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{{Short description|Pakistan army general (1937–1993)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Asif Nawaz Janjua
| honorific_prefix = [[General (Pakistan)|General]]
| honorific_suffix = [[Nishan-e-Imtiaz|NI(M)]], [[Hilal-e-Imtiaz|HI(M)]], [[Sitara-e-Basalat|SBt]], [[Psc (military)|psc]]
| image = Asif Nawaz Janjua.png
| office = 4th [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army Staff]]
| term_start = 16 August 1991
| term_end = 8 January 1993
| president = [[Ghulam Ishaq Khan]]
| primeminister = [[Nawaz Sharif]]
| predecessor = [[Mirza Aslam Beg]]
| successor = [[Abdul Waheed Kakar]]
| birth_name = Asif Nawaz Janjua
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1937|1|3}}
| birth_place = [[Chakri Rajgan]], [[Jhelum District]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab Province]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1993|1|8|1937|1|3}}
| death_place = [[Rawalpindi Cantonment]], [[Punjab, Pakistan]]
| death_cause = [[Cardiac arrest]]
| relatives = {{ubl|[[Khadijah Shah]] (granddaughter)|Shuja Nawaz (brother)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/03-Oct-2015/pakistan-s-armed-forces-second-to-none |title='Pakistan's armed forces second to none' |work=DailyTimes |access-date=8 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309024500/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/03-Oct-2015/pakistan-s-armed-forces-second-to-none |archive-date=9 March 2016 }}</ref>|[[Amna Nawaz]] (niece)}}
| education =
| alma_mater = {{ubl|[[Pakistan Military Academy]], [[National Defence University, Pakistan|National Defence University]]|([[Master of Science|MSc]] in [[War studies]])}}
| nickname = ''Soldier's Soldier''
| branch = {{Army|PAK}}
| serviceyears = 1955–1993
| rank = [[File:OF-9 Pakistan Army.svg|10px]] [[File:General of Armies insignia.svg|30px]] [[General (Pakistan)|General]]
| unit = [[19th Punjabis|5th]] [[Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)|Punjab Regiment]]
| commands = [[Chief of General Staff (Pakistan)]] [[V Corps (Pakistan)]] [[Commandant]] [[PMA Kakul]] [[7th Infantry Division (Pakistan)]] [[Chief of Staff]] [[II Corps (Pakistan)]]
| battles = {{tree list}}
*[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]
*[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]
**[[Battle of Chamb]]
*[[:Category:Terrorist incidents in Karachi|Political violence in Karachi]]
*[[Operation Blue Fox]]
*[[Somali Civil War]]
**[[UNOSOM I]]
{{tree list/end}}
| mawards = [[Nishan-e-Imtiaz]] (Military) [[Hilal-i-Imtiaz]](Military) [[Sitara-e-Basalat]] with BAR [[Sword of Honour (Pakistan)|Sword of Honour]]
}}

'''General''' '''Asif Nawaz Janjua'''{{efn|[[Urdu]]: {{nq|آصف نواز جنجوعہ}}}} (3 January 1937 – 8 January 1993) was an officer in the [[Pakistan Army]], serving as its fourth [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army Staff]] from 16 August 1991 until his untimely death in 1993. His tenure is regarded as contributing to [[civilian control of the military|civilian control]] over the [[Pakistan Armed Forces]]. Janjua was one of only four high-ranking officers to have died in active service, alongside Admiral [[Hasan Hafeez Ahmed]] (1975), General [[Zia-ul-Haq]] (1988), and Air Chief Marshal [[Mushaf Ali Mir]] (2002).

His unexpected death was initially surrounded by uncertainty, with some speculating foul play after high levels of [[arsenic poisoning]] were detected in his body. His family requested for further investigation, including the exhumation of his body and an autopsy conducted with the assistance of international experts from France, Britain, and the United States. The cause of death was supposedly a [[heart attack]]. In April 1993, Janjua's widow Nuzhat, publicly alleged that her husband had been poisoned. She claimed that the assassins were Director General [[Intelligence Bureau (Pakistan)|Intelligence Bureau]] [[Imtiaz Ahmed (brigadier)|Brigadier Imtiaz]], [[Shahbaz Sharif]], and [[Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan]].

Born in the [[Jhelum District]] of [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab Province]], Janjua came from a [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] [[Janjua Rajput]] family. He was educated at [[St Mary's Cambridge School]] and later received military training at the [[Pakistan Military Academy]] and the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]]. Throughout his career, he was recognised for his discipline and leadership, culminating in the award of the [[Sword of Honour (Sandhurst)|Sword of Honour]] at Sandhurst.

During his military career, Janjua participated in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] and the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]], where he was involved in key battles such as the [[Battle of Chamb]]. He progressed through the ranks, holding various significant positions, including [[Chief of General Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of General Staff]] and [[Corps Commander]] of [[V Corps (Pakistan)|V Corps]]. He played a role in overseeing military operations, particularly in Karachi and [[Sindh]], during a period of rising instability in the country.

==Biography==
===Early life, and between the Indo-Pakistani wars (1965–71)===

Asif Nawaz Janjua was born in a small village, called [[Chakri Rajgan]], which is located in the [[Jhelum District]] in [[Punjab]] in Pakistan into a [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] [[Janjua Rajput]] clan, on 31 January 1937.{{rp|81}}<ref name="Rowman & Littlefield, Burki, 2015">{{Cite book|last1=Burki|first1=Shahid Javed|author-link1=Shahid Javed Burki|editor1-last=Woronov|editor1-first=Jon|title=Historical Dictionary of Pakistan|date=2015|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]]|location=New York|isbn=9781442241480|pages=657|edition=4th|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rk-sBwAAQBAJ&q=asif%20nawaz%20born&pg=PA81|access-date=20 March 2018|language=en-us|format=google books|chapter={{small|§Asif Nawaz (1937-1993)}}}}</ref>{{rp|441}}<ref name="Oxford University Press, Nawaz, 2008">{{Cite book|last1=Nawaz|first1=Shuja|title=Crossed swords : Pakistan, its army, and the wars within|date=2008|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=[[Karachi]]|isbn=9780195476606|pages=665|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jKyfAAAAMAAJ&q=Asif+Nawaz+rajput|access-date=20 March 2018|language=en-us|format=snippet view}}</ref>{{rp|29}} He was a [[military brat]] and his father, Raja Abdul Ghafoor Khan, had served as an [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]] in the [[British Indian Army]], retiring at the rank of [[Major (United Kingdom)|Major]].{{rp|441}}<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Nawaz|first1=Shuja|title=Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within|date=2008|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=9780195476606|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jKyfAAAAMAAJ&q=Cambridge+School|language=en}}</ref>

He was educated at the [[St Mary's Cambridge School]] on [[Murree Road]] in [[Rawalpindi]]. Two [[Irish people|Irish]] teachers there who taught him the value of life and humanity, Father Francis and May Flanagan, had a significant influence on his upbringing and future career.<ref name="The Independent, Pakistan Desk, 1993">{{Cite news|last1=Ahmad|first1=Rashid|title=Obituary: General Asif Nawaz|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-general-asif-nawaz-1477887.html|access-date=20 March 2018|work=[[The Independent]]|agency=|publisher=The Independent, Pakistan|date=11 January 1993|archive-date=5 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005062651/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-general-asif-nawaz-1477887.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After his [[Matriculation in Pakistan|matriculation]], he went to join the [[Pakistan Military Academy]] in 1954, and was one of very few cadets to be selected to attend the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst|Royal Military Academy]] at [[Sandhurst, Berkshire|Sandhurst]] in the United Kingdom.{{rp|2}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=Defence Journal|date=1993|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NYXfAAAAMAAJ&q=1954|access-date=20 March 2018|language=en}}</ref> After completing his initial military training, he [[Passing out (military)|passed out]] from the academy in 1957 and was conferred the [[Sword of Honour (Sandhurst)|Sword of Honour]] by the academy's commandant.{{rp|441}}<ref name="Oxford University Press, Nawaz, 2008"/>

