Mirza Aslam Beg
Pakistan Army general (born 1931) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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General Mirza Aslam Beg (Urdu: مرزا اسلم بیگ; born 2 August 1931) NI(M) HI(M) SBt LoM, also known as M. A. Beg, is a retired Pakistani four-star general who served as the third Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army from 1988 until his retirement in 1991. His appointment as chief of army staff came when his predecessor, President General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, died in an air crash on 17 August 1988.
Mirza Aslam Beg | |
---|---|
3rd Chief of Army Staff | |
In office 17 August 1988 – 16 August 1991 | |
Preceded by | Zia-ul-Haq |
Succeeded by | Asif Nawaz Janjua |
Vice Chief of Army Staff | |
In office 29 March 1987 – 17 August 1988 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Mirza Aslam Beg (1931-08-02) 2 August 1931 (age 92) Azamgarh district, United Provinces, British India (Now Uttar Pradesh, India) |
Citizenship | Pakistan (1949-Present) India (1931–49) |
Alma mater | Shibli National College (BA) National Defence University (MS, MSc) |
Occupation | Soldier |
Nickname | General Baig |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Pakistan |
Branch/service | Pakistan Army |
Years of service | 1949–1991 |
Rank | General |
Unit | Baloch Regiment |
Commands | |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | |
Beg's tenure witnessed Benazir Bhutto being elected Prime Minister in November 1988, and the restoration of democracy and the civilian control of the military in the country. Controversial accusations were leveled against him of financing the Islamic Democracy Alliance (IDA), the conservative and right-wing opposition alliance against left-wing PPP, and rigging subsequent general elections in 1990.[2] As a result of general elections, Nawaz Sharif was elected Prime Minister in 1990, but fell out with Beg when the latter recommended support for Iraq during the Gulf War.[3] Beg was denied an extension from President Ghulam Ishaq Khan soon after in 1991, and replaced by General Asif Nawaz as chief of army staff.[4] Apart from his military career, Beg briefly tenured as professor of security studies at the National Defence University (NDU) and regularly writes columns in The Nation.[5]
Beg's post-retirement has been characterized by controversies: first, Beg was accused of playing an internal role in the airplane crash that killed President Zia,[6][7] and, second, he was summoned to the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2012 for his alleged role in releasing the financial funding to the conservative politicians as opposed to the Pakistan Peoples Party's politicians during the general elections held in 1990.[8][9]