# Pakistan Military Academy

Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), is a military academy located near Kakul village in Abbottabad District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Established in October 1947, it is the only service academy in Pakistan that trains cadets to serve as army officers. For educational training, the institution is accredited by the National University of Sciences & Technology.
The Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) hosts approximately 2,000 invited guests from over 34 countries each year. Many of Pakistan's allies send their cadets and officers to PMA to receive training.

## History

Before the dissolution of British India in 1947, the location was initially used as the premises of a Physical Training and Mountaineering School of the British Indian Army, on the site of a vacant POW camp set up in 1902 for a few months for prisoners from the Boer War, and later it became a dwelling-operating space of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps. After the division of the old Indian Army between India and Pakistan in 1947, Brigadier Francis Ingall, an officer of the British Indian Army, was selected by the C-in-C India, Field marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, as first commandant of the Pakistan Military Academy. He selected the vacant location at Kakul for a military academy. He determined that the PMA would be organized based upon the model established by Sandhurst and requested a regimental sergeant major from the Brigade of Guards to help with training. He was fortunate to have the support of a number of old Indian Army officers who were transferred to the Pakistan Army, among them Lieutenant-Colonel Attiqur Rahman, Major S.G. Mehdi M.C. the first PMA adjutant and founder of Qasim company, who later went on to command the SSG (Special Service Group) of the Pakistan Army. When, late in 1947, the dispute over the accession of Jammu and Kashmir led to armed conflict between India and Pakistan, Ingall structured the Academy's training to enable newly-commissioned officers to be immediately effective when they joined units on active service. Ingall was appointed OBE after completing his term as commandant in 1950. What likely gave the most satisfaction was naming Kakul's central lecture theatre Ingall Hall – although it was built many years after his departure. He kept in touch with the academy for the rest of his life, making his last visit in November 1997 where he said:
   "I have given many addresses from this position here and from 1948 to 1951 I was very keen on the question of Pakistan and believed in it. I believed what the Quaid-e-Azam preached. I believe in Islam."
A total of 67 cadets (66 Muslims and 1 Christian cadet) arrived from IMA, India's Military Training counterpart, on 15 October 1947 and new cadets for 1st PMA Long Course (78) and 1st Graduates Course (63) were selected in Pakistan and training started officially in January 1948. 208 cadets started their training in January 1948. On 25 January 1948, "The First Pakistan Battalion" was instituted. This battalion has four companies which were "named after the luminaries of Muslim military history" (e.g., Khalid, Tariq, Qasim, and Salahuddin). In March 1948, the First Battalion "was bestowed with Quaid-e-Azam's patronage as Colonel-in-Chief, and the most coveted claim "The Quaid-e-Azam's Own".
Khawaja Nazimuddin gave the Quaid-e-Azam banner to the Pakistan Military Academy on behalf of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah. The Quaid-e-Azam banner is hoisted by the champion company at each passing-out parade. "Regimental colours presented in 1950 by Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan and the National Standard in 1961 by General Muhammad Musa, the then-Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army, have been some of the honours showered on the Academy, which it has always zealously guarded and kept high in letter and spirit."
The 1965 war led to the expansion of the Academy, and the second battalion of the Academy was created in December 1965. This battalion consisted of four companies, called Ghaznavi, Babur, Aurangzeb, and Tipu. In early 1989, the third battalion of the Academy was founded. The third battalion's four companies are Haider, Ubaida, Saad, and Hamza.
Former COAS, General Raheel Shareef, inaugurated 4th Pakistan Battalion at PMA on 10 October 2016.

## Physical requirements

GCs (Gentlemen Cadets) are required to pass various physical tests. The academy has very high physical standards, which all cadets have to achieve in order to pass. The physical requirements increase with promotion to the next term. The basic requirement for cadets of first term is to be able to complete one mile run (1.6 kilometers) in six minutes and thirty seconds. In second term, cadets are required to complete one mile run in six minutes and fifteen seconds. For third term cadets one mile time is six minutes and most fourth term cadets are required to run one mile within six minutes. Tests includes push ups, sit ups, chin up, rope test, five-mile running, assault course, and the acid test. These tests generally test the stamina and strength of a cadet.
In the "acid test," cadets begin by traversing a mountain while carrying logs on their shoulders. This is followed by a 14.5 km run in full gear to an obstacle course. Those completing the course are given five rounds with which to hit a target at a distance of 22 m.
Lady Cadets are also required to pass physical efficiency tests like GCs, but the standards are slightly lower, considering their physique. The basic requirement for all lady cadets is to run one mile (1.6 km)10 minutes. Other tests includes push ups, sit ups, bar hanging, assault course and also undergoes an exercise Qiyadat with GCs.
There are a number of training exercises for cadets, which include:
* First term: Kick Off, Saluting Tests, Cross Country, Sang e Bunyad, Yarmuk, Path Finder and the GCs are required to spend three minutes in the Boxing Ring with another opponent following a lengthy training period.
* Second term: T.M Raiders, Panipat and Assault Course is also added as a part of PT Tests. Qiyadat and the Acid Test.

