamabad–Rawal ...

Punjab (Pakistan) Punjab (, ) is a province of Pakistan. With a population of over 127 million, it is the most populous province in Pakistan and the second most populous subnational polity in the world. Located in the central-eastern region of the country, i ...

, garrison_label = Headquarters , nickname = Chinar Division , patron = , motto = , colors = Green & Red , colors_label = Colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

Siachen conflict The Siachen conflict, sometimes referred to as the Siachen Glacier conflict or the Siachen War, was a military conflict Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts, between India and Pakistan over the disputed Siachen Glacier region in Kashmir. The conf ...

Indo-Pakistani War of 1999 The Kargil War, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh, then part of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also ...

War on terror , anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = , disbanded = , flying_hours = , website = , commander1 = Major-General Muhammad Irfan , commander1_label =

General Officer Commanding General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

, commander2 =Major General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani
Major General Shahid Aziz
Major General Akhtar Abdur Rehman
Major General Akhtar Hussain Malik , commander2_label = Notable Commanders , commander3 = , commander3_label = , commander4 = , commander4_label = , identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_label = , identification_symbol_2 = , identification_symbol_2_label = , identification_symbol_3 = , identification_symbol_3_label = , identification_symbol_4 = , identification_symbol_4_label = , aircraft_attack = , aircraft_bomber = , aircraft_electronic = , aircraft_fighter = , aircraft_helicopter = , aircraft_helicopter_attack = , aircraft_helicopter_cargo = , aircraft_helicopter_multirole = , aircraft_helicopter_observation = , aircraft_helicopter_transport = , aircraft_helicopter_utility = , aircraft_interceptor = , aircraft_patrol = , aircraft_recon = , aircraft_trainer = , aircraft_transport = 12th Infantry Division is a frontline formation of the Pakistani Army, headquartered in The

Hills Cantonment. It's deployed under

X Corps 10th Corps, Tenth Corps, or X Corps may refer to: France * 10th Army Corps (France) * X Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * X Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * ...

and it operates under the vast expanse of the

LOC LOC, L.O.C., Loc, LoC, or locs may refer to: Places * Lóc, a village in Sângeorgiu de Pădure, Mureș County, Romania * Lócs, a village in Vas county, Hungary * Line of Contact, meeting place of Western and Eastern Allied forces at the end ...

. It's Brigades are deployed all across

Azad Jammu Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir ( ), is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...

and the

Line of Control The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but ser ...

, starting from just short of the

Kargil Kargil or Kargyil is a City in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TERTIARY, tert ...

area to Tattapani. Its operational units total out to 6 Infantry Brigades, 1 Divisional

Artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

brigade and a number of supporting units of

Air Defence Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

Supply Supply or supplies may refer to: *The amount of a resource that is available **Supply (economics), the amount of a product which is available to customers **Materiel, the goods and equipment for a military unit to fulfill its mission *Supply, as ...

Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

Signals A signal is both the process and the result of Signal transmission, transmission of data over some transmission media, media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processin ...

and Remount & Veterinary Corps.It's the largest division of the

Pakistani 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 ...

and oversees frequent skirmishes at the border. The Division specialises in

Mountain warfare Mountain warfare or alpine warfare is warfare in mountains or similarly rough terrain. The term encompasses military operations affected by the terrain, hazards, and factors of combat and movement through rough terrain, as well as the strategies ...

, counter-insurgency, and relief operations under extreme conditions. Its Area of Responsibility includes some of the most sensitive and contested sectors such as

Bhimber Bhimber () is a town and the headquarters of the eponymous district in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir. The town and district are between the Jammu region of Indian-administered Kashmir and Pakistan proper, about by road southeast of M ...

Kotli Kotli ( Pahari-Pothwari / ; ) is a city and headquarters of the Kotli District in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir. The city lies along the Poonch River, which is known for its natural secenary and waterfalls. According to the 2017 Census ...

Rawalakot Rawalakot () is the capital of Poonch District, Pakistan, Poonch district in Pakistan–administered Azad Kashmir, in the disputed Kashmir region. It is located in the Pir Panjal Range. History 1947 Poonch rebellion On 15 June 1947, Sarda ...

and

Neelum Valley Neelum (spelt also ''Neelam''; ) is a district of Pakistan-administered territory of Azad Kashmir, in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir disput ...

History

The division was formed in 1948, from troops allocated to Pakistan from the old

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

. It was the first division sized formation to be created by the Pakistan Army (the three prior ones, 7th (Golden Arrow), 8th and 10th infantry divisions predated Pakistan).

1948 Kashmir War

The division went into combat against the Indian army in Kashmir. A notable action was the recapturing of

Skardu Skardu (, Tibetan script: སྐར་མདོ, ) is a city located in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...

from the Indian forces, accomplished with help from tribesmen from the tribal areas.

1965 Indo-Pakistani War

In between the wars the division was active on the ceasefire line, where fighting broke out on several occasions. In 1965 the division undertook

Operation Grand Slam Operation Grand Slam was a key military operation of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It refers to a plan drawn up by the Pakistan Army in May 1965, that consisted of an attack on the vital Akhnoor Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The br ...

