New Delhi: In the garrison city of Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s military command operates from a complex known as the General Headquarters, or GHQ. Here, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) presides over one of the world’s largest and most influential armed forces.
At the centre of the army’s operational power is a network of 13 corps-level commands. Led by lieutenant generals, these corps form the backbone of Pakistan’s military strategy, domestic security apparatus, and, in some cases, political calculus.
Each corps is responsible for a specific geographic and operational domain. Some, like the I and II Corps, are designed for rapid offensive action in a conventional conflict with India. Others, such as the XI Corps in Peshawar or the X Corps in Rawalpindi, oversee sensitive border regions and internal security operations.
Together, these corps represent a highly centralised command system. While each lieutenant general reports directly to GHQ, they also maintain significant autonomy within their areas of responsibility.
Pakistan’s active-duty military personnel number approximately 5,60,000, making it the sixth-largest standing army in the world.
But numbers alone do not convey the extent of the army’s institutional footprint in a country where civilian authority has long operated under the shadow of the military.
At any given time, the Pakistan Army typically has between 27 to 29 serving lieutenant generals. The distribution of these officers across various arms is carefully balanced. Around 15 to 16 are from the Infantry, which includes regiments such as the Punjab, Sindh, Frontier Force, Baloch and Azad Kashmir Regiments.
Additionally, there are usually about five from the Armoured Corps, three from the Artillery, two from the Engineers, and one from Air Defence.
This balance is not accidental. The Army Chief strategically ensures representation from all major arms at the three-star level to maintain institutional equity and cohesion across the service.
According to sources in the establishment, initially, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir was cautious in handing out corps commands, often starting with brief appointments.
However, over time, he has ensured that key postings go to both senior officers and those from recent Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) courses, notably from the 83rd and 84th batches. In doing so, he has effectively consolidated control over the top military leadership, balancing seniority with loyalty and experience.
Strike Corps
The I Corps, currently headquartered in Mangla and led by Lieutenant General Nauman Zakaria since May 2024, is Pakistan’s oldest and, perhaps, most formidable strike formation.
It includes the 6th Armoured Division, 17th Infantry Division, and 37th Infantry Division. Positioned near the Line of Control (LoC), it is tasked with rapid deployment and offensive breakthroughs in case of hostilities with India.
Then there is the II Corps, based in Multan. Lieutenant General Ahsan Gulrez currently commands II Corps, also known as the Multan Corps, in the Pakistan Army. He assumed the position in November 2024, following his previous role as Director General Joint Staff (DG JS).
It serves as the southern strike reserve. It houses the 1st Armoured Division and two infantry divisions, a combination that provides mobility and firepower.
Both corps are structured for swift mechanised action and are often seen as Pakistan’s military trump cards in a conventional conflict scenario.
Corps for holding ground, domestic stability
IV Corps, headquartered in Lahore under Lieutenant General Syed Fayyaz Hussain Shah, covers central Punjab. In 2025, Lt Gen Shah of the Sind Regiment was appointed as the new Corps Commander of IV Corps. Prior to this posting, he was serving as Inspector General Training and Evaluation at General Headquarters (GHQ).
Nearby, XXX Corps in Gujranwala, led by Lieutenant General Syed Imdad Hussain Shah, holds the Sialkot sector, a sensitive border area. He was earlier serving as Director General of the H Secretariat at Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI),
In Bahawalpur, Lieutenant General Muhammad Aqeel oversees XXXI Corps, responsible for defending southern Punjab and adjoining sectors. He was appointed in 2025. He previously served as the Director General of IT and Communications at the Pakistan Army Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
The Bahawalpur Corps has long held particular significance for India, as it monitors the activities of Jaish-e-Mohammad, noted Rana Banerji, former head of the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, in a column for Rediff. On the morning of 7 May, during Operation Sindoor, Indian missiles struck a Jaish facility in the region.
The V Corps, Pakistan’s only corps headquartered in Karachi, is under Lieutenant General Avais Dastgir and holds command over Sindh and parts of Balochistan-areas where political unrest and militancy occasionally flare. Dastgir is a senior officer in the Pakistan Army, currently serving as the Chief of the General Staff (CGS).
The counterinsurgency command
In the northwest, the XI Corps based in Peshawar plays a pivotal role in internal security. Under the command of Lieutenant General Syed Omer Ahmed Bokhari, it has spent the last two decades combating domestic insurgents in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. It also plays a significant role in managing relations with the powerful paramilitary Frontier Corps.
Lt Gen Bokhari, the newly appointed commander of the Peshawar-based XI Corps, was previously serving as the Vice Chief of General Staff (Alpha) at the General Headquarters.
The announcement of Lt Gen Bokhari’s appointment in 2024 followed shortly after the U.S. CENTCOM Commander General Michael Kurilla’s visit to several locations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the Afghanistan border, where he discussed ongoing counterterrorism operations.
The mountain corps, CPEC & LoC
Few formations are as central to Pakistan’s national security posture as the X Corps, headquartered in Rawalpindi and led by Lieutenant General Shahid Imtiaz. Its divisions oversee operations along the LoC, including the Siachen Glacier.
Imtiaz, a three-star general in the Pakistan Army, is a member of the Azad Kashmir Regiment. He was promoted to Major General in 2017 and awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2021.
He rose to the rank of Lieutenant General in October 2022 while serving as Commandant of the School of Infantry and Tactics, Quetta. Following General Asim Munir’s appointment as Army Chief in November 2022, Lt Gen Imtiaz-considered one of Munir’s trusted officers-was appointed X Corps Commander in December that year. In September 2023, rumors of his appointment as DG ISI were dismissed by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) as baseless.
Supporting X Corps is the Force Command Northern Areas (FCNA), a division-level command based in Gilgit. Responsible for protecting Pakistan’s Karakoram flank, FCNA plays a critical role in securing the northern stretches of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a linchpin of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Within X Corps lies the 111th Infantry Brigade, a unit with ceremonial duties and a controversial past.
Based in Rawalpindi, the brigade has been instrumental in nearly every military coup in Pakistan’s history, including the 1999 ousting of then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by General Pervez Musharraf.
While officially tasked with VIP protection and national emergencies, its involvement in domestic power shifts underscores the complex relationship between Pakistan’s military and its elected governments.
To manage the growing security demands of CPEC, the Pakistan Army established the Special Security Division (SSD), now reportedly operating as the 34th Light Infantry Division. Composed of both military and paramilitary units, the division is tasked with safeguarding Chinese nationals and infrastructure.
It operates under the broader umbrella of the X Corps but reflects a shift in the army’s role -from purely territorial defence to protection of economic assets.