## Battalions

For training, the Gentlemen Cadets are organized in battalions and then further into companies. There are 16 companies in Pakistan Military Academy, which are named after famous Muslim warriors and commanders.

### 1st Pakistan Battalion (Quaid-i-Azam's own)

1st Pakistan Battalion consists of four companies:
* Khalid
* Tariq
* Qasim
* Salahuddin

### 2nd Pakistan Battalion (Quaid-i-Azam's own)

2nd Pakistan Battalion consists of four companies:
* Ghaznavi
* Babar
* Aurangzeb
* Tipu

### 3rd Pakistan Battalion (Quaid-i-Azam's own)

3rd Pakistan Battalion consists of four companies:
* Haider
* Ubaida
* Saad
* Hamza

### 4th Pakistan Battalion (Quaid-i-Azam's own)

4th Pakistan Battalion consists of four companies:
* Aziz
* Shabbir
* Akram
* Sher

## Courses

There are five types courses (or curricular plans) running parallel to each other. The types of courses are:

### PMA Long Course

The PMA Long Course is for regular commission officers of combat and combat support arms & services. The Long Course has a duration of two years, which is further divided into four terms of six months each. After the 2-year training period Cadets pass out as 2nd Lieutenants.

### Technical Cadet Course (TCC)

Candidates who wish to join the army as an engineer apply for this course. It is necessary that candidates have attained 12 years of academic education with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics courses. Candidates who are successful in all tests conducted for selection are then sent to a NUST institution for a Bachelor of Engineering degree, depending on the field they choose:
| Degree | Institution |
| B.E Civil Engineering | Military College of Engineering |
| B.E Electrical Engineering | College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering |
| B.E Mechanical Engineering | College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering |
| B.E Mechatronics Engineering | College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering |
| B.E Computer Engineering | College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering |
| B.E Electrical Engineering (Telecom) | Military College of Signals |
| B.E Information Security Engineering | Military College of Signals |
| B.E Software Engineering | Military College of Signals |
| B.E Aeronautical Engineering | College of Aeronautical Engineering |
After completing their Bachelor of Engineering degree, the E-Cadets are sent to Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul, for one year of military training, after which they are commissioned as captain in their respective units

### Integrated Course (IC)

To be eligible for this course, a candidate must have attained 16–18 years of academic education with coursework in Physics,Terrorism, Chemistry and Biology. Candidates who pass initial and GHQ Selection Board tests conducted by the army are sent to Army Medical College for MBBS or for Bachelor of Dental Surgery after which they go through a Basic Military Training at Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul for 22 weeks. Apart from GCs of AM College, IC accepts cadets who will to join EME, Signals, RVFC and Army Education Corps with minimum masters in different fields. The IC has a duration of six months. Cadets graduate as Captains.

### PMA Lady Cadet's Course (LCC)

'The Lady Cadet's Course' was introduced in November 2006 and is designed for qualified women who are professionals in their respective fields. The course is taken by FA qualified ladies who are sound professionals in their fields. The lady cadets undergo a training period of six months and pass out as Captains in supporting arms of the Pakistan Army.

