Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, July 13: Former commander of Srinagar based 15 Corps also known as Chinar Corps, Lieutenant General (Retired) Syed Ata Hasnain was today appointed as the new Chancellor of Central University of Kashmir (CUK).
A notification issued by Registrar CUK, Mohammad Afzal Zargar said that the appointment of Lt Gen (Retd) Hasnain has been made by President, Ram Nath Kovind. The appointment would be tenure based and the former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 15 Corps and he would be Chancellor for a period of five years.
"H.E., President of India in his capacity as the Visitor of the Central University of Kashmir has been pleased to appoint Lt Gen. Syed Ata Hasnain, Former Military Secretary, Indian Army as the Chancellor of the University for a term of 5 years, as per Statute 1 of the Central Universities Act, 2009," reads the notification issued by Registrar, CUK.
The notification further said that the appointment notification is issued in pursuance of MHRD letter number 10-3/2018-CU.III dated 4th July, 2018. The notification has been issued on July 9, 2018 under the correspondence number CU/Kmr/Admin/F.No221/12/3214. Lt Gen (Retd) Hasnain would replace Prof Mehraj-ud-din Mir as the Chancellor of CUK.
Lt Gen Hasnain is a retired three-star general of the Indian Army. His last assignment in service was as the Military Secretary of the Indian Army. Prior to that, he commanded the 15 Corps in Srinagar.
He was commissioned into the 4th Battalion, The Garhwal Rifles, from the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, and eventually commanded the same battalion. He participated in Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka during 1988-90 and took part in counter insurgency operations in Punjab in 1990-91. During the 1990s the then Colonel Hasnain served with the United Nations in Mozambique and later war torn Rwanda.
As a Brigadier, he served in Jammu and Kashmir as Commander, 12 Infantry Brigade, on the Line of Control, near the town of Uri. He later commanded 19 Infantry Division in Baramulla, as a Major General, serving under the overall direction of XV Corps. As a Lieutenant General, Hasnain has been posted as General Officer Commanding (GOC), XXI Corps, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
In October, 2010, it was announced that he will be returning to 15 Corps in Kashmir, as the GOC of that formation. As GOC he has held several meetings to redress grievances and concerns of commons citizens, and to bring the Army closer to them. He conceived and operationalized the "Hearts Doctrine" which focused on people as the centre of gravity in Kashmir.
His contribution towards improving the security scenario in Kashmir was the balance he brought between the employment of hard power in counter infiltration and counter terrorist operations and military soft power. On June 9, 2012, Lt Gen Hasnain took office as the Military Secretary, at Army Headquarters, New Delhi. His unique and innovative approach defined as "Playing Friend Not God" has been widely appreciated as the new HR management mantra across domains in and outside the military. |