Upon returning to Pakistan, [[Second Lieutenant|2nd-Lt.]] Janjua joined the [[19th Punjabis|5th ''Sherdils'' Battalion]] of the [[Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)|Punjab Regiment]] on 31 March 1957.<ref name="ISPR (ARMY DIVISION)">{{Cite web|title=COLONEL IN CHIEF – PUNJAB REGIMENT|url=http://www.pakarmymuseum.com/exhibits/colonel-in-chief-punjab-regiment/|website=www.pakarmymuseum.com|publisher=ISPR (ARMY DIVISION)|access-date=20 March 2018|archive-date=3 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103011745/http://www.pakarmymuseum.com/exhibits/colonel-in-chief-punjab-regiment/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1965, [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]] Nawaz saw action in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|second war]] with India in 1965 on the [[Line of Control|northern front]].{{rp|2}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=Defence Journal|date=1993|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NYXfAAAAMAAJ&q=1965+wars|access-date=21 March 2018|language=en}}</ref> In 1971, Major Janjua fought in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|third war]] with India in 1971 after taking over the command of his [[19th Punjabis|5th Battalion]] and saw [[Battle of Chamb|combat in the Chamb sector]] against the [[Indian Army]].{{rp|441}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within|date=2008|isbn=9780195476606|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jKyfAAAAMAAJ&q=Fazilka|access-date=21 March 2018|language=en|last1=Nawaz|first1=Shuja|publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref>

After the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|third war]] with India in 1971, Major Janjua continued his [[military service]] and graduated from the [[Pakistan Command and Staff College|Command and Staff College]] in [[Quetta]], where he excelled in his studies.{{rp|441}}<ref name="Excerpts from">{{Cite book|title=Excerpts from Crossed Swords|isbn = 9780195476606|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jKyfAAAAMAAJ&q=Fazilka&pg=PA441|access-date=21 March 2018|last1 = Nawaz|first1 = Shuja|year = 2008| publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref> In 1976–77, [[Colonel|Col.]] Janjua attended the [[National Defence University, Pakistan|National Defence University]] where he attained his [[Master of Science|MSc]] in [[War studies|War Studies]].{{rp|441}}<ref name="Excerpts from"/>

===War and command appointments in the military===

In 1977, [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|Brigadier]] Janjua was appointed as [[Chief of Staff]] of the [[II Corps (Pakistan)|II Corps]] stationed in [[Multan]] under the command of its field commander, [[Lieutenant-General|Lt-Gen.]] [[Muhammad Shariff|M. Shariff]].{{rp|441}}<ref name="Excerpts from"/> In 1982, he was promoted as [[two-star rank]] army general, and escaped from [[Martial law in Pakistan|martial law appointments]] by [[President of Pakistan|President]] [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Zia-ul-Haq]].{{rp|81}}<ref name="Rowman & Littlefield, Burki, 2015" /> From 1982 to 1985, [[Major-General]] Janjua was posted in [[Peshawar Cantonment|Peshawar]] and served as the [[General officer commanding|GOC]] of the [[7th Infantry Division (Pakistan)|7th Infantry Division]], posted with the [[XI Corps (Pakistan)|XI Corps]].{{rp|81}}<ref name="Rowman & Littlefield, Burki, 2015" />

In 1985, [[Major-General|Maj-Gen.]] Janjua was appointed as [[Commandant]] of the [[Pakistan Military Academy]] in [[Kakul]] which he served until 1988.{{rp|81}}<ref name="Rowman & Littlefield, Burki, 2015" /> In 1988, he was among the last army generals who were approved for the [[three-star rank]] promotion by [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Mohammad Khan Junejo|Mohammad Junejo]], and was appointed as Corps Commander of the Sindh-based [[V Corps (Pakistan)|V Corps]] by then-[[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army Staff]] Gen. [[Mirza Aslam Beg]].{{rp|81}}<ref name="Rowman & Littlefield, Burki, 2015" />

When General Nawaz took command of his Corps in Karachi it had begun to be embroiled in operations against [[Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan|MQM]] militants in the city. He would soon come to oversee law and order operations by his Corps in the disturbed city of Karachi. As V Corps was also responsible for security in all of Sindh, it had been embroiled in anti-dacoity and law and order operations in Sindh since the early 1980s. The province had destabilised in the wake of the anti-[[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Zia-ul-Haq]] [[Movement for the Restoration of Democracy]].

