Baloch Regiment
The Baloch Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in May 1956 by the merger of 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments with the Baluch Regiment. Since then, further raisings have brought the strength of the Regiment to 27 battalions. The Baloch Regiment is descended from the infantry of the old British Indian Army and is named after Balochistan (formerly Baluchistan). Before 1991, it was called the Baluch Regiment but the spelling was changed to 'Baloch' to better reflect the correct pronunciation.
| The Baloch Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1798 |
| Country | Company Rule 1798–1858
British India 1858–1947 Pakistan 1947–present |
| Branch | British Indian Army Pakistan Army |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | 60 battalions |
| Regimental centre | Abbottabad |
| Motto(s) | Ghazi ya Shaheed (Victorious or Martyr) |
| War cry | Kai Kai |
| Uniform | Rifle Green; faced cherry |
| Engagements | Second Poligar War 1801 Second Maratha War 1803–05 Travancore War 1808–09 Third Maratha War 1817–19 Third Kandy War 1818 First Burma War 1824–26 Naning War 1831–32 Coorg War 1834 Expedition to Aden 1839 Second Sikh War 1848 Second Burma War 1852–53 Anglo-Persian War 1856–57 Great Indian Rebellion 1857–58 Taiping Rebellion 1862–64 Abyssinian Campaign 1868 Second Afghan War 1878–80 Rampa Rebellion 1879 Anglo-Egyptian War 1882 Third Burma War 1885–87 Pacification of Upper Burma 1890–96 Manipur Expedition 1891 British East Africa 1896 British East Africa 1897–99 The Boxer Rebellion 1900 British Somaliland 1908–10 First World War 1914–18 (France & Flanders, Egypt, Palestine, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, Persia, Aden, German East Africa, Salonika, Russia) Third Afghan War 1919 Iraqi Revolt 1920 Burmese Rebellion 1931–32 Second World War 1939–45 (Italian East Africa, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Burma, Malaya, French Indochina, Dutch East Indies) Kashmir War 1948 Indo-Pakistan War 1965 Indo-Pakistan War 1971 Siachen Conflict 1984 Kargil War 1999 |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel in Chief | General Qamar Javed Bajwa, NI(M), HI(M) |
| Colonel Commandant | Lt General Azhar Abbas, HI (M) |
The Baloch Regiment is second in seniority after the Punjab Regiment. Its senior-most battalion was raised more than two hundred years ago, in 1798. The regiment has a distinguished record of military service both before and after the independence of Pakistan. It has won numerous gallantry awards including 6 Victoria Cross, one George Cross, 6 Hilal-i-Jurat with one bar, 68 Sitara-i-Jurat with 4 bars, and 81 Tamgha-i-Jurat. The Regiment's long list of battle honours dates from the Battle of Cochin in 1809 to the Battle of Qaisar-i-Hind in 1971.