Role of Corps of Engineers
Primary Role
To support the Army in all its combat operations, so that the move of the Army is facilitated in offensive operations and the move of the enemy is impeded while own Army in defense. Engineers are also responsible for the survivability of the Army. Engineers are, thus, those soldiers who “First to enter and last to leave the battle field”.
Secondary Role
Engineers are also trained to fight as infantry, and Corps of Engineers is proud recipient of various battle honors for gallantry actions in infantry role, in addition to performance as combat sappers.
Other Minor Roles
In addition to national Building tasks, Corps of Engineers maintains few specialized outfits, which are meant for survey, bomb disposal, and can undertake these tasks to limited extent.
War Performance
1948 War
The engineers tasks especially opening of & constructing roads and tracks were enormous and resources scanty. The terrain was difficult, hills were precipitous and there were no roads; engineer operations were thus hazardous. Sappers constructed and maintained hundreds of miles of roads, took guns to the highest ridges by ingenious methods, destroyed enemy's Line of Communication and other installations. They have Laid/removed thousands of mines and created innumerable road blocks. The Sappers are made substantial contribution for the freedom of that part of Jammu & Kashmir, which is now called Azad Kashmir.
1965 War
The Engineers played a role in not only defending their homeland but also in capturing enemy territory. The Enemy, who had all the advantage of surprise in launching attacks in various sectors, was halted in the shortest possible time by rapid demolition of bridges, laying of mines and denying all the routes of his advance.
Kasur Sector
Three bridges of different classifications for crossing of tanks and other vehicles were built on Rohi-Nullah and BRB Canal, which facilitated attack on Khem Karan.
Lahore Sector
Seven bridges on BRB Canal and Hudiara drain were demolished mostly under enemy fire & Artillery shelling. Thousands of anti-tank and anti personnel mines were laid. In the enemy’s dream of capturing Lahore was falsified.
Sialkot Sector
Demolition of Jassar Bridge in the face of enemy brigade group was most challenging and perilous task for the engineers. All the avenues of advance of the enemy in Sialkot, Zafarwal, Chawinda and Pasrur sectors were completely denied by laying thousands of anti tank and anti personnel mines.
Chhamb - Jaurian Operations
Engineers supported the fighting troops in offensive as well as defensive-operations by providing crossing over Manawar Tawi River. Improving / building and maintaining tracks / roads and laying as well as breaching the minefields.
1971 War
In West Pakistan as well as in East Pakistan, the Engineer units also performed their role as Infantry under adverse circumstances. One of our battalions captured an enemy position after a bitter fighting in Sulemanki Area and was awarded the battle honour of "PAKKA 71".
Another engineer battalion not only provided prompt engineer support for a brigade crossing by unconventional methods and improvisation for capture of Chhamb, but it also made a gap of 600 yards in 45 minutes for the armour in Chhamb Sector. It fought as infantry and annihilated an enemy platoon. This battalion got the Battle Honour of "Chhamb 71". An engineers battalion supporting an Infantry Division in Rann of Kachh laid 80,000 Anti Tank and Anti Personnel mines. This figure indicates how much engineer effort, energy and skill was involved for such a colossal task. The desert was used by engineers troops to their best advantage, while enemy seemed reluctant to venture away from roads and tracks.
Peace Time Contribution
Pre Partition
Some of the works carried out by the military engineers before independence, and which are assets to Pakistan are listed below:-
Lower Chenab Canal. Jhelum Canals. Upper Swat Canal. Canals in Sind. Sukkur Barrage. Roads in NWFP & Baluchistan. Railway Line Khushalgarh to Tal. Railway Line Peshawar to Landi Kotal.
Bolan - Harnai Railway.
Post Partition Some major projects undertaken after independence are:-
Karakuram Highway.
Gilgit - Skardu Road Chitral Road.
A number of roads in Balochistan.
Irrigation works in Balochistan.
Network of roads in Azad Kashmir.
Northern Area Roads.
Flood protection bunds in Sindh.
Khanpur Dam.
Airfields and airstrips at various places.
Thermal Power Stations.
Salinity control, rehabilitation and drainage projects.
