Muhammad Safdar Explained

Muhammad Safdar
Office:34th Governor of Punjab
Predecessor:Zulfiqar Ali Khosa
President:General Pervez Musharraf
Successor:Khalid Maqbool
Party:Independent (politician)
Office1:Pakistani Ambassador to Morocco
Birth Date:1 February 1934
Death Date:26 April 2023 (aged 89)
Nationality:Pakistani
Alma Mater:Military College Jhelum
Profession:Lt. Gen.
Blank1:Chief Minister of Punjab
Data1:Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
Serviceyears:1954 - 1989
Rank: Lt. Gen.
Unit:Punjab Regiment
Commands:Command and Staff College
7th Infantry Division
National Defence University
Chief of General Staff
Battles:Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Military Blank1:Post-Retirement Work
Military Data1:Pakistani Ambassador to Morocco
Vice Chancellor of Punjab University
Honorific-Prefix:Lt. Gen.
Term Start:21 October 1999
Term End:29 October 2001

Lt. General Muhammad Safdar (Punjabi and Urdu: {{Nastaliq| محمد صفدر) (1 February 1934 - 26 April 2023) was the former Governor of Punjab, the largest province of Pakistan, having served from 1999 to 2001. He had previously also served as the Pakistani Ambassador to Morocco and the Vice Chancellor of Punjab University during 1993.

Army career

Muhammad Safdar belongs to Dulmial, Chakwal Pakistan and is a graduate of Military College Jhelum. Later he joined Pakistan Army. During his military career, Safdar commanded an infantry brigade and the 7th Infantry Division, Peshawar, served as commandant of the Command and Staff College, Quetta from 1982 to 1985 and then reached his professional peak as Chief of General Staff (CGS) in the GHQ having served there from 1986 to 1988. His last military appointment was commandant of the National Defence College from 1988 to 1989. Safdar retired from active service in July 1989.

Political career

Safdar was the Pakistani ambassador to Morocco, vice-chancellor of the Punjab University and then Governor of Punjab. The general stayed as the Governor of Punjab till 29 October 2001, when he was replaced by Lahore Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Khalid Maqbool.

Views

Brigadier (r) Shaukat Qadir, a political and defence analyst, had this to say about command attributes of Safdar, "In the course of my career I came across very few inspiring senior officers; most noteworthy among them was General Safdar, who later became VC Punjab University and, very briefly, Governor Punjab, and whose extraordinary dynamism in peace inspired one to believe that he would be a success in war."[1]

Brigadier (r) Raja Azizur Rehman, a close friend and colleague of the governor, said this about the new governor when he was appointed in 1999, "he is consistent, professionally very sound, cool and calm. Has immense capacity for work and excels in shifting the essentials. He is soft-spoken and likes to listen, He carries a very happy team. He is very clear about his objectives and leaves no stone unturned to achieve that." The general is reputed to be well versed in the art of getting things done.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Shaukat Qadir. "Command attributes (III)" Daily Times, 17 May 2008