With army reserves, paramilitary, and assigned to protect the presidency, the X Corps forms and leads an important formation in Pakistan' security spectrum, which is known as Northern Command.: 309–311 [2]
It is currently commanded by its commander, Lt-Gen. Shahid Imtiaz.[5]
History
Formation and war service
After the 1971 conflict with India, the Pakistani military had to modify its organizational structure to meet parity with Indian Army.: 64 [6] This eventually led to the establishing of the X Corps with Lieutenant-General Aftab Ahmad Khan becoming its first commander, with its headquarters in Chaklala Cantonment near Rawalpindi in 1974.[4]
Unlike the I Corps, the X Corps has an area of expertise in winter and mountain warfare, and oversees security operations together with the local law enforcement, mountain divisions guarding the nation's mountain ranges, and paramilitary to ensure the national defenses of the Pakistan.: 145–146 [7] By accumulating all the military elements, the X Corps leads a regional formation to ensure the defenses and national security under a command known as "Northern Command".: 70–75 [6]
The north–south regional formation, with X Corps leading the Northern Command, was formed by the Army GHQ working under then-army chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez, only to address the Indian Army's Cold Start strategy.[2]
Its badge insignia, as an ode to Lt-Gen. Aftab Ahmad Khan, the insignia of the X Corps features a Rising Sun or Aftab (in Urdu) with 10 rays extruding from it.[4] Due to its deployment in sensitive border areas and mission parameters to prevent Indian Army's adventures in northern fronts, the X Corps has seen more military actions against the Indian Army than any of Pakistan's maneuver corps deployed in other fronts.[8]
Serving on the Line of Control
Since its deployment in 1974, the X Corps has faced the Indian Army across the Line of Control (LoC) and northern frontiers of Pakistan's borders. The X Corps has fought battles in Siachen conflict in 1984 and a border war with India in 1999.[4]
Since 1974, its primary mission has been to prevent and mitigate the threats of Indian Army's advancement in northern frontiers of Pakistan.[6]
The X Corps structure is composed of five infantry division and one brigade of each of infantry brigade, armored, artillery, signal, and an engineering brigade.[3]
Additional reinforcement to provide support to X Corps comes from the other mountain divisions of the XI Corps, batteries of Army Air Defence Command, the Air Force's Northern Air Command and Navy'sNorthern Command that also includes the Pakistan Marines several battalions;: 312 it forms the joint military formation, known as Northern Command, which the X Corps leads to enforce national defenses of Pakistan on the northern front.[3]
Under the statue of Northern Command, the X Corps provides military support to civil armed forces and provincial governments in the northern fronts while protecting the territory and national interests of the Pakistan within the country.[3]
