Zafar Mahmood Abbasi
Zafar Mahmood Abbasi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pakistan |
| Occupation | Naval officer |
| Years active | 1979–2020 |
| Known for | 21st Chief of the Naval Staff of Pakistan Navy |
Zafar Mahmood Abbasi () is a retired four-star admiral who served in the Pakistan Navy and held the position of the 21st Chief of the Naval Staff from 7 October 2017 until 7 October 2020.
Career
Abbasi commenced his naval career in 1979 following his graduation from Cadet College Hasanabdal. He underwent training at both the Pakistan Naval Academy and the Britannia Royal Naval College in the United Kingdom. Upon his commissioning as a Lieutenant in 1981, he was honored with the Sword of Honour. Early in his career, he served as an executive officer aboard a Tariq-class destroyer.
He later specialized in underwater warfare and also qualified for surface warfare through training in the United States. Abbasi completed advanced studies at the Royal Australian Naval College in 1989 and earned both a B.S. and an MSc from the National Defence University.
His leadership appointments encompassed serving as commandant of the Pakistan Naval Academy, Director-General of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency between 2010 and 2011, commanding officer of PNS Khaiber from 2001 to 2003, and leading both the 21st Mine Squadron and 25th Destroyer Squadron between 2005 and 2007. After promotion to Commodore in 2008, he assumed responsibilities as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff for Operations and Plans prior to attaining two-star rank in 2010.
From April to October 2010, Abbasi commanded the Combined Task Force 150. In 2013, he briefly held the post of Commander Logistics (COMLOG) before taking on roles as Commander Karachi Coast (COMCOAST) and Flag Officer Commanding of the Pakistan Marines. His elevation to three-star rank came in 2014 when he was appointed Commander, Pakistan Fleet (COMPAK).
In consideration for the Chief of Naval Staff role in 2014 alongside Vice-Admirals Khan Hasham bin Saddique and Syed Arifullah Hussaini, Abbasi was ultimately passed over in favor of Admiral Mohammad Zakaullah. He continued to serve as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Operations) at Naval Headquarters.
Following Vice-Admiral Khan Hasham bin Saddique’s retirement, Abbasi was appointed Vice Chief of Naval Staff in June 2017.
Vice-Admiral Abbasi was elevated to four-star admiral on 3 October 2017 and designated by the MoD as the Chief of Naval Staff, thereby becoming the most senior admiral within the Navy. He officially took over command on 7 October 2017, succeeding Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah at PNS Zafar in Islamabad.
On 30 October 2017, President Mamnoon Hussain conferred upon Admiral Abbasi the prestigious Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) recognizing his exemplary service. Later that year, in December 2017, he was also awarded the "Legion of Merit" by the Turkish Armed Forces during an official visit to Turkey.
In March 2018, Abbasi received Saudi Arabia’s distinguished Order of King Abdulaziz from the Royal Saudi Armed Forces. Subsequently, on 1 February 2020, he was honored with Indonesia’s highest military decoration, the Bintang Jalasena Utama.
Admiral Abbasi concluded his tenure as Chief of Naval Staff upon his retirement on 7 October 2020.
Awards and decorations
Turkey)| Operations Branch Badge of the Pakistan Navy | ||||
| Command at Sea insignia | ||||
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Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Order of Excellence) (Military Division) Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) (Military Division) Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) (Military Division) Tamgha-e-Baqa (Nuclear Test Commemoration, 1998) |
Tamgha-e-Istaqlal Pakistan (Medal for 2002 India Escalation) |
Tamgha-e-Azm (Medal of Determination, 2018) |
10 Years Service Medal |
20 Years Service Medal |
|
35 Years Service Medal |
40 Years Service Medal |
Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam (Mark of 100th Birth Anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, 1976) | ||
|
Jamhuriat Tamgha (Democracy Commemorative Medal, 1988) |
Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha (Golden Jubilee of Resolution Day, 1990) |
Tamgha-e-Salgirah Pakistan (Golden Jubilee of Independence Day, 1997) | ||
|
Order of King Abdulaziz (from Saudi Arabia) |
Britannia Royal Naval College Medal |
Bintang Jalasena Utama (from Indonesia) | ||
Foreign decorations
| International Honors | ||
|---|---|---|
 Turkey
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Turkish Legion of Merit |
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| Template:Country data Saudi Arabia |
Order of King Abdulaziz |
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| Template:Country data UK |
Britannia Royal Naval College Medal |
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| File:Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia |
Bintang Jalasena Utama |
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