XXXI Corps (Pakistan)
The XXXI Corps is a corps of the Pakistan Army, commonly referred to as 31 Corps. It forms a major portion of the Pakistan Army, with its headquarters located in Bahawalpur, Punjab Province.
| XXXI Corps | |
|---|---|
 Badge of 31 Corps, Bahawalpur | |
| Active | 1988 – present |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan Army |
| Branch | Active Duty |
| Type | Army Corps |
| Role | Combined arms formation Tactical headquarters element |
| Size | 30,000+ approximately (though this may vary as units are rotated) |
| HQ/Command Control Headquarters | Bahawalpur, Punjab |
| Nickname(s) | XXXI Corps, Bahawalpur Corps[1] |
| Colours Identification | Red and white |
| Decorations | Military Decorations of Pakistan Military |
| Commanders | |
| Corps Commander | Lt Gen Saqib Mehmood Malik |
| Notable commanders | GEN Shamim Alam Khan LTG Mohammad Shafiq LTG Muzaffar Hussain Usmani LTG Haroon Aslam |
History
The corps was raised in the end of 1980s and took over the assets of the former II Corps, which is presently based in Multan. It has more than three full-sized divisions and is responsible for the southern Punjab desert zone.
In 1988, when the C-130 Hercules plane of President General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq crashed near Bahawalpur, he was visiting XXXI Corps along with senior military aides.
In 2023, soldiers from the 35th Infantry Division equipped with VCC-2 APCs were reportedly be taking part in anti-bandit operations near Bahawalpur alongside Punjab Police, based on social media and news reports. The police were also equipped with locally-made M113A1/A2 APCs.[2][3]
Structure
Its present order of battle is as follows:[4]
| Structure of XXXI Corps | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corps | Corps HQ | Corps Commander | Assigned Units | Unit HQ | |||||
| XXXI Corps | Bahawalpur | Lt. Gen Saqib Mehmood Malik  | |||||||
| 26th Mechanized Division | Bahawalpur | ||||||||
| 35th Infantry Division | Bahawalpur | ||||||||
| 14th Infantry Division | Okara | ||||||||
| 101st Independent Infantry Brigade | U/I Location | ||||||||
| 14th Independent Armored Brigade | Bahawalpur | ||||||||
| Independent Artillery Brigade | U/I Location | ||||||||
| Independent Engineering Brigade | U/I Location | ||||||||
| Independent Signal Brigade | U/I Location | ||||||||
List of Commanders XXXI Corps
| Corps Commander | Start Date | End Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lt Gen Saqib Mehmood Malik | 4 December 2022 | Incumbent | |
| Lt Gen Faiz Hameed | 9th Aug 2022 | 3 December 2022 | |
| Lt Gen Khalid Zia | Nov 2020 | 8 August 2022 | |
| Lt Gen Syed Muhammad Adnan | April 2019 | Nov 2020 | |
| Lt Gen Javed Mehmood Bukhari | August 2018 | April 2019 | |
| Lt Gen Sher Afgun | December 2016 | August 2018 | |
| Lt Gen Javed Iqbal Ramday | April 2015 | December 2016 | |
| Lt Gen Javed Iqbal | December 2013 | April 2015 | |
| Lt Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat | January 2013 | December 2013 | |
| Lt Gen Muhammad Haroon Aslam | March 2011 | January 2013 | |
| Lt Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi | October 2009 | March 2011 | |
| Lt Gen Muhammad Yousaf | October 2008 | October 2009 | |
| Lt Gen Raza Mohammad Khan | April 2007 | October 2008 | |
| Lt Gen Imtiaz Hussain | May 2005 | April 2007 | |
| Lt Gen Syed Parwez Shahid | September 2003 | May 2005 | |
| Lt Gen Shahid Hamid | October 2001 | September 2003 | |
| Lt Gen Munir Hafiez | August 2000 | October 2001 | |
| Lt Gen Tahir Ali Qureshi | October 1998 | August 2000 | |
| Lt Gen Muzaffar Hussain Usmani | May 1997 | October 1998 | |
| Lt Gen Khalid Nawaz Malik | January 1996 | May 1997 | |
| Lt Gen Iftikhar Ali Khan | June 1993 | January 1996 | |
| Lt Gen Muhammad Akram Khan | August 1991 | May 1993 | |
| Lt Gen Shamim Alam Khan | April 1991 | August 1991 | |
| Lt Gen Mohammad Shafiq | March 1988 | April 1991 |
References
- "COAS visits formations of Bahawalpur Corps". brecorder.com.
- Haq, Irfanul (10 April 2023). "'Grand operation' against katcha area outlaws starts in Punjab". Dawn. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- @FarooqB90714421 (16 April 2023). "PA VCC-2s from 35 Div taking part in Kacha Anti-Dacoit Op in Lower Punjab Region. Plus a M113A1/A2 HIT Up-Armoured with Punjab police" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Global Security website page on XXXI Corps
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| Related | |||||||||||||||
 Category:Pakistan Army | |||||||||||||||
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