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XXXI Corps (Pakistan)

The XXXI Corps is a field corps of the Pakistan Army, currently stationed in Bahawalpur, Punjab in Pakistan. [2]

It is currently commanded by Lt-Gen. Saqib Mehmood Malik as of 2023.[3]

History

The XXXI Corps was formed and raised as part of the major reorganization of the Pakistani military in 1985– it was one of the three corps that were formed to address the security in the country.[4] The XXXI Corps took over the area of responsibility of southern region of Punjab from the II Corps, which is more well suited for forestry warfare techniques.[2] It was initially headquartered in Pano Akil but later moved to Bahawalpur Cantonment as the corps headquarter.[5] Together with the V Corps in Sindh, the XXXI Corps is responsible for the maneuvering combat readiness in the southern Punjab's desert zone.[2]

In 2023, 35th Infantry Division attached to the XXXI Corps equipped with VCC-2 APCs were reportedly be taking part in anti-bandit operations near Bahawalpur alongside Punjab Police, based on social media and news reports. The units from the 35th were then rotated with fresh replacements consisting of VCC-1 APCs. The police were also equipped with locally-made M113A1/A2 APCs.[6][7][8]

Structure

Its present order of battle is as follows:[9]

List of Commanders XXXI Corps

References

  1. ^ "COAS visits formations of Bahawalpur Corps". brecorder.com.
  2. ^ a b c "XXXI Corps". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  3. ^ "General Asim Munir kicks off Pakistan army's game of thrones with major reshuffle". WION.
  4. ^ Alam, Dr Shah (1 July 2012). Pakistan Army: Modernisation, Arms Procurement and Capacity Building. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. ISBN 978-93-81411-79-7. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  5. ^ Sathasivam, Kanishkan (24 October 2017). Uneasy Neighbors: India, Pakistan and US Foreign Policy. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-87682-7. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  6. ^ Haq, Irfanul (10 April 2023). "'Grand operation' against katcha area outlaws starts in Punjab". Dawn. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  7. ^ @FarooqB90714421 (16 April 2023). "PA VCC-2s from 35 Div taking part in Kacha Anti-Dacoit Op in Lower Punjab Region. Plus a M113A1/A2 HIT Up-Armoured with Punjab police" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ @FarooqB90714421 (2 December 2023). "PA VCC1s (With RPG-Net but without additional armour) during Anti-Dacoit Ops in Lower Punjab Region. Its likely these VCC1s replaced the VCC2s which had likely become exhausted as they were taking part in the op previously" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Global Security website page on XXXI Corps

Further reading