Yastur-ul-Haq Malik (; 24 December 1931 – 3 December 2024), , was a four-star rank

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 ...

who served as the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) of

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 ...

from 10 November 1988 until retiring from his

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 military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...

on 8 November 1991. Malik died on 3 December 2024, at the age of 92.

Naval career and education

Yastur-ul-Haq Malik was born on 24 December 1931 in

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

. He attended and graduated from the Saint Patrick's College in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

and gained commissioned as

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

in 1951 and inducted in the Surface Branch of the

in 1954. After his initial training at 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 ...

, he was sent to

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to attend the

Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, also known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...

at Dartmouth where he graduated and further trained with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

in 1958. Upon returning to Pakistan in 1958, he was promoted as

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and provided his services as gunnery in the

PNS Badr PNS ''Badr'' may refer to following ships of Pakistan Navy: * , the former British HMS ''Gabbard'' (D47) acquired by Pakistan in 1957 and scrapped in 1985. * , the former United States USS ''Julius A. Furer'' (FFG-6) acquired by Pakistan in 1989 ...

and participated in second war with India in 1965. He briefly served as a staff member of the military secretary's team in the Ayub administration and was an

ADC ADC may refer to: Aviation * ADC Aircraft, a British firm established in 1920 * ADC Airlines, based in Ikeja, Nigeria * Aerospace Defense Command, of the U.S. Air Force * Air data computer, an essential avionics component found in modern glass coc ...

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 ...

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 ...

in 1960s. He then participated in third war with India in 1971 as Lieutenant-Commander while stationed in

. After the war in 1971, Lt.Cdr. Malik went to attend the

Air War College The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University (United States Air Force), Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, ...

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 ...

where he graduated with a staff course degree. He also attended the National Defence University and graduated with

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 ...

Defence studies Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mi ...

Staff appointments and Chief of naval staff

Throughout his career, Malik served in the administrative branches of the

and was once posted as the

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

at Pakistan Embassy, Paris in

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 ...

. In 1980s, he assumed the command of Pakistan Fleet as its commander (COMPAK) from 1977 until 1982 but was later posted in Navy NHQ as DCNS (Personnel) from 1982 to 1984. His command assignments also included his role as Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS) from 1984 until 1986 before being appointed Chairman of the

Pakistan National Shipping Corporation The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) is a Pakistani national flag carrier headquartered in Karachi. The corporation is principally engaged in the business of shipping, including charter of vessels, transportation of cargo and prov ...

(PNSC) in 1986. In 1988,

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 ...

announced his appointment as Chief of Naval Staff and Vice-Admiral Malik took over the command of Navy from Admiral

Iftikhar Ahmed Sirohey Iftikhar Ahmed Sirohey (; 1934 – 6 March 2025) was a Pakistani Four star rank, four-star-rank Four star admiral, admiral, strategist, and a memoirist who was at the time of his death tenuring his fellowship at the The Institute of Strategic S ...

who was elevated as

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), (); is an administrative body of senior high-ranking uniformed military leaders of the unified Pakistan Armed Forces who advises the civilian government of Pakistan, National Security Council, Defen ...

on 10 November 1988. His tenure only ran for two years and left the command of the Navy to his VCNS

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 ...

S.M. Khan who was promoted as Admiral on 11 August 1991. As Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Malik is credited with commissioning the " PNS Ahsan"— the

naval base A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usu ...

which is situated in

Ormara Ormara ( Balochi and , ), is a town and tehsil in Gwadar District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is a port in the Makran coastal region. It is located west of Karachi and east of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. This port is also menti ...

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 ...

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# ...

Awards and decorations

References

External links

Official website of Pakistan Navy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malik, Yastur-Ul-Haq 1931 births 2024 deaths Military personnel from Lucknow Military personnel from Karachi Pakistan Military Academy alumni Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Pakistani military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 National Defence University, Pakistan alumni Chiefs of Naval Staff (Pakistan) Pakistani naval attachés St. Patrick's College (Karachi) alumni Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Sitara-e-Basalat