In April 1991, [[Lieutenant-General|Lt-Gen.]] Janjua was moved to [[Rawalpindi Cantonment|Rawalpindi]] when he was appointed at the [[GHQ (Pakistan Army)|Army GHQ]] as the [[Chief of General Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of General Staff]] (CGS), the [[second-in-command]] of the army, under the [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|army chief]] Gen. [[Mirza Aslam Beg]].<ref name="ARashid"/>

==Chief of Army Staff==
{{Main|Civilian control of the military|United Nations intervention in Somalia|Indo Pakistani relation|Operation Clean-up|News channels in Pakistan}}
In 1991, [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Nawaz Sharif]] approved the timely retirement of Gen. [[Mirza Aslam Beg]], and there were four senior army generals who were in the race for promotion to [[Four-star rank|four-star]] appointment in the [[Pakistani military]], included with seniority:

*[[Lieutenant-General|Lt-Gen.]] Asif Nawaz, the [[Chief of General Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of General Staff]] at the [[GHQ (Pakistan Army)|Army GHQ]] based in [[Rawalpindi Cantonment|Rawalpindi]].<ref name="Asia recorder"/>
*Lt-Gen. [[Shamim Alam Khan|Shamim Alam]], the field commander of the [[XXXI Corps (Pakistan)|XXXI Corps]], stationed in [[Bahawalpur]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] in Pakistan.<ref name="Asia recorder"/>
*Lt-Gen. [[Zulfiqar Akhtar Naz|Z.A. Naz]], the field commander of the [[I Corps (Pakistan)|I Corps]], stationed in [[Mangla]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] in Pakistan.<ref name="Asia recorder"/>
*Lt-Gen. [[Hamid Gul]], the field commander of the [[II Corps (Pakistan)|II Corps]], [[Multan]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] in Pakistan.<ref name="Asia recorder">''Asian recorder.'' Published by K. K. Thomas at Recorder Press, 1991</ref>

The senior most military officer in the military, Lt-Gen. Janjua's recommendation came from the former [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (Pakistan)|Chairman joint chiefs]] Gen.[[Rahimuddin Khan]] when the second most senior military officer, Lt-Gen. [[Shamim Alam Khan|Shamim Alam]] was eventually elevated as the [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (Pakistan)|Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee]].<ref>Nawaz, Crossed Swords, (2007)</ref> Lt Gen. Janjua was confirmed to this four-star promotion by [[President of Pakistan|President]] [[Ghulam Ishaq Khan]] on 11 June 1991.<ref name="ARashid">Ahmed Rashid. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-general-asif-nawaz-1477887.html "Obituary: General Asif Nawaz "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005062651/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-general-asif-nawaz-1477887.html |date=5 October 2017 }} ''The Independent'', 11 January 1993</ref><ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5037/is_199106/ai_n18312067/ "New and improved"] ''The Economist'', June 1991</ref>

His command over the army came when the [[Pressler amendment|military embargo]] had been placed by the United States due to the suspicion about his country's [[Pakistan and weapons of mass destruction|clandestine atomic bomb program]].<ref name="NYT">[https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/09/world/gen-asif-nawaz-of-pakistan-56-a-champion-of-democracy-dies.html "Gen. Asif Nawaz of Pakistan, 56, A Champion of Democracy, Dies"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929131803/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/09/world/gen-asif-nawaz-of-pakistan-56-a-champion-of-democracy-dies.html |date=29 September 2022 }} ''[[The New York Times]]'', 9 January 1993</ref> Gen. Janjua immediately made a press release through the [[Inter-Services Public Relations|ISPR]] where he committed to preventing [[Military interventionism|military interference]] in [[Politics of Pakistan|national politics]] when he noted that the "army's image had been tarnished and its officers corrupted in [[Martial law in Pakistan|Pakistan's 25 years of martial law]]."<ref name="NYT" /> Gen. Janjua, who had pro-western views, worked together with [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (Pakistan)|Chairman joint chiefs]] [[Shamim Alam Khan|Gen. Shamim]] and his [[JS HQ (Pakistan)|JS HQ]] to improve [[Pakistan - US relations|bilateral relations]] between Pakistan and the United States when he agreed to [[Pakistan Armed Forces deployments|deploy]] the combat brigades of the [[Pakistan Army]] in [[Somalia]] as part of the [[United Nations intervention in Somalia|UN Mission]] to end the [[Somali Civil War|civil war in the country]].<ref name="NYT"/>

His political views reflected political [[liberalism]] and he tried to improve the [[:Category:India–Pakistan military relations|military-to-military relations]] with the [[Indian Army]] when he successfully took Pakistan out of what he saw as the dead-end [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization|policy of Islamism]] by former conservative [[Zia ul-Haq|President Zia]].<ref name="ARashid"/> During Nawaz's tenure, the army took on the surprising role of becoming a protector of a free press and the liberal values of criticism.<ref name="ARashid"/>

As an army chief, Gen. Janjua played a crucial role in providing [[Military aid to the civil power|military aid]] to the civilian [[Government of Pakistan]] when he deployed the [[Pakistan Army Rangers]] to aid the [[Sindh Police]] against the [[Operation Blue Fox|dacoits and gangs]] in [[Karachi]] and rural [[Sindh]].<ref name="ARashid"/>

==Death==
Janjua died on 8 January 1993, while he was jogging near his home in [[Rawalpindi]]. The death was ruled a [[heart attack]] and no autopsy was conducted before the burial, in line with Muslim customs.

In April 1993, Janjua's widow Nuzhat, claimed that her husband had been poisoned by [[Imtiaz Ahmed (brigadier)|Brigadier Imtiaz]], head of the [[Intelligence Bureau (Pakistan)|Intelligence Bureau]], [[Shahbaz Sharif]], and [[Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Night of the Generals|date=31 October 1993|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/special-report/story/19931031-mystery-shrouds-former-pak-army-chief-general-asif-nawaz-janjua-death-poisoning-suspected-811732-1993-10-31|first=Shekhar|last=Gupta|author-link=Shekhar Gupta|magazine=[[India Today]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ndIAAwAAQBAJ&dq=Brigadier+Imtiaz+Asif+Nawaz&pg=PA403|title=Nothing But!: Book Five: All Is Fair in Love and War|page=403|author=Brigadier Samir Bhattacharya|year=2014|publisher=Partridge |isbn=978-1-4828-1731-7 }}</ref>

His family commissioned a private forensic test on hair from his hairbrush, which was conducted in the United States. The tests revealed 67 micrograms of arsenic in his hair, significantly higher than the normal level of 4 micrograms. According to the lab report, "The arsenic... falls within the range considered toxic," indicating elevated levels of arsenic in the hair. The forensic toxicologist stated that the arsenic level by itself is not enough to determine the cause of death but raises a flag that further analysis is warranted.<ref name="apnews.com">{{Cite web |title=General's Death Remains a Mystery in Pakistan |url=https://apnews.com/article/8003d8f23d78c1dbfe575bf0d2995352 |access-date=3 April 2022 |website=AP NEWS |language=en |archive-date=29 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929204135/https://apnews.com/article/8003d8f23d78c1dbfe575bf0d2995352 |url-status=live|date=28 September 1993}}</ref> Initially, the government deployed police at his grave to prevent his body from being exhumed. There were rumours that Janjua's stomach was removed prior to his burial.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/sa/sa-feb00-2.html|title=The ISI Role in Pakistan's Politics|publisher=[[Columbia University]]|author=Bidanda M. Chengappa|date=February 2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_E7RZnm-k9AC&q=%22Brig%20(retd)%20Imtiaz%22|title=Asian Recorder|volume=40|year=1994}}</ref> It was later reported that Janjua's family members had hired private security guards to protect his grave, fearing his body would be tampered with.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA333071.pdf#page=65|title=The Facts of the Case|page=65|date=21 July 1993|publisher=[[Foreign Broadcast Information Service]]}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/14/world/no-poison-found-in-pakistan-officer-s-body.html|title=No Poison Found in Pakistan Officer's Body|date=14 December 1993|agency=[[Reuters]]|access-date=8 March 2016|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archive-date=8 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308074011/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/14/world/no-poison-found-in-pakistan-officer-s-body.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A Supreme Court investigation also ruled that Janjua died of natural causes, without performing an autopsy.<ref name="apnews.com"/>

