Pakistan Army’s Rawalpindi HQ, where General Munir is plotting against India, is linked to Rajasthani Rajput king, the Pakistani city is named after…

Pakistan Army: The tensions between India and Pakistan have reached a fever pitch after the heinous Pahalgam terror attack, and the possibility of a full-scale India-Pakistan war is becoming more real with each passing day. But did you know that that Rawalpindi-based headquarters of the Pakistan Army, where General Asim Munir, the country’s hardline army chief, is plotting devious plans against India, has a strong connection to the erstwhile Indian Rajput kingdom?

History of Rawalpindi and Pakistan Army HQ

According to historians, the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Chakala, Rawalpindi, which serves as the command center of the Pakistan Army, has a history which is over 1200 years old. The Army GHQ, considered by many as the “real” power in Pakistan, is closely linked to the Rajput kings of Rajasthan, India.

In a video which has gone viral on X (former Twitter), Pakistani author Sajjad Azhar claims that the location where the Pakistan Army HQ stands today, housed a military post built centuries ago by Hindu Rajput kings of India. After the 1947 partition, the spot became the headquarters of the Pakistani Army.

Rawalpindi post built by Rajput king

Azhar claims that the first military post in Rawalpindi was built in the 8th century by Raja Bappa Rawal, the Rajput King of the Mewar Kingdom which ruled Rajasthan and its surrounding regions at the time. The city’s name, Rawalpindi, also comes from King Bappa Rawal, who is said to have chased away invading forces from Arabia and Iran.

As per historians, Bappa Rawal defeated Muhammad ibn al-Qasim, who led the Umayyad Caliphate’s campaigns in India. The Rajput king won a major war against the invading Umayyad Caliphate forces in 712 AD, forcing al-Qasim to flee to Iran. After his victory, Bappa Rawal ordered to establish a military post every 100 miles, one of which was the encampment in Rawalpindi.

While a majority of such military establishment built in the medieval or pre-medieval era have withered away due to the ravages of time, the Rawalpindi military post stood till 1947 partition, as none, including the Mughals or the British, removed it due to its strategic position. The post still stands in a way, though not in the same form obviously), as it serves as headquarters of the Pakistan Army.

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