Khalid Mahmud Arif
| Khalid Mahmud Arif | |
|---|---|
Khalid Mahmud Arif, 1982
|
|
| Native name | خالد محمود عارف |
| Nickname(s) | Silencer |
| Born | 1930 (age 86–87) Jandiala, Jalandhar District, Punjab |
| Allegiance |
 Pakistan
|
| Service/branch |
 Pakistan Army
|
| Years of service | 1949–1987 |
| Rank |
 General
|
| Service number | PA–3107 |
| Unit | Probyn's Horse |
| Commands held |
Chief of Army Staff Army Chief of Staff (COS) GOC 111th Army Brigade X Corps |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
General Khalid Mahmud Arif, born in 1930, (Urdu: خالد محمود عارف popularly known as General K.M. Arif), was a senior four-star ranking general officer who served as the vice chief of army staff of the Pakistan Army under President General Zia-ul-Haq. Working as the principal military adviser to Zia's military government in the capacity of chief of staff, Arif rose to become Zia's closest collaborator and confidant who worked closely on matters of national security, overseeing and handling major civil-military issues directly involving the country's internal and foreign security.
Preceded by Lieutenant-General Syed Refaqat as chief of staff until General Zia-ul-Haq's death in a 1988 plane crash, Arif reached a four-star rank and commanded the Pakistan Army as its designated vice chief of army staff in place of General Sawar Khan who was due for retirement, in March 1984. He held on to this post for three years, after which he was himself replaced by General Mirza Aslam Beg in March 1987.
Arif was born in Jalandhar, East Punjab and was a refugee who emigrated from eastern Punjab to West-Pakistan after independence in 1947. After passing the Inter Services Selection Board (ISSB), he joined the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) as a cadet, and two-and-a-half years later, in 1948, he was commissioned into the Pakistan Army Armoured Corps, and was selected for further training in the United States. In 1950, Arif graduated from the United States Army Armor School at Fort Knox. Throughout the 1950s, he attended the joint service course at the Command and Staff College, and held staff assignments in the Army.
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