Asif Ghafoor


Asif Ghafoor is a serving officer of the Pakistan Army. General Ghafoor was commissioned on 9 September 1988 in 87 SP Medium Regiment Artillery after 4 years of training as Cadet at JCB & PMA Kakul. General has participated in Kargil operation during 1999 as a Major, operations against terrorists in tribal areas of FATA and Swat during 2008-10 as a Lieutenant Colonel and has commanded a Division at Swat Malakand during 2016 as Major General. General has also served as Director Military Operations at Army Headquarters GHQ as a Brigadier and commanded Divisional Artillery deployed along Line of Control. Nation remembers him for his successful information operations as Chief of Inter-Services Public Relations ISPR and the spokesperson of Pakistan Armed Forces from December 2016 to February 2020, especially during Pak-India stand off during February 2019 where he challenged Indians for a Surprise and that was done. 27 February is commemorated in Pakistan as Surprise Day in the same context. Indians, as well as various European think tanks, acknowledged his superior information operations strategy to the extent of calling him as . Pakistani youth convincingly followed him on social media taking him as their mentor to defeat Fifth Generation Warfare.

Education

Ghafoor is graduate of Command & Staff College Quetta, Command & Staff College Bandung and National Defence University, Islamabad. He holds a master's degree in Strategic Studies.

Military life

The General has served on various staff, instructional and command assignments including Brigade Major Infantry Brigade, Assistant Military Secretary MS Branch, GSO-I Military Operations Directorate, GHQ, Director Military Operations in Military Operations Directorate, GHQ. He has been on the faculty of Command and Staff College, Quetta. He has commanded his parent unit in Operation al-Mizan, Artillery Brigade on Line of Control, Infantry Brigade on Eastern Border and a Division at Swat, Malakand. General is recipient of COAS Commendation Card for operations in Bajaur during 2008 and Hilal-i-Imtiaz.

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