Power generation projects at Muzaffargarh and Mangla.
Construction of urban roads of Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan, Rawalpindi and other cities.
Up-gradation of National Highway N-5.
Management of Motorway.
City Development
Packages.
Development of Defence Housing Societies.
Makran Coastal Road Project.
Lyari Expressway Project.
United Nations Peace Keeping Missions
Corps of Engineers participated, whole heartedly, in United Nations Humanitarian & Peacekeeping Missions as part of Pakistan Army Contingent. (Pak Engineers have done extremely well as peacekeepers and builders in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bosina, Haiti, Western Sahara and East Timor. Presently, Pak Engineers are employed in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
In Aid of Civil Power
Natural calamities like floods, earthquakes, failure of communication networks etc call for organized engineer support. Corps of engineers has undertaken these tasks in the past and may be required to act in aid of civil power in future as well. Flood relief tasks are planned and monitored by the army formations under centralized control of Engineer Directorate. Engineers play a key role in this operation. Before the flood season, the engineers inspect all the protection bunds and other precautionary measures, which are necessary to combat the flood menace. They advise the civil Government to improve the efficiency of such measures.
National Calamities
Since independence, sappers have been intimately involved in multi-dimensional activities of wide spectrum. In times of natural disasters, sappers have responded with silent resolve and deep commitment to alleviate sufferings of distressed people and assisted in reconstruction and rehabilitations, may it be floods, earthquakes or other disasters. The Corps of Engineers responded the call of nation, when-ever need arose, and it preformed admirably to redress the sufferings of their fellow country-mates. Some of major catastrophic events are as under:-
Un-precedented floods in 1974, 1988 and 1992.
Earthquakes in Northern Areas of NWFP.
Honours & Awards
The honours and awards conferred on the officers and men of the corps since independence excluding Imtiaz and Khidmat series commendation certificate, are as under:-
Sitara-i-Juraat 13
Sitara-i-Basalat 11
Tamgha-i-Juraat 21
Tamgha-i-Basalat 14
source : http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/AWPReview/TextContent.aspx?pId=23&rnd=453
Primary Role
To support the Army in all its combat operations, so that the move of the Army is facilitated in offensive operations and the move of the enemy is impeded while own Army in defense. Engineers are also responsible for the survivability of the Army. Engineers are, thus, those soldiers who “First to enter and last to leave the battle field”.
Secondary Role
Engineers are also trained to fight as infantry, and Corps of Engineers is proud recipient of various battle honors for gallantry actions in infantry role, in addition to performance as combat sappers.
Other Minor Roles
In addition to national Building tasks, Corps of Engineers maintains few specialized outfits, which are meant for survey, bomb disposal, and can undertake these tasks to limited extent.
War Performance
1948 War
The engineers tasks especially opening of & constructing roads and tracks were enormous and resources scanty. The terrain was difficult, hills were precipitous and there were no roads; engineer operations were thus hazardous. Sappers constructed and maintained hundreds of miles of roads, took guns to the highest ridges by ingenious methods, destroyed enemy's Line of Communication and other installations. They have Laid/removed thousands of mines and created innumerable road blocks. The Sappers are made substantial contribution for the freedom of that part of Jammu & Kashmir, which is now called Azad Kashmir.
1965 War
The Engineers played a role in not only defending their homeland but also in capturing enemy territory. The Enemy, who had all the advantage of surprise in launching attacks in various sectors, was halted in the shortest possible time by rapid demolition of bridges, laying of mines and denying all the routes of his advance.
Kasur Sector
Three bridges of different classifications for crossing of tanks and other vehicles were built on Rohi-Nullah and BRB Canal, which facilitated attack on Khem Karan.
Lahore Sector
Seven bridges on BRB Canal and Hudiara drain were demolished mostly under enemy fire & Artillery shelling. Thousands of anti-tank and anti personnel mines were laid. In the enemy’s dream of capturing Lahore was falsified.
Sialkot Sector
Demolition of Jassar Bridge in the face of enemy brigade group was most challenging and perilous task for the engineers. All the avenues of advance of the enemy in Sialkot, Zafarwal, Chawinda and Pasrur sectors were completely denied by laying thousands of anti tank and anti personnel mines.
