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Talat Masood

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Lieutenant General

Talat Masood

HI(M) SBt
Birth nameTalat Masood
Nickname(s)Gen. Masood
Born1928
Hyderabad Deccan, British India (present-day India)
AllegiancePakistan
Service / branchPakistan Army
Years of service1950 - 1990
RankLt. Gen.
Service numberPA No.–3894: 10 [1]
UnitPakistan Army Corps of EME
Commands
Battles / wars
Awards
Other work

Talat Masood HI(M) SBt: 1–9 [2] (Urdu: طلعت مسعُود) is a retired three-star rank army general, a political commentator, and a mechanical engineer.[3][4][5]

His career in the military spent in the Pakistan Army Corps of EME as an engineering officer and also served as the Federal Secretary at the Ministry of Defence Production of Government of Pakistan.[3] He is noted for his analysis on the global national security, economic stability, and often consults on politics on the national and international media networks.[4][6]

Biography

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Talat Masood was born to a noble and highly educated Urdu speaking family of Hyderabad Deccan. He joined the Pakistan Military Academy, and was educated at the Military College of Engineering where he graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering.[4][7]: contents [8]

In 1951, he gained commission in the Corps of EME, where his career in the army is mostly spent.[4][5][7] In 1951–54, 2nd-Lt. Masood was one of the few army officers who were sent to the United Kingdom to attend the Loughborough University where he did the post-graduate studies.: 365 [9] He gained M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Loughborough University and joined the Pakistan Ordnance Factories for evaluation of fire arms and weapons accuracy.[4]: 365 [9]

He attended the Command and Staff College in Quetta where he qualified as a psc, and later went attended the National Defence University (NDU) where he gained MSc in defence studies.: 10 [1][5][4]

He participated in the conflicts and wars with India in 1965 and in 1971, but his career mostly spent in the local defense production.: 31 [10] About the aerial operations by PAF, Masood is of the view that: "The mobility, even the survivability of land forces depended to a large extent on air cover, so does the naval security. Superior air power is thus vital for any military engagement.": 169 [11]

In the 1970s, he served as the chairman of the Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT), where he was involved in the design and development of the various military vehicles and the technology evaluation of the main battle tanks.: xviii [12][4]

In the 1980s, he was appointed as chairman of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF), where he is credited of bringing the fire-arm manufacturing organization to its peak of efficiency especially in the manufacturing of the chemical explosives.: 109 [13]: contents [14] In 1988–89, he was involved in the technology transfer of the Mirage III at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, and witnessed the induction of the aircraft to the UAE Air Force.

In 1988, Lt-Gen. Masood joined the Benazir administration when he appointed as the secretary of defense production, which he served until he retired from his military service with the army in 1990 after serving for 39 years.[3][7][5]: x [8]

Post-retirement activities

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After his retirement in 1990, Masood became a political consultant to several important U.S. think tanks and technology firms.[3][6][4][7]

He writes newspaper columns regularly on political and security issues in English-language newspapers in Pakistan and as a foreign political correspondent in international magazines.[7][15] In November–December 1997, he was appointed as visiting fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington DC in the United States where his research topic included the discussion and rational on "nuclear weapons issues in the subcontinent.[4][7]"[16]

Since 2013, Masood is on Council of Pugwash Conferences on World Affairs.[17]

Awards and decorations

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Hilal-e-Imtiaz

(Military)

(Crescent of Excellence)

Sitara-e-Basalat

(Star of Good Conduct)

Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War

(War Star 1971)

Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War

(War Medal 1965)

Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War

(War Medal 1971)

Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-

Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam

(100th Birth Anniversary of

Muhammad Ali Jinnah)

1976

Tamgha-e-Jamhuria

(Republic Commemoration Medal)

1956

Hijri Tamgha

(Hijri Medal)

1979

Jamhuriat Tamgha

(Democracy Medal)

1988

References

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  1. ^ a b The Gazette of Pakistan. Government of Pakistan. 1980. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  2. ^ Hilāl (in Urdu). Inṭar Sarvisiz Pablik Releshanz Dāʻirikṭreṭ. 1986. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d "Lt.-Gen. (Ret.) Talat Masood profile". Global Zero (A World Without Nuclear Weapons) website. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Lt. Gen (R) Talat Masood profile". Pakistan Times newspaper. 25 January 2025. Archived from the original on 9 May 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d "Lt. Gen (R) Talat Masood profile". PakistanHerald.com website. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Lieutenant General Talat Masood profile". Jamestown Foundation (Global Research & Analysis). Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Profiles: International Conference on Civil-Military Relations (scroll down to read Profile of Talat Masood)". PILDAT organisation website. Archived from the original on 26 January 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  8. ^ a b Lodgaard, Sverre; Maerli, Bremer (2007). Nuclear Proliferation and International Security. Routledge. ISBN 9781134110001.
  9. ^ a b Development, Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial (2004). The vitality of India. New Delhi, India: Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development. p. 366. ISBN 9788185835471.
  10. ^ Copley, Gregory R. (1989). Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy. Copley & Associates.
  11. ^ Siddiqa-Agha, A. (2001). "Arms procurement for the Air Force". Pakistan's Arms Procurement and Military Buildup, 1979-99: In Search of a Policy (google books). London, Uk: Springer. p. 220. ISBN 9780230513525.
  12. ^ Farooq, Nasra Talat (2016). US-Pakistan Relations: Pakistan's Strategic Choices in the 1990s. Routledge. ISBN 9781317358497.
  13. ^ Cloughley, Brian (2008). War, Coups & Terror: Pakistan's Army in Years of Turmoil (2 ed.). Skyhorse Publishing Inc. p. 109. ISBN 9781602396982.
  14. ^ Cloughley, Brian (2016). A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 9781631440397.
  15. ^ "Talat Masood, columnist at The Express Tribune newspaper". The Express Tribune newspaper. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  16. ^ "South Asia Visiting Fellows Program". Stimson Center. 14 June 2012. Archived from the original on 22 February 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  17. ^ "Talat Masood profile". Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. 6 November 2013. Archived from the original on 20 February 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
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