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Shafaat Ullah Shah

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Lieutenant General
Shafaat Ullah Shah
HI(M)
شفاعت اللہ شاہ
Ambassador of Pakistan to Jordan & Palestine
In office
September 2015 – September 2017
Succeeded by(R) Major General Junaid Rehmat[1]
Chief Logistics Staff at the GHQ
In office
24 March 2008[2] – 9 November 2009
Succeeded byLieutenant General Alam Khattak
Commander IV Corps
In office
November 2005 – 23 March 2008
Preceded byLieutenant General Shahid Aziz
Succeeded byLieutenant General Ijaz Ahmed Bakhshi[3]
Military Secretary to President Musharraf
In office
23 December 2003 – 8 November 2005
Preceded byMajor General Nadeem Taj
General officer commanding of 11th Infantry Division
In office
February 2002 – 23 December 2003
Preceded byMajor General ANS Mela
Personal details
Born (1953-08-28) 28 August 1953 (age 71)
Lahore, Pakistan
Spouse
Fariha Bokhari
​
(m. 1980)​
[4]
Children3
ParentShafqat Ullah Shah (father)
Relatives(r) Brigadier Liaqat Bokhari (SJ) (father-in-law)[5]
Education
Occupation
  • Author
  • diplomat
Military service
Allegiance Pakistan
Branch/service Pakistan Army
Years of service1971 – 2009
Rank Lieutenant General
UnitBaloch Regiment
Commands
Battles/wars
Awards Hilal-e-Imtiaz

Shafaat Ullah Shah HI(M) (Urdu: شفاعت اللہ شاہ; born 28 August 1953) is a retired three star general of the Pakistan Army, diplomat, and author. He often writes for the Pakistan Armed Forces magazine, "Hilal English".[7] He has served as Chief of Logistics Staff at the GHQ, Colonel Commandant of the Baloch Regiment, Commander IV Corps, and as Military Secretary to President Musharraf.[8]

Early life and education

[edit]

Shah was born into a Syed family on 28 August 1953 in Lahore, Pakistan, to Syed Shafqat Ullah Shah who migrated from Hyderabad Deccan to Lahore in 1948. His father was an employee of the Prisons Department of Punjab and later became Inspector general of the Punjab Prisons from May 1981 to May 1983.[9]

He was enrolled in the Abbottabad Public School in class 7,[10] and did his Faculty of Sciences (FSc) from there before he joined the Army. He wanted to become a doctor but wasn't selected into King Edward Medical University so his father made him join the Pakistan Army. He is also an honors graduate of the Staff College in Camberley and the National Defence College.

He holds master's degrees in political science and in strategic studies.[11]

Personal life

[edit]

Shah is married to the daughter of (r) Brigadier Liaqat Bokhari (SJ).[5]

Military career

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Shah was commissioned into the Baloch Regiment of the Pakistan Army in 1971 from the 47th Long Course of the Pakistan Military Academy.[12] It was the most junior course to fight in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.[13] He served as the Colonel commandant of the Baloch Regiment.[14] His last appointment in the Army was as Chief of Logistics Staff at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.[2]

Aide to the Governor of Balochistan

[edit]
Captain Shafaat (middle) pictured next to the Governor of Balochistan Khan of Kalat (left) and Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (right)

Shah had served as ADC to the Governor of Balochistan, Ahmad of Kalat, from 1974 to 1976.[15]

Aide to Musharraf

[edit]
Major General Shah with President Musharraf at the annual military parade on the 65th anniversary of Resolution Day (23 March 2005)

Shah was appointed as Military Secretary to President Musharraf, replacing Nadeem Taj. He took charge on 25 December 2003, the same day when there was a suicide attack on Musharraf in Rawalpindi.[16] As his aide, he was actively involved in his two major diplomatic initiatives. First, to normalize strained relations with neighboring India, back-channel diplomacy was initiated to resolve the contentious issue of Kashmir. He participated in many meetings between Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of UN General Assembly meetings and in Dehli in 2005.[17]

