Muhammad Safdar
{{short description|Pakistani general}}
{{about||Nawaz Sharif's son in law|Muhammad Safdar Awan|the Pakistani Olympic boxer|Muhammad Safdar (boxer)}}
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{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Muhammad Safdar
| office = 32nd Governor of Punjab
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| predecessor = Zulfiqar Ali Khosa
| president = General Pervez Musharraf
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| successor = Khalid Maqbool
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| party = Independent (politician)
| office1 = Pakistani Ambassador to Morocco
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| birth_date = 1 February 1934
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| nationality = Pakistani
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| alma_mater = Military College Jhelum
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| profession = Lt. Gen.
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| blank1 = Chief Minister of Punjab
| data1 = Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
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| allegiance = {{PAK}}
| branch = {{army|PAK}}
| serviceyears = 1954 - 1989
| 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
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| military_blank1 = Post-Retirement Work
| military_data1 = Pakistani Ambassador to Morocco
Vice Chancellor of Punjab University
| honorific-prefix = Lt. Gen.
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| term_start = 21 October 1999
| term_end = 29 October 2001
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Muhammad Safdar (Punjabi and {{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq| محمد صفدر}}}}) (1 February 1934) 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."Shaukat Qadir. [http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\05\17\story_17-5-2008_pg3_4 "Command attributes (III)"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006204614/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C05%5C17%5Cstory_17-5-2008_pg3_4 |date=6 October 2008 }} Daily Times, 17 May 2008
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.
References
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External links
- [http://www.karachipage.com/news/Oct_99/102299.html Dawn: Governors of four provinces appointed]
- [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb092/is_/ai_n28749172 Profile of the governor]
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{{succession box |title=Chief of General Staff
|years=1986–1988
|before=Mirza Aslam Beg
|after=Mian Muhammad Afzaal}}
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{{succession box |title=Governor of Punjab
|years=1999–2001
|before=Zulfiqar Ali Khosa|
after=Khalid Maqbool}}
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{{Vice-Chancellors of University of the Punjab}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Safdar, Muhammad}}
Category:Pakistan Army lieutenant generals
Category:Chief of the General Staff (Pakistan)
Category:Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz
Category:Governors of Punjab, Pakistan
Category:Ambassadors of Pakistan to Morocco