RAWALPINDI – Senior political and military figures gathered at Army Racecourse Ground in Rawalpindi to offer funeral prayers for former Chief of Army Staff General Abdul Waheed Kakar (retd), Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military).
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the prayers alongside Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Commander National Strategic Command General Syed Aamer Raza, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The gathering also included former army chiefs and former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Serving and retired civilian and military officials joined the mourners to pay their respects to the former army chief.
General Abdul Waheed Kakar, who headed Pakistan Army from January 1993 to January 1996, is remembered for his role in resolving one of the country’s most serious political standoffs.
Kakar entered commissioned service in October 1959, joining the Frontier Force Regiment after completing his training at the Pakistan Military Academy. He served in the wars against India in 1965 and 1971, building a military career that eventually took him to the army’s highest office. His professional education included training at Canada’s Command and Staff College and further studies at Pakistan’s National Defence University. Before becoming army chief, he served as adjutant general at General Headquarters and commanded the Quetta-based XII Corps.
Kakar took command following the death of serving army chief General Asif Nawaz Janjua in January 1993. Within months, he became a central figure in efforts to end the confrontation between President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The deadlock ended with both leaders leaving office, allowing a caretaker administration to oversee fresh elections. The settlement became popularly known as the “Kakar formula” and remains the defining political episode of his tenure.
After completing his three-year term, Kakar retired in January 1996 and handed command to General Jehangir Karamat. He subsequently maintained a relatively private life, making few public appearances.
Former COAS Gen Abdul Waheed Kakar passes away in Rawalpindi