, whereby under the command of 7th Infantry Division, it attacked and captured Chamb, and then moved on and captured territory beyond the river Tawi, ending up in a position 6 km ahead of

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

. Although its performance was greatly lauded at the time, its commander Maj-Gen Akhtar Hussain Malik was privately criticised by General

Ayub Khan Mohammad Ayub Khan (14 May 1907 – 19 April 1974) was a Pakistani military dictator who served as the second president of Pakistan from 1958 until his resignation on 1969. He was the first native commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army, se ...

, 5 km from LoC Indian forces, attack Haji Peer Pass and Pakistan force attack and capture Rajouri sector three months (this would not be retaken until after the ceasefire).

1971 Indo-Pakistani War

Six years later, the division went into action again, this time in Poonch-Ranjouri sector. Despite being outnumbered by Indian forces, the formation managed to advance nearly 50 km, all the way to Ranjouri. Unfortunately dogged Indian resistance meant that it was unable to capture Poonch itself. During the war, it was commanded by Maj-Gen Mohammad Akbar Khan.

Recent history

Since 1971, the formation had been deployed on the

, dividing the Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, where sporadic fights break out with Indian forces, and occasionally full-fledged actions develop. In 1991, the division defeated an Indian incursion into the Neelum Valley.

List of GOCs (Commanders)

* Maj. Gen. Adam Khan, MC (1952) * Maj. Gen. Sheikh Muhammad Afzal * Maj. Gen. M Yousuf Afridi * Maj. Gen. Shaukat Ali Shah * Maj. Gen. (Lt. Gen.) Shahid Aziz * Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.)

Attiqur Rahman Mohammed Attiqur Rahman ( Punjabi, ) (24 June 1918 – 1 June 1996), also known by his nickname as General Turk, was a senior general in the Pakistan Army, a noted military historian, and a senior government official. He was the martial law admi ...

* Maj. Gen. Akhtar Hussain Malik; GOC during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War * Maj. Gen. ShirinDil Khan Niazi 1966-1970 * Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.) Mohammad Akbar Khan * Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.) Abdul Majeed Malik 1972-1973 * Maj. Gen. (later Gen.)

Akhtar Abdur Rahman Akhtar Abdur Rahman (11 June 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistan Army general who served as the 5th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1987 until his death in 1988. He previously served as the 12th Director-General of Inter-Servic ...

1974-77 * Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.)

Zulfiqar Akhtar Naaz Zulfiqar or Zulfaqar (, ), also spelled ''Zu al-Faqar'', ''Zulfakar'', ''Dhu al-Faqar'', or ''Dhulfaqar)'', is the sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib that was distinguished by having a double blade. Middle Eastern weapons are commonly inscribed with a ...

, HI(M), S(BT) Jan 1984 - May 1988 * Maj. Gen. Mehtab khan (Baloch Regt) (Defence Sectary Azad Kashmir) * Maj. Gen. Zia ul Haq * Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.)

Ghulam Muhammad Malik Ghulam Muhammad Malik (also called G.M. Malik) is a Pakistani former military officer who commanded the 10 Corps, Rawalpindi of the Pakistan Army. 10 Corps was responsible for defending the entire Line of Control between Pakistan administered Ka ...

1990-1992 * Maj. Gen. Tassaduq Hussain * Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.) Tariq Parvez 1992-1995 * Maj. Gen. M Anwar KKhan * Maj. Gen. (later Gen.)

Ashfaq Parvez Kayani Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (Urdu: ; born 20 April 1952), is a retired four-star general of the Pakistan Army who served as the eighth chief of army staff, being appointed on 29 November 2007 after his predecessor Pervez Musharraf retired from his ...

, NI(M), HI(M) 1999-2001 * Maj. Gen. (Lt. Gen.) Shahid Aziz, HI(M) 2001 * Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.) Waseem Ahmad Ashraf, HI(M) Oct 2001 - July 2004 * Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.) Khalid Nawaz Khan, HI(M) 2004 -2006 * Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.)

Zaheer-ul-Islam Zaheer-ul-Islam HI (M), () is a retired lieutenant-general of the Pakistan Army who served as the 25th Director General of the ISI. He was appointed to the position on 9 March 2012 and began working a day after his predecessor Ahmed Shuja Pas ...

, HI(M) 2006-2008 * Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.) Maqsood Ahmad, HI(M) September 2008 - April 2010 * Maj. Gen. Sohail Ahmad Khan, HI(M) April 2010 - October 2011 * Maj. Gen. Syed Najam ul Hassan Shah, HI(M) October 2011 - July 2013 * Maj. Gen. Faheem ul Aziz July 2013 - March 2015 * Maj. Gen. Muhammad Kaleem Asif, HI(M) February 2015 – January 2017 * Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.) Azhar Abbas, HI(M) January 2017 - May 2018 * Maj. Gen. (later Lt. Gen.). Amer Ahsan Nawaz, HI(M) May 2018 - December 2020 * Maj. Gen Wajid Aziz, Dec 2020 - Jan 2023 * Maj. Gen Muhammad Irfan, Punjab Regt, Jan 2023-

References

* Global Security Website. * Pakistan Army; A History, by Brian Cloughly. Divisions of the Pakistan Army Military units and formations established in 1948 Murree