Janjua was among just four senior officers to have died while in active service, alongside Admiral [[Hasan Hafeez Ahmed]] (1975), General [[Zia-ul-Haq]] (1988), and Air Chief Marshal [[Mushaf Ali Mir]] (2002).<ref name="NYT"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Indian Air Force meets 294 accidents in almost 58 years |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/915311-indian-air-force-meets-294-accidents-in-almost-58-years |access-date=3 April 2022 |website=The News |language=en |archive-date=28 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928234657/https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/915311-indian-air-force-meets-294-accidents-in-almost-58-years |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Legacy==
Former Prime Minister [[Benazir Bhutto]], then described Asif Nawaz as "a true professional soldier," and further stated that "he did what he said he would do – he kept the army out of politics."<ref name="NYT"/> Unlike many of his predecessors, Asif Nawaz was incorruptible and often talked of how he would relax when he retired, unlike other generals who plunged into politics.<ref name="ARashid"/>

== Awards and decorations ==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Nishan-e-Imtiaz.png|width=130}}
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Hilal-e-Imtiaz.png|width=130}}
|
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Basalat.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War.png|width=130}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=10 years Service Medal (Pakistan Armed Forces).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=Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam.png|width=130}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Republic Medal 1956 (Pakistan).png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Hijri Tamgha.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}}
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Nishan-e-Imtiaz]]'''
'''(Military)'''

(''Order of Excellence'')
| colspan="2" | '''[[Hilal-i-Imtiaz]]'''
'''(Military)'''

(''Crescent of Excellence'')
|-
| colspan="1"| '''[[Sitara-e-Basalat]]'''
(''Star of Valour'')

'''with BAR'''
| '''[[Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War]]'''
(''War Star 1971'')
|'''[[Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War]]'''
(''War Medal 1965'')
| colspan="1" | '''[[Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War]]'''
(''War Medal 1971'')
|-
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Long service medals|10 Years Service Medal]]'''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Long service medals|20 Years Service Medal]]'''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Long service medals|30 Years Service Medal]]'''
|'''[[Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam]]'''

(''100th Birth Anniversary of [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]]'')

'''1976'''
|-
|'''[[Tamgha-e-Qayam-e-Jamhuria]]'''
(''Republic Commemoration Medal'')

'''1956'''
|'''[[Hijri Tamgha]]'''
(''Hijri Medal'')

'''1979'''
|'''[[Tamgha-e-Jamhuriat]]'''
(''Democracy Medal'')

'''1988'''
|colspan="1"| '''[[Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha]]'''
(''Resolution Day''

''Golden Jubilee Medal'')

'''1990'''
|}

==Further reading==
* "[[Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within]] (Oxford Pakistan Paperbacks)" by Shuja Nawaz, Publisher: Oxford University Press
* {{Cite magazine|title=Night of the Generals|date=31 October 1993|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/special-report/story/19931031-mystery-shrouds-former-pak-army-chief-general-asif-nawaz-janjua-death-poisoning-suspected-811732-1993-10-31|first=Shekhar|last=Gupta|author-link=Shekhar Gupta|magazine=[[India Today]]}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100824194032/http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/AWPReview/TextContent.aspx?pId=152 Official profile at Pakistan Army website]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Shamim Alam Khan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief of General Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of General Staff]]|years=1991}}
{{s-aft|after=Farrakh Khan}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Mirza Aslam Beg]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army Staff]]|years=1991–1993}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Abdul Waheed Kakar]]}}
{{end}}

{{Pakistan Army Staff Chief}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nawaz, Asif}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Jhelum]]
[[Category:Government Gordon College alumni]]
[[Category:Pakistan Military Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Punjab Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Pakistani military personnel of the India–Pakistan war of 1971]]
[[Category:Pakistani prisoners of war]]
[[Category:National Defence University (Pakistan) alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the National Defence University (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Chiefs of the General Staff (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Pakistan Military Academy]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Army Staff, Pakistan]]
[[Category:Pakistani democracy activists]]
[[Category:People from Jhelum District]]
[[Category:Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz]]
[[Category:Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz]]
[[Category:Pakistan Command and Staff College alumni]]
[[Category:People from Punjab Province (British India)]]

Asif Nawaz Janjua - Revision history

CleanupBot at 18:11, 21 March 2026