Pakistan Military Academy

The Pakistan Military Academy is a military training institution that prepares officer cadets for service in the Pakistan Army. It is located in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Established in November 1947, the academy is accredited by the National University of Sciences and Technology.
The academy conducts training programs for Pakistani officer cadets and provides military training to personnel from allied countries. Each year, PMA hosts approximately 2,000 international guests and has trained cadets and officers from more than 34 countries.

History

After the partition of British India in 1947, the British Indian Army was divided between the newly created states of India and Pakistan. Brigadier Francis Ingall, an officer of the former British Indian Army, was selected by the Commander-in-Chief of India, Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, to serve as the first commandant of the Pakistan Military Academy.
A vacant site at Kakul was chosen for the academy. The site had housed the British Indian Army's Physical Training and Mountaineering School before the partition of British India in 1947. This was an active operational space for the Royal Indian Army Service Corps. The school had been established in a former POW camp used during the Boer War in 1902.
Ingall structured the PMA based on the model of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and requested a regimental sergeant major from the Brigade of Guards to assist with training. He received support from several former British Indian Army officers who had transferred to the Pakistan Army, including Lieutenant-Colonel Attiqur Rahman and Major S.G. Mehdi M.C., the first PMA adjutant and founder of Qasim company, who later commanded the Special Service Group of the Pakistan Army.
When the dispute over the accession of Jammu and Kashmir led to armed conflict between India and Pakistan in late 1947, Ingall adapted the Academy's training to the conditions faced by the Pakistan Army in order to prepare new officers for a largely mountainous and open terrain and to create a new officer class for Pakistan. Afterwards, Ingall was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire after completing his term as commandant in 1950, and later was honored with his name on Kakul's central lecture theater, Ingall Hall, constructed years after his departure. He kept in touch with the academy for the rest of his life with various visits. During his final visit in November 1997, he said:
A total of 67 cadets arrived from the Indian Military Academy, India's military training counterpart, on 15 October 1947. New cadets for the 1st PMA Long Course and the 1st Graduates Course were selected in Pakistan, and training officially began in January 1948 with 208 cadets. On 25 January 1948, "The First Pakistan Battalion" was instituted. This battalion has four companies, which were "named after the luminaries of Muslim military history". In March 1948, the First Battalion was bestowed with Quaid-e-Azam's patronage as Colonel-in-Chief, and the most coveted claim of being "The Quaid-e-Azam's Own".
Khawaja Nazimuddin gave the Quaid-e-Azam banner to the Pakistan Military Academy on behalf of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah. The champion company hoists the Quaid-e-Azam banner at each passing-out parade. "Regimental colors presented in 1950 by Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the National Standard in 1961 by General Muhammad Musa, the then-Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army, have been some of the honors showered on the Academy, which it has always zealously guarded and kept high in letter and spirit."
The 1965 war with India led to the expansion of the Academy, with the establishment of the second battalion at the Academy in December 1965. This battalion consisted of four companies, called Ghaznavi, Babur, Aurangzeb, and Tipu. In early 1989, the third battalion of the Academy was founded. The third battalion's four companies are Haider, Ubaida, Saad, and Hamza.
Former COAS General Raheel Sharif inaugurated the 4th Pakistan Battalion at PMA on 10 October 2016.

Entry Process

Cadet selection is conducted by the Inter-Services Selection Board through assessment centers across Pakistan. Applicants must pass medical, fitness, and aptitude evaluations to be eligible for admission.

Physical Requirements

GCs are required to pass various physical tests, which increase with promotion to the next term. The basic requirement for cadets of the first term is to be able to complete a one-mile run in six minutes and thirty seconds. In the second term, cadets are required to complete a one-mile run in six minutes and fifteen seconds. For the third term, the one-mile run time is six minutes, and most fourth-term cadets are required to complete a one-mile run within six minutes. Other tests include push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, rope test, a five-mile run, an assault course, and a so-called acid test. These tests evaluate the stamina and strength of a cadet.
In the "acid test," cadets begin by traversing a mountain while carrying logs on their shoulders. This is followed by a 14.5 km run in full gear to an obstacle course. Those completing the course are given five rounds with which to hit a target at a distance of 22 m.
LCs are also required to pass physical efficiency tests, similar to those of GCs, but the standards are slightly lower, considering their physique. The basic requirement for all LCs is to run one mile in 10 minutes or less. Other tests include push-ups, sit-ups, bar hanging, assault course, and an exercise of Qiyadat with GCs.
There are several training exercises for cadets, which include:

First term: Kick Off, Saluting Tests, Cross Country, Sang e Bunyad, Yarmuk, Path Finder, and the GCs are required to spend three minutes in the Boxing Ring with another opponent following a lengthy training period.
Second term: T.M Raiders, Panipat, and Assault Course are also added as a part of the PT Tests: Qiyadat and the Acid Test
Battalions and Companies

For training, the Gentlemen Cadets are organised in battalions and then further into companies. There are 16 companies in the Pakistan Military Academy, named after Arab warriors and commanders. The companies under the 4th Battalion are named after four out of the eleven recipients of Nishan-e-Haider.

1st Battalion	2nd Battalion	3rd Battalion	4th Battalion
Khalid	Ghaznavi	Haider	Aziz
Tariq	Babar	Ubaida	Shabbir
Qasim	Aurangzeb	Saad	Akram
Salahuddin	Tipu	Hamza	Sher

Courses

There are five types of courses that run parallel to each other. The types of courses are:

PMA Long Course

The PMA Long Course is for regular commissioned officers of combat and combat support arms & services. The Long Course has a duration of two years, which is divided into four terms of six months each. After the 2-year training period, Cadets pass out as 2nd Lieutenants.

Technical Cadet Course (TCC)

Candidates who wish to join the army as an engineer apply for this course. Candidates are required to have completed 12 years of academic education, including courses in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Candidates who are successful in all tests conducted for selection are then sent to a NUST institution for a Bachelor of Engineering degree, depending on the field they choose:

Degree	Institution
B.E Civil Engineering	Military College of Engineering
B.E Electrical Engineering	College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
B.E Mechanical Engineering	College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
B.E Mechatronics Engineering	College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
B.E Computer Engineering	College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
B.E Electrical Engineering	Military College of Signals
B.E Security Engineering	Military College of Signals
B.E Software Engineering	Military College of Signals
B.E Aeronautical Engineering	College of Aeronautical Engineering

After completing their Bachelor of Engineering degree, the E-Cadets are sent to Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul, for one year of military training, after which they are commissioned as captains in their respective units.

Integrated Course (IC)

To be eligible for this course, a candidate must have attained 16–18 years of academic education with coursework in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Candidates who pass the initial and GHQ Selection Board tests conducted by the army are sent to the Army Medical College for MBBS or for Bachelor of Dental Surgery, after which they go through a Basic Military Training at Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul, for 22 weeks. Apart from GCs of AM College, IC accepts cadets who are willing to join EME, Signals, RVFC, and Army Education Corps with a minimum master's degree in several fields. The IC has a duration of six months. Cadets graduate as Captains.

PMA Lady Cadet's Course (LCC)

'The Lady Cadet's Course' was introduced in November 2006 and is designed for FA-qualified ladies who are sound professionals in their respective fields. The lady cadets undergo a training period of six months and pass out as Captains in the supporting arms of the Pakistan Army.

List of Commandants

Notable alumni

Pakistani

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

General Rahimuddin Khan, Gentleman Cadet No. 1, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
General Muhammad Aziz Khan, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chief of General Staff
General Ehsan ul Haq, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff