Asif Ghafoor
{{short description|20th Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (Pakistan)}}
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{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Lieutenant General
| name = Asif Ghafoor
| honorific-suffix = HI(M)
| image = Major General Asif Ghafoor.jpg
| office = President
National Defence University, Islamabad
| term_start = 25 November 2023
| term_end = 22 December 2024
| office1 = Corps Commander XII Corps
| term_start1 = 4 August 2022
| term_end1 = 24 November 2023
| predecessor1 = Sarfraz Ali
| succeeded1 = Rahat Naseem
| office2 = Inspector General Communication & Information Technology
| term_start2 = 28 November 2020
| term_end2 = 2 August 2022
| office3 = General Officer Commanding 40th Infantry Division, Okara
| term_start3 = 31 January 2020
| term_end3 = 28 November 2020
| office4 = 20th Director-General of the ISPR
| term_start4 = 15 December 2016
| term_end4 = 31 January 2020
| 1blankname3 =
| 1namedata3 =
| predecessor4 = Asim Saleem Bajwa
| successor4 = Babar Iftikhar
| president4 = Mamnoon Hussain
Arif Alvi
| primeminister4 = Nawaz Sharif
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
Imran Khan
| office5 = General Officer Commanding 21st Artillery Division, Swat
| term_start5 = February 2016
| term_end5 = 15 December 2016
| alma_mater = Pakistan Military Academy, Command & Staff College Quetta, Command & Staff College Bandung (Indonesia), National Defence University, Islamabad
| allegiance = {{PAK}}
| branch = {{Army|PAK}}
| serviceyears = 1988–2024
| military_blank1 = Service number
| military_data1 = PA-27699
| commands = 21 Artillery Division
Director General ISPR
40 Infantry Division
IG Communication and Information Technology
Commander XII Corps
President National Defence University
| relations =
| birth_place =
| rank = 20px 30px Lieutenant General
| unit =
| awards = Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military)
| caption = Asif Ghafoor as Major General
| nickname =
| Nickname =
| battles = *Kargil War
- War in North-West Pakistan
- Operation Sherdil
- Operation Zarb-e-Azb
- Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad
- Insurgency in Balochistan
- 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes
| succeeded = Lt General Aamer Najam
| preceded = Lt General Rahat Naseem
}}
Asif Ghafoor {{small|HI(M)}} (Urdu: آصِف غفور ) is a retired three-star ranking general in the Pakistani Army,{{cite web | last=Hussain | first=Abid | title=Pakistan two-star general: Farewell to a social media celebrity |website=BBC News | date=2020-01-18 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51148762 | access-date=2021-09-09}} who most recently served as the president of the National Defence University uptill 2024. Previously, Ghafoor served as the Corps Commander Quetta and the 20th director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).{{cite web | title=6 Pak Army major generals promoted to lieutenant general rank | website=DAWN.COM | date=2020-11-25 | url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1592319 | access-date=2021-09-09}}
Education
Asif Ghafoor is a graduate of the Command & Staff College in Quetta, Command & Staff College Bandung in Indonesia and the National Defence University in Islamabad.{{Cite web |title=Asif Ghafoor |url=https://www.bolnews.com/bolpedia/asif-ghafoor/ |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=BOL News |language=en-US}} He holds a master's degree in Strategic Studies.
Military life
He was commissioned on 9 September 1988 in the 87 SP Medium Regiment Artillery from PMA Kakul. He had participated in the Kargil War as a Major, operations against terrorists in tribal areas of FATA and Swat during 2008–10 as a Lieutenant Colonel in Operation Sherdil and has commanded a Division at Swat, Malakand in 2016 as a Major General. Asif has also served as Director Military Operations at Army Headquarters GHQ as a Brigadier commanded Divisional Artillery deployed along the Line of Control and infantry brigade along eastern border. He has been on faculty of Command and Staff College Quetta.
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.{{cite news|title=Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor appointed DG ISPR|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1302511|access-date=15 December 2016|work=DAWN.COM|date=15 December 2016}}{{cite news|title=Maj-Gen Asif Ghafoor named DG ISPR - The Express Tribune|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/1264207/maj-gen-asif-ghafoor-named-dg-ispr/|access-date=15 December 2016|work=The Express Tribune|date=15 December 2016}}{{cite news|title=Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor is new DG ISPR|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/172072-Maj-Gen-Asif-Ghafoor-is-new-DG-ISPR|access-date=15 December 2016|publisher=The News|date=15 December 2016}} The General is recipient of COAS Commendation Card{{cite news|title=Major General Asif Ghafoor, nswc, psc, fsc(In), (L)qsl|url=https://www.ispr.gov.pk/dg-ispr.php|access-date=15 December 2016|work=ISPR.GOV.PK|date=15 December 2016}} for operations in Bajaur during 2008 and Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military).
In December 2016, Ghafoor was appointed as the Director-General of the ISPR.{{cite news |title=Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor appointed DG ISPR |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1302511 |work=Dawn |date=December 15, 2016}} While serving as DG ISPR, he faced criticism for maintaining a personal Twitter account and engaging in disputes with journalists and individuals who criticized Pakistan's military.
In January 2020, Gen. Ghafoor was appointed as the General Officer Commanding 40 Division in Okara.{{cite news |title=Major reshuffle: Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor replaced as DG ISPR |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/599453-maj-gen-asif-ghafoor-replaced-as-dg-ispr-in-major-reshuffle |work=The News International |date=January 16, 2020}}{{cite news |title=Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar replaces Asif Ghafoor as DG ISPR |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1528680 |work=Dawn |date=January 16, 2020}}{{cite news |title=Pakistan two-star general: Farewell to a social media celebrity |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51148762 |access-date=23 April 2024 |date=18 January 2020}} On 25 November 2020, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General[https://www.geo.tv/amp/320484-6-pakistan-army-major-generals-promoted-to-lieutenant-general-ranks Article title] and appointed as Inspector General Communications and Information Technology till August 2022. In August 2022, Asif Ghafoor was appointed Quetta Corps Commander after the death of Lt General Sarfraz Ali in an air crash and continued to held command till November 2023.{{cite news |title=Shuffle in top brass as six major generals promoted |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1592453 |work=Dawn |date=November 26, 2020}}
He was appointed as the President National Defence University Islamabad in November 2023 and continued to serve in the capacity till his retirement in late December 2024.{{cite news |last1=Desk (Lahore) |first1=Web |title='Lt Gen Rahat Naseem replaces Asif Ghafoor as Corps Commander Quetta in major reshuffle in Pakistan Army' |url=https://pakobserver.net/lt-gen-rahat-naseem-replaces-asif-ghafoor-as-corps-commander-quetta-in-major-reshuffle-in-pakistan-army/ |access-date=17 April 2024 |work=Pakistan Observer |date=23 November 2023}}
Awards and decorations
| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| colspan="4" |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Hilal-e-Imtiaz.png|width=130}} |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Diffa.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=Tamgha-e-Azm.png|width=130}} |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=10 years Service Medal.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=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}} |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Command and Staff College Quetta Centenary Medal.svg|width=130}} |
| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| | colspan="2" |Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) | |
| Tamgha-e-Diffa
(General Service Medal) Siachen Glacier Clasp 1998 2002 (Medal of Conviction) (2018) |
| 10 Years Service Medal |
| Jamhuriat Tamgha
(Democracy Medal) 1988 (Resolution Day Golden Jubilee Medal) 1990 (Independence Day Golden Jubilee Medal) 1997 |Command and Staff College Quetta Centenary Instructor's Medal |
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
|-
{{s-bef
| before = Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Director General of the ISPR
| years = 2016 - 2020
}}
{{S-aft
| after = Major General Babar Iftikhar
}}{{s-end}}
{{Inter-Services Public Relations|state=expanded}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghafoor, Asif}}
Category:Pakistan Army lieutenant generals
Category:Directors-general of the Inter-Services Public Relations
Category:Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz