Lt.General Pratik Sharma Assumes Army’s Northern Command Charge

Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma has assumed the charge of the Indian Army’s crucial Northern Command. Lt. General Partik Sharma succeeds Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar, who retired on 30th April 2025.

Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma's accession to the post of General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command comes at a time when there is a real possibility of  India -Pakistan war due to the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Resistance Front (TRF) which is a proxy of the proscribed terrorist group Lashkar e Taiba backed by the Pakistani Army.

About Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma

Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma is a highly decorated officer of the Indian Army. 

He is an alumni of the National Defence Academy (NDA),Khadakwasla, Pune, Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and the Defence Service Staff College ,Wellington, Tamil Nadu.

Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma was commissioned in the Indian Army in 1987 in the Madras Regiment.

During his illustrious career he led the Infantry Brigade and Division along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and has also Commanded a Strike Corps in the Western Sector.

About the Northern Command and its Importance

The Indian Army established the Northern Command after the 1971 war with Pakistan, which led to the creation of Bangladesh.

It was raised in June 1972.

It is based in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir.

The Northern Command is responsible for defending the country along the border with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and contiguous portions of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. 

It is also responsible for the security of the Ladakh region along the border with China.

The world’s highest battlefield, Siachen, also falls under the Northern Command.

The Northern Command is engaged in counterinsurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

 The Northern Command consists of three Corps: the XIV, XV, and XVI.

The first GOC-in-C of Northern Command was Lt Gen PS Bhagat.

Command Structure of the Indian Army 

The Indian Army is one of the three wings of the Indian Armed Forces. The headquarters of all three wings—the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force—are in New Delhi.

The Armed Forces fall under the Union Ministry of Defence, and the Indian President is the Commander-in-Chief of the three forces.

The Indian Army has six operational commands and one training command, each headed by a Lieutenant General.

Head of the Indian Armed Forces 

• Chief of the Indian Army - General Upendra Dwivedi.
• Chief of the Indian Navy- Admiral Dinesh Tripathi 
• Chief of the Indian Air Force- Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh