Asif Nawaz Janjua

General
Asif Nawaz Janjua
4th Chief of Army Staff
In office
16 August 1991 – 8 January 1993
PresidentGhulam Ishaq Khan
Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif
Preceded byMirza Aslam Beg
Succeeded byAbdul Waheed
Personal details
Born
Asif Nawaz Janjua

(1937-01-03)3 January 1937
Chakri Rajgan in Jhelum District, Punjab, British India (Now, Punjab, Pakistan)
Died8 January 1993(1993-01-08) (aged 56)
Rawalpindi Cantt, Punjab, Pakistan
Cause of deathCardiac arrest
Relatives
Alma mater
NicknameSoldier's Soldier
Military service
Allegiance Pakistan
Branch/service Pakistan Army
Years of service1955–93
Rank General
Unit5th Punjab Regiment
Commands
Battles/wars
Awards

General Asif Nawaz Janjua NI(M), HI(M), SBt, psc, (Urdu: آصف نواز جنجوعہ ; 3 January 1937 – 8 January 1993) was a senior officer of the Pakistan Army who served as the fourth chief of army staff from 16 August 1991 until his death in 1993.

His tenure is regarded as stabilising the civilian control of the Pakistani military. He is one of the four armed forces chiefs who had died while in active service, the others being Admiral Hasan Hafeez Ahmed in 1975, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in 1988, and Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir in 2002.[2][3]

His natural death became politicised when his family commissioned a private test on hair from his brush, which was conducted in the United States. The test registered high levels of arsenic.[4] As a result, his body was exhumed, and an autopsy was conducted by French, British, and American doctors. The cause of death was determined to be a heart attack.[5] Benazir Bhutto also believed he was murdered by political opponents, namely Nawaz Sharif.[6]

  1. ^ "'Pakistan's armed forces second to none'". DailyTimes. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  2. ^ "Gen. Asif Nawaz of Pakistan, 56, A Champion of Democracy, Dies" The New York Times, 9 January 1993
  3. ^ "Indian Air Force meets 294 accidents in almost 58 years". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  4. ^ "General's Death Remains a Mystery in Pakistan". AP NEWS. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Moderate Arsenic in Environment Tied to Higher Heart Attack, Stroke Risk".
  6. ^ "Mystery Death of General Haunts Pakistan Elections". Los Angeles Times. 6 October 1993.