Abdul Aziz Mirza (; born 1943) is a retired

Pakistan Navy The Pakistan Navy (PN) (; ''romanized'': Pākistān Bahrí'a; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Com ...

admiral who served as the 15th Chief of Naval Staff from 1999 until retiring in 2002, after taking over the command of the Navy following the revolt and resignation Admiral Fasih Bokhari over the appointment of Chairman joint chiefs. After retiring from the Navy, he briefly tenured as the Pakistan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2001 to 2005 and later became the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of The Centaurus in

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

. During his military service in the Navy, Admiral Mirza is given credit for commissioning the country's first ingeniously and locally built long-range submarine, the Agosta 90B submarine in 1999.

Biography

Early life and naval career

Abdul Aziz Mirza was born in a small town, Dhamali Kallar Syedan, 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 ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, in 1943. He was born into an influential military family, and his father briefly enlisted in the

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 ...

, retiring as

chief warrant officer Chief warrant officer is a senior warrant officer rank, used in many countries. Canadian Armed Forces In the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), a chief warrant officer or CWO is the most senior non-commissioned member (NCM) rank for army and air fo ...

(CWO) in the Frontier Force Regiment of 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 ...

. After he graduated from local high school, he went to attend the Military College Jhelum and secured his graduation before joining the

in 1961. After graduation, Mirza applied for the

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 ...

and was selected with

Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...

and PQ Mehdi for the interview by the commandants in 1961. After passing the physical, he was studied at the

with Pervez Musharraf who remained his life-long friend and Ali Kuli Khan. He was later sent to attend the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. List of naval academies See also

* Military academy {{Authority control Naval academies, Naval lists ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

where he was trained for his basic training and gained military commission as Sub-Lieutenant in the Naval Operations Branch in the Navy in 1964. He was trained as a surface warfare officer and participated in second war with

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1965 against the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

as a gunnery specialist. In the war of 1965 he served in PNS Dhaka. In 1969–71, Lt. Mirza served in the Submarine Command before reporting at the Naval Base Iqbal where he underwent in training as a military diver and war specialist in the Navy SEALs Teams of the Special Services Group of the Navy, later serving in the Eastern Pakistan where he participating in

counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN, or NATO spelling counter-insurgency) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the ac ...

operations before being assigned at the Submarine Command. After the war, he began engage with his studies and went to join the French War College where he graduated with a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

War studies War studies, sometimes called polemology, is the multi-disciplinary study of war. It pertains to the military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfa ...

. In 1980s, he served on the faculty at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

in Karachi and taught English at the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. List of naval academies See also

* Military academy {{Authority control Naval academies, Naval lists ...

, also in Karachi.

Staff and Command appointments

Throughout his career in Navy, Mirza commanded two submarines– the ''Daphné'' and ''Agosta 70''. Mirza also commanded the

guided missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers which have a pr ...

and a fleet of tankers as an officer in the Navy. In 1990, he was posted at the Navy NHQ as a Naval Secretary, and held

officer commanding The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually giv ...

assignments, first serving as the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) of the 25th Destroyer Squadron as Commodore in 1993. In 1994, he was promoted as

Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

and made Additional Secretary at the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

, working on various defence and procurement programmes. In 1994, he led series of complicated and lengthy negotiations, together with

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...

, with

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

over the

technology transfer Technology transfer (TT), also called transfer of technology (TOT), is the process of transferring (disseminating) technology from the person or organization that owns or holds it to another person or organization, in an attempt to transform invent ...

of Agosta 90B class long-range submarines. It was during this time, he became closer to many politicians and bureaucrats while working on the procurement deals in 1994–97. In 1997, he was appointed as DCNS (Operations) and elevated as Vice Chief of Naval Staff with a rank of

Vice-Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

Kargil war and Naval chief

In 1999, India and Pakistan engaged in military confrontation in Kargil sector, due a misadventure led by then- Chief of army staff General

. He did not endorsed the secret infiltration to support General

but rather remaining quiet in favor of army chief. Allegations have been levelled against him of misguiding the naval chief Admiral Fasih Bokhari on the matters of

Kargil war 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 (state), Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In In ...

in favor of army chief, and his

revolt Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

against the decision of

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 ...

over the appointment of Chairman joint chiefs. In 1999, he held a press conference together with Mushahid Hussain Syed, then- Information Minister, and ultimately warned India of escalating the tensions in the region. On 6 October 1999, he was promoted as four-star rank admiral and appointed Chief of Naval Staff after Admiral Bokharhi prematurely resigned from his commission in protest as the latter was denied the Chairmanship of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Admiral Mirza remained supportive of

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

in 1999, and was said to be closer to Chairman joint chiefs and chief of army staff General

. Two weeks later, he was inducted as a senior member in the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a n ...

along with Chief of air staff

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

PQ Mehdi. On 4 November 1999, Admiral Mirza released a report of his assets, with General Musharraf also releasing his tax returns papers. In 2000, Admiral Mirza notably announced of seeling the Agosta-90B Subamrines to Royal Saudi Navy and

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defence operations. RMN's area of operation consists of 603,2 ...

but the agreement to sell the submarines were never materialized as Pakistan imposed an export restrictions. In 2001, he questioned President Musharraf's decision policy towards the terrorism and military rotation in Western Pakistan, but he was reportedly warned by President Musharraf on his difference of opinion. He reportedly warned of expansion of

and noted that the Indian Navy's budget had increased 6,900% since 1971. He led the Pakistan Navy during the military standoff between India and Pakistan in 2001–02 and boldly stated that Pakistan Navy will hold its own against the

. As the naval chief, he is credit of overseeing the development and nationwide construction of the Agosta-90B Khalid-class submarines in various capacities as Pakistan built its first indigenous submarine in 2002.

Diplomatic and corporate career

Admiral Mirza retired from the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

as its naval chief on 4 October 2002 and handed over the command to Admiral Shahid Karimullah at the ceremony held in Navy NHQ. On 8 October 2002, President Musharraf announced to appointed Admiral Mirza for a diplomatic post and appointed him as Pakistan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. In 2005, he oversaw the process of paperworks in order to release the passport of

and his family to travel from

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. In 2004, Ambassador Mirza was honored and decorated with the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

with an order of ''Chevalier'' by the

French government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

; the honor was bestowed to him in

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 ...

by the French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Bernard Polleti. The honor was given in recognition of outstanding contributions to a Pakistani-French joint submarine building program while the ambassador was chief of naval staff of the Pakistan Navy. As an ambassador, Mirza worked towards strengthening the relationship between

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

as he focused towards trade agreements and defence cooperation between two countries. On 26 January 2006, Mirza left the diplomat post and returned to Pakistan as he was replaced by

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Shahid Karimullah who took over the diplomatic assignment from him in

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

. After his retirement from the diplomatic post, Mirza jointed the corporate sector of the country when he was appointed business adviser to the PakGulf Construction in 2007. On 14 January 2010, Admiral Mirza gives credence to the recent French investigative report that talked of almost $49 million kickbacks in the Agosta-submarine deal allegedly received by former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari (born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician serving as the 14th president of Pakistan since 2024, having held the same office from 2008 to 2013. He is the president of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and was the ...

, former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral (deposed) Mansurul Haq and some of the Naval officers, disclosing that the then Benazir government had urged the Pakistan Navy to go for the French subs. Currently, Mirza is

of The Centaurus in

, overseeing and managing the construction project of a community that integrates residential amenities with other facilities.

Awards and decorations

Foreign Decorations

References

External links

Admiral Shahid Karimullah takes over as Navy chief
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirza, Abdul Aziz Living people 1943 births Ambassadors of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia Chiefs of Naval Staff (Pakistan) École Navale alumni National Defence University, Pakistan alumni Naval Academy (Turkey) alumni Pakistani military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Pakistani prisoners of war Academic staff of Pakistan Naval War College Pakistani businesspeople in real estate Pakistani hoteliers Pakistani business executives Pakistani chief executives People from Kallar Syedan Tehsil People of the Kargil War Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of Sitara-e-Jurat Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz Recipients of Sitara-e-Basalat Special Service Group (Navy) personnel Bangladesh Liberation War prisoners of war