Shahid Aziz

Shahid Aziz (Urdu: شاہد عزیز‎) is a Pakistani military author and a public official who served as the Chairman of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from 2004–07, and university administrator of the Federal Urdu University in 2014–16. Aziz, a soldier who was trained in the United States in infantry tactics, saw military actions in war theater with India in 1999 through 2001, and in Afghanistan from 2001 till 2004. After retiring from the military, Aziz was the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau but was forced to resigned amid controversy.[1][2][3][4]

Shahid Aziz
Lt-Gen. Aziz at the Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, United States in 2002.
Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau
In office 5 November 2004 – 9 May 2007
Preceded by	Lt-Gen. Muhammad Amjad
Succeeded by	Naveed Ahsan
Vice-Chancellor of the Federal Urdu University
In office 7 July 2014 – 2016
Personal details
Born	Shahid Aziz British Indian Empire
Alma mater	Pakistan Military Academy U.S. Army Command and General Staff College U.S. Army School of Infantry National Defense University
Website	Official website
Military service
Allegiance	Pakistan
Branch/service	Pakistan Army
Years of service	1969–2004
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Commands	Chief of General Staff, Army GHQ IV Corps Dir-Gen. Military Operations 12th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 Kargil War India-Pakistan standoff in 2001
Awards	Hilal-e-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Basalat Sword of Honour

Military career

Aziz graduated from the Pakistan Military Academy in April 1971 as the Battalion Senior Under Officer and received the Sword of Honour as well as the Presidents Gold Medal for his performance.[5][6] He was commissioned in the 10 Battalion of the Baloch Regiment with which he actively participated in the 1971 India-Pakistan War and later on also commanded. He attended the Company Commander Course at Fort Benning, Georgia (USA) and the Command and General Staff Course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (USA). Aziz is also a graduate of the National Defence University, Pakistan. His military career has placed him in pivotal posts during critical periods in Pakistan. He served as the General Officer Commanding of the 12th Infantry Division stationed at Murree. During the Kargil conflict of 1999, he served as DG of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Agencies' Analysis Wing. That same year, he was appointed to the role of Director General Military Operations where he played a crucial role in the October 1999 Pakistani coup d'état that brought Pervez Musharraf to power. After the events of the September 11 attacks in 2001, he was serving as General Officer Commanding 12 Division when the United States invaded Afghanistan. Later that year he was appointed as Chief of General Staff at GHQ. He finally retired from the army in 2005 after having held the post of Lahore Corps Commander for two years during which time he also launched a massive inquiry against corruption in the Defence Housing Authority, Lahore.

Post-retirement

Lt. Gen. (retired) Shahid Aziz, who recently created ripples by acknowledging in an article[7] that regular troops were involved in the Kargil operation, said the "misadventure" was a "four-man show" and details were initially hidden from the rest of the military commanders. He published a book Yeh Khamoshi Kahan Tak? Aik Sipahi ki Dastan-e-Ishq o Junoon(English: How Long Will You Remain Silent? A Soldier’s Saga of Love and Passion).[8][9] General Musharraf, who served as the Chief of Army Staff during Kargil War, has refuted Lt. Gen. Aziz's claims in his book and referred to him as "unbalanced" during an interview when questioned about what had been claimed by Gen Shahid in his book.[10].[11][12][13][14] Shahid Aziz resigned from the Chairmanship of NAB on moral principles when requested to shut down all cases of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari amid back channel negotiations between Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto prior to passing of the National Reconciliation Ordinance.[15][16]

In an answer to a question about his role in the coup by General Musharraf in violation of the law, Lt. Gen. Aziz said that he believed the constitution is a "rotten product."[17] He was investigated for misuse of authority and attaining financial benefits for himself and his son-in-law. National Accountability Bureau.[18][19] However, he was not formally charged with any crime. National Accountability Bureau had conducted the inquiry.[20]

References

1. Raza, Syed Irfan (26 November 2009). "'Former NAB chief removed to protect top politicians'". Dawn News. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
2. Kiani, Khaleeq (6 December 2009). "Musharraf stopped probes, says ex-chief of NAB". Dawn News. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
3. "Lt. Gen. Shahid Aziz". The Insider Brief. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
4. Iqbal, Nadeem (22 July 2007). "Appointment: A new civilian face". The News International. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
5. Khan, Basit. "Yeh Khamoshi Kahan Tak Pdf Book by Shahid Aziz Free Download". Kutubistan. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
6. "Sword of Honour Winners, PMA, Kakul, Abbotabad". Native Pakistan. 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
7. Aziz, Shahid (6 January 2013). "Putting our children in line of fire". The Nation. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
8. Waqas, Naeem (17 February 2013). "Book launch: When self-deception melts away". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
9. Aziz, Shahid (2013). Yeh Khamoshi Kahan Tak. Islamabad: Seven Springs Publishers. p. 463.
10. "Exclusive interview: Musharraf hits back at Shahid Aziz". Retrieved 13 December 2014.
11. "Only Musharraf be tried for treason, SC rules". Retrieved 2016-05-17.
12. "Pakistani court acquits ex-President Musharraf of murder over a 2006 killing of separatist leader in Baluchistan province". US News & World Report. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
13. "Pakistani court acquits ex-President Musharraf of murder over a 2006 killing of separatist leader in Baluchistan province". US News & World Report. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
14. "Islamabad court declares Pervez Musharraf an absconder | Tehelka - Investigations, Latest News, Politics, Analysis, Blogs, Culture, Photos, Videos, Podcasts". Tehelka - Investigations, Latest News, Politics, Analysis, Blogs, Culture, Photos, Videos, Podcasts. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
15. "NAB Chairman Resigns". Arab News. 2007-05-09. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
16. "Musharraf stopped probes, says ex-chief of NAB". www.dawn.com. 2009-12-06. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
17. "Interview of Lt. Gen (retired) Shahid Aziz".
18. "Former Chairman NAB being investigated for illegal use of his authority".
19. "One More Multifaceted Fraud: Lt . General (R) Shahid Aziz - EX-Chairman NAB".
20. "Former Chairman NAB being investigated for illegal use of his authority".

Military offices
Preceded by Yusaf Khan	Chief of General Staff 2001 – 2003	Succeeded by Tariq Majid
Preceded by Zarrar Azim	Lahore Corps Commander 2003 – 2005	Succeeded by Shafaat Ullah Shah