The Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) is a military training institution for cadets seeking a commission in the Pakistan Army. Located in Kakul, Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, it was established in November 1947. The academy is accredited by the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST).
The academy also includes international cadets in some of their training, with cadets and officers from 34 other countries participating historically.
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 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 previously housed the British Indian Army's Physical Training and Mountaineering School, which had also served as an operational facility 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, MC, the first PMA adjutant and founder of Qasim Company, who later commanded the Special Service Group (SSG) 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 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 (OBE) after completing his term as commandant in 1950. He was later honoured with a namesake lecture theater at Kakol, Ingall Hall, constructed 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 (IMA) on 15 October 1947. New cadets for the 1st PMA Long Course (78) and the 1st Graduates Course (63) were selected in Pakistan, and training officially began in January 1948 with 208 cadets. On 25 January of the same year, the First Pakistan Battalion was established. Its four companies were named after prominent figures in Muslim military history: Khalid, Tariq, Qasim, and Salahuddin. In March 1948, the first battalion received the patronage of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who became its Colonel-in-Chief, and the battalion was subsequently designated "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 Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The champion company hoists the Quaid-e-Azam banner at each passing-out parade. Regimental colours were presented to the Academy in 1950 by Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the National Standard was presented in 1961 by General Muhammad Musa, then Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army.
The Academy was expanded due to the IndiaâÂÂPakistan war of 1965; the second battalion was established in December 1965, which consisted of the companies Ghaznavi, Babur, Aurangzeb, and Tipu. The third battalion was founded in early 1989, consisting of the companies Haider, Ubaida, Saad, and Hamza.
Former COAS General Raheel Sharif inaugurated the fourth Pakistan Battalion at PMA on 10 October 2016.
Cadet selection is conducted by the Inter-Services Selection Board (ISSB) through assessment centers across Pakistan. Applicants must pass medical, fitness, and aptitude evaluations to be eligible for admission.
Gentlemen Cadets (GCs) are required to pass various physical fitness tests, the standards for which increase each term. The basic requirement for cadets of the first term is to be able to complete a one mile run (1.6 kilometers) 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 (8 km) run, an assault course, and an exercise known as the "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 to hit a target at a distance of 22 m.
LCs (Lady Cadets) 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 (1.6 km) 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:
For training, the Gentlemen Cadets are organized in battalions and then further into companies. The Pakistan Military Academy has 16 companies, named after Arab warriors and commanders. The companies under the 4th Battalion are named after four out of the eleven recipients of the Nishan-e-Haider, the highest military award of Pakistan.
There are five types of courses (or curricular plans) that run parallel to each other. The types of courses are: the PMA Long Course, the Technical Cadet Course, the Integrated Course, and the PMA Lady Cadets' 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 are commissioned as second lieutenants.
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:
After completing their Bachelor of Engineering degree, the E-Cadets are sent to Pakistan Military Academy, Kakol, for one year of military training, after which they are commissioned as captains in their respective units.
To be eligible for this course, a candidate must have attained 16âÂÂ18 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 undergo basic military training at the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakol, 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.
The Lady Cadets' Course was introduced in November 2006 and is designed for FA-qualified women who are professionals in their respective fields. The cadets undergo a training period of six months to become Captains in the supporting arms of the Pakistan Army.
Several officers trained at the PMA would join Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation War or afterwards.