Former Chief of Army Staff General (retd) Abdul Waheed Kakar died in Rawalpindi on Monday, 26 October 2026, at the age of 89, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, announced. The announcement was carried in multiple Pakistani news reports on Monday, which said the army leadership had expressed sorrow at his death and offered condolences to his family.

General Kakar served as Pakistan's fifth Chief of Army Staff from January 1993 to January 1996, according to the reports of his death. His tenure is most often associated with the political crisis of 1993, when disagreement between the then president and prime minister brought the country's civilian institutions under severe strain. Reporting of his career notes that his intervention helped bring that confrontation to a close, with both office-holders stepping down and fresh elections following.

Tributes from civilian and military leadership

In its statement, the ISPR said the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and all ranks of the Pakistan Army paid tribute to General Kakar's military career, leadership and services to the Pakistan Army. The statement also shared the grief of the bereaved family and offered condolences, according to the reports. President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep grief and conveyed condolences to the family, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed sorrow and paid tribute to General Kakar's services to the armed forces.

At the time of the reports checked for this brief, the time and venue of funeral prayers had not yet been officially confirmed, and readers should check official announcements for updated arrangements. His death closes a chapter in Pakistan's recent military history, linking the army leadership of the early 1990s to the political settlement that followed the 1993 crisis.