XXXI Corps (Pakistan)

The XXXI Corps was formed and raised as part of the major reorganization of the Pakistani military in 1985– it was one of the three corps that were formed to address the security in the country.^[4] The XXXI Corps took over the area of responsibility of southern region of Punjab from the II Corps, which is more well suited for forestry warfare techniques.^[2] It was initially headquartered in Pano Akil but later moved to Bahawalpur Cantonment as the corps headquarter.^[5] Together with the V Corps in Sindh, the XXXI Corps is responsible for the maneuvering combat readiness in the southern Punjab's desert zone.^[2]

In 2023, 35th Infantry Division attached to the XXXI Corps equipped with VCC-2 APCs were reportedly be taking part in anti-bandit operations near Bahawalpur alongside Punjab Police, based on social media and news reports. The units from the 35th were then rotated with fresh replacements consisting of VCC-1 APCs. The police were also equipped with locally-made M113A1/A2 APCs.^[6][7][8]

Its present order of battle is as follows:^[9]

Structure of XXXI Corps
Corps	Corps HQ	Corps Commander	Assigned Units	Unit HQ
XXXI Corps	Bahawalpur	Lt. Gen Saqib Mehmood Malik
			26th Mechanized Division	Bahawalpur
			35th Infantry Division	Bahawalpur
			14th Infantry Division	Okara
			101st Independent Infantry Brigade	U/I Location
			14th Independent Armored Brigade	Bahawalpur
			Independent Artillery Brigade	U/I Location
			Independent Engineering Brigade	U/I Location
			Independent Signal Brigade	U/I Location

• Cloughley, Brian (1999). A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections. Karachi, Sind, Pakistan: Karachi University Press. ISBN 9780195790153.