The Pakistan Army, commonly known as the Pak Army is the land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the supreme commander of the army. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), a four-star general, commands the army. The Army was established in August 1947 after Pakistan gained independence from the United Kingdom. According to statistics provided by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in 2024, the Pakistan Army has approximately 560,000 active duty personnel, supported by the Pakistan Army Reserve, the National Guard and the Civil Armed Forces. Pakistan Army is the sixth-largest army of the world and the largest of the Muslim world.
The 6th Frontier Force Regiment of the British Indian Army in the fronts of World War II in Italy in 1943–44
Members of the newly formed Pakistani Security Guard standing at attention during parade review for Pakistan's Leader Jinnah
General Ayub Khan arriving to take over command of the Pakistan Army at the Army GHQ in Rawalpindi, Punjab in Pakistan on 17 January 1951
A Pakistan Army 106mm recoilless rifle position - 1965 war.
The Pakistan Armed Forces are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are backed by several paramilitary forces such as the National Guard and the Civil Armed Forces. A critical component to the armed forces' structure is the Strategic Plans Division Force, which is responsible for the maintenance and safeguarding of Pakistan's tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile and assets. The President of Pakistan is the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces and the chain of command is organized under the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) alongside the respective Chiefs of staffs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. All branches are systemically coordinated during joint operations and missions under the Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ).
A military parade led contingent of army, followed by the navy and air force, in Shakarparian Hills in Islamabad in 2018.
Punjabi Muslims of the British Indian Army. The roots of the Pakistani military trace back to the British Indian Army, which included many personnel from present-day Pakistan.
Pictured are troops of the Khyber Rifles, now part of the Frontier Corps, striking a pose, c. 1895.
Pakistani soldiers being decorated after a tour of duty with the UN in the DR Congo