The back-channel contacts and meetings lead to the formalization of the Musharraf-Manmohan 'Four Point' Formula which was to be inked during Manmohan Singh's visit to Pakistan in July 2007[18] but due to the events leading up to the 2007 Pakistani state of emergency & judicial crisis in Pakistan, the scheduled visit was cancelled and with it extinguished the hope of a resolution to the Kashmir dispute. Second, Musharraf's initiative of a rapprochement with Israel through informal contacts.[19] Musharraf attended a dinner by the Jewish community in honor of him in New York on the sidelines of the September 2005 UN General Assembly meeting.[20]

As Commander IV Corps

[edit]

Shah was made Commander IV Corps after the retirement of Commander IV Corps Lt. Gen. Shahid Aziz.[citation needed]

As Commander IV Corps he conceptualised and made first ever medical college associated with Combined Military Hospital Lahore in a span of five months .[21]

He established the Cardiac Centre, Trauma, and Diagnostic centers at CMH Lahore.[22] During Shah's tenure, to support a government initiative to establish a new university in Pakistan, the Pakistan Army’s Lahore Corps donated 80 Acres of Defence Housing Authority land to the Graz University of Technology to establish its campus.[23] He also established a first ever polytechnic providing technical skills to the youth from all over Pakistan, by Army,with free boarding and lodging.

Retirement

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Shah retired on 9 November 2009 after serving as Chief Logistics Staff at the GHQ.

Later life

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After Shah's retirement, he served as the Ambassador of Pakistan to the Kingdom of Jordan.[24] He is the author of "Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan", published in 1983. He has also written regularly for various magazines and newspapers. He was part of the Ottawa Dialogue on Track II diplomacy.

Ambassador to Jordan

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Shah was Ambassador to the Kingdom of Jordan, also accredited to the State of Palestine. At a ceremony marking the 70th Independence Day of Pakistan, he congratulated Jordanian writer Omar Nazar al Armouti for his book on the unresolved issues of Kashmir and Palestine.[25][26] He was involved in the sale of Cobra helicopters and F-16 aircraft from Jordan to Pakistan.[27]

2021 Pandora Papers leaks

[edit]

It was reported in the Pandora Papers leaks by the ICIJ that Shah's wife bought a flat in London through an offshore transaction in 2007, allegedly for $1.2 million.[28][29] He wrote on Twitter that the property's value was less than half of what was quoted in the leak, and that it is not illegal to buy property in the United Kingdom through an offshore company.[28][30] According to him, he had bought the flat as an investment property in order to pay for his son's education.[31] and it had been declared in all of his tax returns and even to the Army Authorities at the time of purchase .[30]

He also doubted the intentions of the journalists who reported the story. He further tweeted that "one of the journalists involved with investigations, Malia Pulitzer, has recently stayed in India for 2 years and it is a typical RAW practice to malign Pakistan Army officers with criminals".[28]

The names of more than 700 Pakistanis, including PPP and PTI ministers, were brought to light by the ICIJ in October 2021.[32]

Effective dates of promotion

[edit]
Insignia Rank Date
Lieutenant General November 2005
Major General January 2000
Brigadier July 1995
Colonel Promoted directly to Brigadier
Lieutenant Colonel August 1988
Major July 1977
Captain June 1973
Lieutenant January 1972
Second Lieutenant 14 November 1971

Awards and decorations

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Hilal-e-Imtiaz

(Military)

(Crescent of Excellence)

Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War

(War Star 1971)

Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War

(War Medal 1971)

Tamgha-e-Baqa

(Nuclear Test Medal)

1998

Tamgha-e-Istaqlal Pakistan

(Escalation with India Medal)

2002

10 Years Service Medal 20 Years Service Medal
30 Years Service Medal 35 Years Service Medal Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-

Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam

(100th Birth Anniversary of

Muhammad Ali Jinnah)

1976

Hijri Tamgha

(Hijri Medal)

1979

Jamhuriat Tamgha

(Democracy Medal)

1988

Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha

(Resolution Day

Golden Jubilee Medal)

1990

Tamgha-e-Salgirah Pakistan

(Independence Day

Golden Jubilee Medal)

1997

Command & Staff College Quetta

Student Medal

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "New Pakistani ambassador presents credentials". 14 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan". ispr.gov.pk (Press release).
  3. ^ "Reshuffle in Pakistan army as new government takes office". Reuters. 25 March 2008.
  4. ^ "Prime Minister Imran Khan promised 'new Pakistan' but members of his inner circle secretly moved millions offshore - ICIJ". 3 October 2021.
  5. ^ a b Shafaat Shah [@infantry28] (5 December 2019). "My father in law,Brig Liaqat Bokhari SJ( Retd) who was commanding only Aviation squadron in erstwhile E. Pak has written a book on account of military operations at age 87. He did not surrender on 16 Dec71 & flew helicopters with 169 women & children through Burma to then W. Pak" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan". ispr.gov.pk (Press release).
  7. ^ "The Ethics of Military Profession". www.hilal.gov.pk.
  8. ^ "Pakistan's Army Chief Replaces Commanders Promoted by Musharraf". Voanews.com. 1 November 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Our Inspector Generals | Punjab Prisons". Prisons.punjab.gov.pk. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Proud Abtonians". Abbottabad Public School. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  11. ^ "National Assembly Secretariat - Questions for Oral Answers and their Replies" (PDF). National Assembly of Pakistan. 2 November 2018.
  12. ^ Lt Gen Shafaat Ullah Shah (R). "Fall of East Pakistan Remembered". Hilal English.
  13. ^ John, Wilson (September 2007). "Pakistan: New Generals on the Block" (PDF). ORF Issue Brief. 11. Observer Research Foundation: 4–5.
  14. ^ "Installation Ceremony Colonel Commandant of the Baloch Regiment". Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) (Press release). 26 April 2008.
  15. ^ Shafaat Shah [@INFANTRY28] (6 July 2019). "I had known MG Bukhara when he was IG FC & I was ADC to Governor Baluchistan.A very handsome, composed & professional officer.May Allah Bless his soul.I am amazed how his daughter can be so anti Pakistan & anti that very Army for which her father had pledged to lay even his life?" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ "The reality of Pulwama incident". The Express Tribune. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Musharraf Begins Visit to India". The Irish Times. 16 April 2005.
  18. ^ "Kashmir: The Way Forward". Hilal For Her. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022.
  19. ^ "2005: When Pakistan and Israel explored closer bilateral ties". Dawn. 30 October 2018.
  20. ^ "Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16 - Speech of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to the American Jewish Council for World Jewry". United States Government Publishing Office. 27 September 2005. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Role of medical profession highlighted". 17 December 2007.
  22. ^ "No PR-166/2008 of March, 29, 2008". Inter Service Public Relations (Press release).
  23. ^ "Work opens on S&T varsity". Dawn. 19 November 2006.
  24. ^ "Deep-rooted, brotherly relations". 31 August 2017.
  25. ^ "Pakistan's 70th Independence Day marked in Jordan". The News International. Amman. 15 August 2017. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017.
  26. ^ "Pakistan's 71st Independence Day celebrated in Jordan". Geo TV. Amman. 15 August 2017.
  27. ^ Dana Al Emam (22 March 2017). "Amman-Islamabad relations at their best — Pakistani ambassador". Jordan Times.
  28. ^ a b c "Shafaat Shah reacts to Pandora Papers, says property transaction misrepresented". www.geo.tv.
  29. ^ "Prime Minister Imran Khan promised 'new Pakistan' but members of his inner circle secretly moved millions offshore - ICIJ". 3 October 2021.
  30. ^ a b "Gen (R) Shafaat Shah offers clarification after being named in Pandora Papers". The Pakistan Daily. Islamabad. 4 October 2021.
  31. ^ SHAH, SHAFAAT [@INFANTRY28] (4 October 2021). "Education of my son and due to depreciation of Rs" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 4 October 2021 – via Twitter.
  32. ^ "More than 700 Pakistanis named in Pandora Papers leak". ARY News. 3 October 2021.
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