Noman Bashir

Noman Bashir
Admiral Bashir in 2010
Birth name	Noman Bashir
Nickname	Admiral Bashir
Allegiance	Pakistan
Service/branch	Pakistan Navy
Years of service	1973 - 2011
Rank	Admiral
Service number	(PN No. 1471)
Unit	Naval Operations Branch
Commands held	Chief of Naval Staff Commander Naval Aviation GM (Operations) at Karachi Port Trust DCNS (Naval Projects-II) Commander Pakistan Fleet (COMPAK) Commander Karachi (COMKAR) ACNS (Naval Training) DG Naval Intelligence (DGNI) Naval attaché to Sultanate of Oman CDRE-in-C Jinnah Naval Base
Battles/wars	Indo-Pakistani War of 1999 Operation Parakram Operation Enduring Freedom - HOA War in North-West Pakistan Operation Umeed-e-Nuh Operation Mehran Operation Madad
Awards	Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Military) Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military) Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) Legion of Merit
Relations	Salman Bashir (brother)

Admiral Noman Bashir, (NI(M), TI(MI, SI(M), HI(M), LM) was a 4-star rank Admiral who served as the 18th Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) of the Pakistan Navy, 7 October 2008 when Admiral Afzal Tahir retired from the navy, until 07 October 2011. A distinguished and one of the most-decorated naval officer, Admiral Bashir was appointed to that post by President Asif Ali Zardari on 5 October 2008, after his and the then Chief of Staff (COS) Vice Admiral Asaf Humayun's names were sent to the President by the Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar. As Humayun was senior to Bashir, the former was superseded.^[1] Later however, Vice Admiral Asaf Humayun was appointed as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS) on 31 October 2008.^[2]

His brother, Salman Bashir, is the current Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[3]

Naval career

Noman Bashir was commissioned in operations branch of Pakistan Navy in June 1973. After completing sea training, he served on board various ships and then joined the aviation wing to be graduated as a helicopter pilot.^[4] He has commanded two aviation squadrons, two ships (frigate and corvette) and the Naval Aviation. He is a graduate of Joint Services Staff College, Chaklala, National Defence College, Islamabad and Royal College of Defence Studies, United Kingdom.^[1]

At RCDS, his paper "Afghanistan and the 'New Great Game'" was shortlisted in the Seaford House Papers 2000. In it he has claimed that the Afghan Taliban are "inward rather than outward looking" and "they have also signalled readiness to engage constructively with the international community." Moreover, he says that "keeping Afghanistan broken and destabilized suits those who do not want the Caspian/Central Asian oil and gas pipelines to take one of the shortest and economical outlets over Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Arabian Sea."^[5]

Senior appointments

Noman Bashir has served on staff appointment at Naval Headquarters as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations), Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Training), Director Naval Intelligence and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Projects-II). He has also served as Commodore Training Ashore, Senior Pakistan Armed Forces Officer in the Sultanate of Oman and did a tenure in Karachi Port Trust as the General Manager (Operations).^[1]

Chief of Naval Staff

Bashir was promoted to Rear-Admiral on 4 July 2003 when he was serving as the Commander of Naval Aviation.^[6] He was then promoted to Vice Admiral on 19 July 2007 while serving as the commander of the Pakistan fleet. He was later posted as the commander Karachi (COMKAR), from where he was elevated to the post of Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) on 5 October 2008.^[4]

Admiral Noman Bashir is the second high-ranking military officer in Pakistan Navy. Pakistan government had sent the proposal to appoint General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani as the additional office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Pakistani media then reported since Admiral Bashir is the most senior officer, Admiral Bashir would likely to become the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.^[7] However, General Khalid Shameem Wynne was the most-general in the Pakistan Armed Forces, as his chances to became Chief of Army Staff was diminished. On the advice of General Kayani, General Khalid Shameem Wynne was promoted to four-star rank and assumed the Chairmanship of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} "President Zardari appoints Noman Bashir new navy chief" Associated Press of Pakistan, 5 October 2008
2. ^ "Vice Admiral Asaf Humayun appointed as Vice Chief of Naval Staff " Associated Press of Pakistan, 31 October 2008
3. ^ "Noman Bashir new Naval Chief" The Nation, 6 October 2008
4. ^ ^{a b} "Rear admirals Noman Bashir, Saleem Ahmed Meenai promoted as Vice Admiral" Associated Press of Pakistan, 19 July 2007
5. ^ Noman Bashir. "Afghanistan and the 'New Great Game'" Seaford House Papers, 2000
6. ^ "Promoted to Rear Admiral" Dawn, 5 July 2003
7. ^ http://www.maverickpakistanis.com/?p=8796

External links

Media related to Noman Bashir at Wikimedia Commons

Military offices
Preceded by Afzal Tahir	Chief of Naval Staff 2008 – 2011	Succeeded by Asif Sandila

Persondata
Name	Bashir, Noman
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