## List of Commandants

| S.N | Name | Start of tenure | End of tenure |
| 1 | Brig F.H.B Ingall, DSO | 4 November 1947 | 31 December 1950 |
| 2 | Brig. G.H Tarvar, DSO | 7 June 1951 | 20 February 1953 |
| 3 | Brig. G. Pigot, MC | 21 February 1953 | 18 November 1955 |
| 4 | Brig J. H Souter, MC | 19 November 1955 | 7 April 1957 |
| 5 | Maj Gen Shoukat Ali Shah | 8 April 1957 | 2 May 1959 |
| 6 | Brig Fazal Muqeem Khan, SQA | 3 May 1959 | 17 October 1959 |
| 7 | Brig Mohammad Rafi | 18 October 1959 | 29 February 1964 |
| 8 | Brig Sultan Mohammad | 30 March 1964 | 14 November 1966 |
| 9 | Brig Abubakar Osman Mitha | 15 November 1966 | 23 November 1968 |
| 10 | Maj Gen Syed Abid Ali | 6 February 1969 | 1 December 1969 |
| 11 | Maj Gen Ijaz Ahmed, SK | 2 December 1969 | 29 April 1970 |
| 12 | Maj Gen Riaz Azim, TPk | 30 April 1970 | 10 February 1972 |
| 13 | Brig (Later Major General) Abdullah Saeed | 11 February 1972 | 20 November 1974 |
| 14 | Brig Zamir Ahmed Khan | 21 November 1974 | 4 June 1976 |
| 15 | Brig (Later Lieutenant General) Ahmad Kamal Khan | 5 June 1976 | 15 February 1978 |
| 16 | Brig (Later Lieutenant General) Imranuallah Khan | 16 February 1978 | 11 July 1982 |
| 17 | Maj Gen Rahat Latif | 17 July 1982 | 4 October 1985 |
| 18 | Maj Gen (Later General & Chief of Army Staff) Asif Nawaz | 5 October 1985 | 14 May 1988 |
| 19 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Ghulam Muhammad Malik | 15 May 1988 | 2 July 1990 |
| 20 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Lehrasab Khan, SJ | 3 July 1990 | 17 April 1992 |
| 21 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Muhammad Maqbool | 18 April 1992 | 1 July 1993 |
| 22 | Maj Gen Malik Saleem Khan | 19 July 1993 | 22 August 1995 |
| 23 | Maj Gen Rizwan Qureshi | 23 August 1995 | 22 April 1997 |
| 24 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Jamshed Gulzar | 23 April 1997 | 22 November 1998 |
| 25 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Imtiaz Shaheen | 3 December 1998 | 3 March 2000 |
| 26 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Shahid Hamid | 3 March 2000 | 4 November 2001 |
| 27 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Hamid Rabnawaz | 5 November 2001 | 14 October 2004 |
| 28 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Ahsan Azhar Hayat | 1 November 2004 | 30 April 2006 |
| 29 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Nadeem Taj | 1 May 2006 | 3 October 2007 |
| 30 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Zahid Hussain Khan | 4 October 2007 | 12 October 2008 |
| 31 | Maj Gen (Later General & Chief of Army Staff) Raheel Sharif | 13 October 2008 | 14 October 2010 |
| 32 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Mazhar Jamil | 15 October 2010 | 15 May 2012 |
| 33 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Sadiq Ali | 16 May 2012 | 29 July 2013 |
| 34 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Nazir Ahmed Butt | 30 July 2013 | 28 October 2014 |
| 35 | Maj Gen (later General & Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee) Nadeem Raza | 29 October 2014 | 10 December 2016 |
| 35 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Abdullah Dogar | 15 December 2016 | Oct 2017 |
| 36 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Akhtar Nawaz | Oct 2017 | 25 November 2019 |
| 37 | Maj Gen (Later Lieutenant General) Muhammad Ali | 25 November 2019 | 25 November 2020 |
| 38 | Maj Gen (Now Lieutenant General) Omer Ahmed Bokhari | 25 November 2020 | Dec 2022 |
| 39 | Maj Gen Iftikhar Hassan Chaudhary | Jan 2023 | Till date |

## Notable alumni
### Pakistani
#### Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

* General Rahimuddin Khan, Gentleman Cadet No. 1, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
* General Muhammad Aziz Khan, former chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chief of General Staff
* General Ehsan ul Haq, former chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff

#### Chief of Army Staff

* General Qamar Bajwa, former Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)
* General Raheel Sharif, former Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)
* General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, former Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)
* General Pervez Musharraf, former Chief of Army Staff and President of Pakistan
* General Jehangir Karamat, former Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan) and Ambassador to the US
* General Abdul Waheed Kakar, former Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)
* General Asif Nawaz Janjua, former Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)
* General Mirza Aslam Beg, former Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)

### Others

* Major Shabbir Sharif, NH
* Major Muhammad Akram, NH
* Captain Karnal Sher Khan, NH
* Major Aziz Bhatti, NH
* Brigadier Tariq Mehmood, SJ
* General Ahsan Saleem Hayat, former Vice Chief of Army Staff
* General Tariq Majid, former Supreme Commandant of the Pakistan Defense Forces and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
* Colonel Aqeel Ahmed (colonel), SI(M), psc, MSc. Corps of EME, Secretary Heavy Industries Taxila Board. . . . . . *** Lieutenant Colonel Rashid Mehmood, Ord ***

### Alumni who defected to Bangladesh

Several officers trained at the PMA would join Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation war or afterwards.
* Major General K.M Shafiullah, Bangladesh Army's first chief in 1972
* Lieutenant General Ziaur Rahman, president and Chief of Army Staff, Bangladesh
* Colonel Shafaat Jamil, brigade commander of 46th Independent Brigade in the early 1970s, Bangladesh Army
* Major General Khaled Musharraf, Chief of Army Staff, Bangladesh Army
* Lieutenant General Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, Chief of Army Staff, Bangladesh Army

### International alumni

* Major General Tunde Idiagbon, former chief of staff, Supreme Headquarters (de facto Vice President of Nigeria) from 1983 to 1985
* General Srilal Weerasooriya, former commander of the Sri Lanka Army and Ambassador to Pakistan

## Gallery

* The main gate of the Pakistan Military Academy from close distance
* Pakistan Military Academy Entrance Gate from a slight long distance
* Classroom
* Language Lab
* Football Ground
* Swimming Pool
* Polo Ground
* Archery
* Insignia of Pakistan Military Academy

## Media

* "PMA Passing Out Parade 29 April 2023". 29 April 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023 – via YouTube.