Abbas Raza
{{Short description|Pakistani admiral}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = Vice Admiral
| name =Abbas Raza
| honorific_suffix = HI(M) SI(M) TI(M)
| image = Vice Admiral Abbas Raza.JPG
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption = V-Adm. Abbas Raza addressing a press conference during multinational naval exercise AMAN 2011
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| birth_name = Abbas Raza
| other_name =
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|05|16}}
| birth_place = Lahore, Pakistan
| death_date =
| death_place = February 13,
2023
| placeofburial_label =
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| allegiance = {{PAK}}
| branch = Ops {{navy|PAK}}
| serviceyears = 1973–2012
| serviceyears_label =
| rank = Vice admiral
| rank_label =
| servicenumber =
| unit =
| commands = Commander Pakistan Fleet
DCNS (Operations) at Navy NHQ
DG Joint Trig. at Joint Staff HQ
Commander Karachi coast
DCNS (Projects) at Navy NHQ
OTC 9th Auxiliary Squadron
| battles_label =
| battles = Kargil war in 1999
Indo-Pakistani standoff in 2001
Indo-Pakistani standoff in 2008
Piracy off the coast of Somalia
- {{small|Operation Umeed-e-Nuh}}
- {{small|Exercise Aman in Gulf of Aden}}
- {{small|Operation Madad}}
- {{small|Operation Mehran}}
| awards = 60px{{small|Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military)}}
60px{{small|Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military)}}
60px{{small|Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Military)}}
60px{{small|Sword of Honor}}
| memorials =
| spouse =
| children =
| relations =
| laterwork = Director of PMC, the Bahria Security and Systems.{{cite web |title=Bahria Security Systems & Services |url=http://www.bahriasecurity.com/bahriafoundation/ |website=www.bahriasecurity.com |publisher=Bahria Security Systems & Services |accessdate=3 August 2018}}
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Abbas Raza {{small|HI(M) SI(M) TI(M)}} ({{langx|ur|عباس رضا}}; born 16 May 1955), was a retired vice admiral in the Pakistan Navy who served as Commander, Pakistan Fleet from 2010 until his retirement in 2012.
Biography
Abbas Raza was born on 16 May 1955 in Lahore, Punjab in Pakistan where he secured his matriculation, and joined the Pakistan Navy in June 1973.{{cite web |last1=et.a. |first1=staff |title=Vice Adm. Abbas Raza |url=http://www.petaro.org/staff-adjutants/adj-abbasraza.htm |website=www.petaro.org |publisher=Petaro |accessdate=3 August 2018}} He was directed to attend the Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi, and passed out with communications at the top of his class when he was conferred the coveted Sword of Honor in 1975. He was qualified as the surface officer and served in the Surface Command of the Navy.{{cite news |last1=Newspaper |first1=the |title=New Comkar |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/670591 |accessdate=3 August 2018 |work=DAWN.COM |agency=Dawn Newspaper |publisher=Dawn Newspaper |date=1 November 2011}}
He gained commissioned in the Naval Operations Branch as Sub-Lieutenant, and was later sent to attend and complete the staff course at the Royal Naval Staff College in Greenwich in the United Kingdom.{{cite news |last1=From the Newspaper |first1=staff |title=Promotion: Abbas takes charge as new commander {{!}} The Express Tribune |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/286396/promotion-abbas-takes-charge-as-new-commander/ |accessdate=3 August 2018 |work=The Express Tribune |agency=The Express Tribune |publisher=The Express Tribune |date=2 November 2011}} He later went to attend the National Defence University (NDU) in Islamabad and graduated with MSc in Defence studies.{{cite news |title=Abbas Raza promoted as rear admiral |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/228144 |accessdate=3 August 2018 |work=DAWN.COM |agency=Dawn Newspaper |publisher=Dawn Newspaper |date=16 January 2007}}
As Commander, he commanded the boat squadron, and held the commands of the PNS Badr and Tippu Sultan as Captain in 1990s. In 2003, Capt. Raza was posted at the Pakistan Embassy in Muscat in Oman as a defence attaché.{{rp|514}}{{cite book |last1=Jane |first1=Frederick Thomas |title=Jane's Fighting Ships |date=2003 |publisher=S. Low, Marston & Company |isbn=9780710625465 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rsYqAQAAMAAJ&q=Abbas+Raza+captain+attache |accessdate=3 August 2018 |language=en}} Capt. Raza also briefly tenured at the Pakistan Embassy in Paris as an air attaché to French Air Force. Upon returning to Pakistan, Cdre. Abbas Raza was appointed to command the 9th Auxiliary Squadron, and briefly tenured as a military secretary to the office of the chief of naval staff at the Navy NHQ in Islamabad as two-star and three-star rank appointments.{{cite news |title=Vice Admiral Abbas takes over as PN Karachi commander |url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/11/02/vice-admiral-abbas-takes-over-as-pn-karachi-commander/ |accessdate=3 August 2018 |work=www.pakistantoday.com.pk |date=3 November 2012}} Rear-Admiral Raza's other appointment at the Navy NHQ also included his role as DCNS (Projects), DNCS (Operations)
as well as being appointed as the Director-General of the Joint Warfare and Training (DG Joint Trig.) at the Joint Staff HQ in Rawalpindi.
In 2010, Vice-Admiral Raza took over the command of the Pakistan Fleet as its senior fleet commander, and later directed to command the Karachi coast as its field commander, COMKAR, and was responsible for naval units stationed in Karachi in 2011. In 2011, Raza faced severe criticism from news media pundits of failing to prevent terrorist attack on naval installations, and reportedly was not investigated in this incident by the Naval Intelligence and the Navy's crime branch.{{cite news |title=Controversy surrounds appointment of next Pakistan Naval Chief |url=http://spyeyesnews.blogspot.com/2011/09/controversy-surrounds-appointment-of.html |accessdate=3 August 2018 |date=27 September 2011}}
In 2011, Raza was among the four senior admirals who were in the race for the promotion to be promoted as a four-star admiral in the Navy, included with seniority:{{cite news |last1=our staff reporter |first1=The Nation |title=4 names forwarded for new naval chief |url=https://nation.com.pk/28-Sep-2011/4-names-forwarded-for-new-naval-chief |accessdate=3 August 2018 |work=The Nation |agency=The Nation |date=28 September 2011}}
In 2012, Raza retired from his military service, and eventually joining the Bahria Security System, a private military company specializing in escort and security, as its Managing Director.{{Better source needed|date=March 2023}}
Raza died on 13 February 2023.{{cite news |last1=Newspaper |first1=the |title=New fleet commander |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/587217 |accessdate=3 August 2018 |work=DAWN.COM |agency=Dawn Newspaper |publisher=Dawn Newspaper |date=30 November 2010}}{{cite web |title=Vice Adm. Abbas Raza |url=https://petarians.net/vice-adm-abbas-raza/ |website=petarians.net |publisher=The Petarian Association |accessdate=3 August 2018 |language=en |format=tml |date=25 November 2012}}
Awards and decorations
| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| |{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Hilal-e-Imtiaz.png|width=130}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Imtiaz.png|width=130}} | |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Baqa (1998).png|width=130}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Istaqlal (2002).png|width=130}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=10 years Service Medal (Pakistan Armed Forces).png|width=130}} |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=20 years Service Medal.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=30 years Service Medal.png|width=130}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=35 years Service Medal.png|width=130}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam.png|width=130}} |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Hijri Tamgha.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Jamhuriat Tamgha 1988.png|width=130}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha Pakistan.svg|width=130}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Independence Day Golden Jubilee Medal, 2006.svg|width=130}} |
| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| colspan="2" |Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) | colspan="2" |Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) |
| Tamgha-e-Imtiaz
(Medal of Excellence) 1998 2002 |
| 20 Years Service Medal
(100th Birth Anniversary of 1976 |
| Hijri Tamgha
(Hijri Medal) 1979 (Democracy Medal) 1988 (Resolution Day Golden Jubilee Medal) 1990 (Independence Day Golden Jubilee Medal) 1997 |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110930231632/http://dailymailnews.com/1110/30/Sindh/index.php?id=2 Source 1]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20101223200727/http://timesofpakistan.pk/pakistan/2010-11-30/vice-admiral-abbas-takes-over-command-of-navel-fleet/14682/ Vice-Admiral Abbas takes over the Command of Fleet]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raza, Abbas}}
Category:Date of death unknown
Category:Military personnel from Lahore
Category:Pakistan Naval Academy alumni
Category:Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich
Category:National Defence University, Pakistan alumni
Category:Pakistan Navy vice admirals
Category:Pakistani corporate directors