Mushtaq Ahmed Baig

Lieutenant-General Mushtaq Ahmad Beg HI(M) (1951 – 25 February 2008) was the Surgeon General of the Pakistani Army who was killed in a suicide-bomb attack on 25 February 2008. An ophthalmologist by profession, Beg is the most senior Army officer to be targeted and killed since Pakistan's involvement in the War on Terror and the North West-Pakistan Conflict.

Early life
Baig was born in Lehr Sultanpur village, Chakwal District, in 1951 to a middle class family. There, he attended high school. Baig later moved to Lahore. He was a graduate of King Edward Medical University. Baig gained his military commission in 1976.GraduatedBachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from KEMC on Sept.26th 1974. He was inducted into the Army Medical Corps. Baig completed his Master of Surgery degree and received a Doctorate of Ophthalmology from the Army Medical College.

Army career
While in the army, Baig was progressively elevated in rank while holding a variety of assignments. Having been promoted to Major General in 2003, he was made commandant of Army Medical College Rawalpindi. Baig is credited for implementing revolutionary changes in the Medical services in the Pakistani Armed Forces. He was the leader in making improvements in the medical services in the Air Force and the Navy as well. In 2006, Baig was awarded the second-highest military award, the Hilal-i-Imtiaz–Military. That same year, he was promoted to Lieutenant General.In 2007, he was made the Surgeon-General of the Pakistani Army, and was promoted to Colonel Commandant of the Army Medical Corps.

Assassination
On Monday, 25 February 2008, General Baig was on his way home when a teenage suicide bomber targeted his vehicle. The attack resulted in his death as well those of 8 nearby civilians, with another dozen injured. The suicide bomber struck when Baig's car was stopped at a traffic light.

Following the attack, police and military authorities rushed to the site of the incident. An emergency was declared in the city of Rawalpindi, and civilian and military hospitals were put on high-alert.

Aftermath
President Parvez Musharraf and care-taker Prime Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro strongly condemned the attack. The President and the Prime Minister said such heinous acts of violence cannot deter the government from its resolve in continuing its fight against terrorism. President Musharraf spoke highly of Baig, and described him as an exceptional officer of high caliber who showed remarkable commitment to serving humanity.