Chhamb - Jaurian Operations
Engineers supported the fighting troops in offensive as well as defensive-operations by providing crossing over Manawar Tawi River. Improving / building and maintaining tracks / roads and laying as well as breaching the minefields.
1971 War
In West Pakistan as well as in East Pakistan, the Engineer units also performed their role as Infantry under adverse circumstances. One of our battalions captured an enemy position after a bitter fighting in Sulemanki Area and was awarded the battle honour of "PAKKA 71".
Another engineer battalion not only provided prompt engineer support for a brigade crossing by unconventional methods and improvisation for capture of Chhamb, but it also made a gap of 600 yards in 45 minutes for the armour in Chhamb Sector. It fought as infantry and annihilated an enemy platoon. This battalion got the Battle Honour of "Chhamb 71". An engineers battalion supporting an Infantry Division in Rann of Kachh laid 80,000 Anti Tank and Anti Personnel mines. This figure indicates how much engineer effort, energy and skill was involved for such a colossal task. The desert was used by engineers troops to their best advantage, while enemy seemed reluctant to venture away from roads and tracks.
Peace Time Contribution
Pre Partition
Some of the works carried out by the military engineers before independence, and which are assets to Pakistan are listed below:-
Lower Chenab Canal. Jhelum Canals. Upper Swat Canal. Canals in Sind. Sukkur Barrage. Roads in NWFP & Baluchistan. Railway Line Khushalgarh to Tal. Railway Line Peshawar to Landi Kotal.
Bolan - Harnai Railway.
Post Partition Some major projects undertaken after independence are:-
Karakuram Highway.
Gilgit - Skardu Road Chitral Road.
A number of roads in Balochistan.
Irrigation works in Balochistan.
Network of roads in Azad Kashmir.
Northern Area Roads.
Flood protection bunds in Sindh.
Khanpur Dam.
Airfields and airstrips at various places.
Thermal Power Stations.
Salinity control, rehabilitation and drainage projects.
Power generation projects at Muzaffargarh and Mangla.
Construction of urban roads of Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan, Rawalpindi and other cities.
Up-gradation of National Highway N-5.
Management of Motorway.
City Development
Packages.
Development of Defence Housing Societies.
Makran Coastal Road Project.
Lyari Expressway Project.
United Nations Peace Keeping Missions
Corps of Engineers participated, whole heartedly, in United Nations Humanitarian & Peacekeeping Missions as part of Pakistan Army Contingent. (Pak Engineers have done extremely well as peacekeepers and builders in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bosina, Haiti, Western Sahara and East Timor. Presently, Pak Engineers are employed in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
In Aid of Civil Power
Natural calamities like floods, earthquakes, failure of communication networks etc call for organized engineer support. Corps of engineers has undertaken these tasks in the past and may be required to act in aid of civil power in future as well. Flood relief tasks are planned and monitored by the army formations under centralized control of Engineer Directorate. Engineers play a key role in this operation. Before the flood season, the engineers inspect all the protection bunds and other precautionary measures, which are necessary to combat the flood menace. They advise the civil Government to improve the efficiency of such measures.
National Calamities
Since independence, sappers have been intimately involved in multi-dimensional activities of wide spectrum. In times of natural disasters, sappers have responded with silent resolve and deep commitment to alleviate sufferings of distressed people and assisted in reconstruction and rehabilitations, may it be floods, earthquakes or other disasters. The Corps of Engineers responded the call of nation, when-ever need arose, and it preformed admirably to redress the sufferings of their fellow country-mates. Some of major catastrophic events are as under:-
Un-precedented floods in 1974, 1988 and 1992.
Earthquakes in Northern Areas of NWFP.
Honours & Awards
The honours and awards conferred on the officers and men of the corps since independence excluding Imtiaz and Khidmat series commendation certificate, are as under:-
Sitara-i-Juraat 13
Sitara-i-Basalat 11
Tamgha-i-Juraat 21
Tamgha-i-Basalat 14
source : http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/AWPReview/TextContent.aspx?pId=23&rnd=453
