Forty years ago today, on March 23, 1985 (February 3, 1985 lunar calendar), Zia Haq was inaugurated as the President of Pakistan. On March 23, 1985, Zia Haq was inaugurated as the President of Pakistan. General Mohamed Zia Haq was born in 1924. Haq is a professional soldier. During World War II, he fought in Burma, Malaya and Indonesia. He was given the rank in 1945. He graduated from the General Staff College in Kedah in 1955. In 1963, he went to the United States twice to study the advanced course of armored officers and the command and general staff officer course. In 1964, he served as an instructor at the General Staff College in Kedah. Since 1966, he has served as the head of the armored regiment, the staff officer of the armored division, the commander of the armored brigade and the commander of the division. In 1975, he served as the Chief of the Second Army Corps. In 1976, he was promoted to General and served as the Chief of Staff of the Army. On July 5, 1977, when the Pakistan Armed Forces took over the country and the country was under martial law, Haq served as the Chief Executive Officer of martial law. On September 16, 1978, he became the President. Since taking office, Zia Haq has pursued an independent, autonomous and non-aligned foreign policy in international affairs. He stressed that Pakistan is willing to maintain peaceful and friendly relations with all countries, especially with its neighbors; advocates the establishment of a "peace zone in South Asia" or a "nuclear-weapon-free zone" in South Asia and the Indian Ocean; supports the struggles of the people of Palestine and southern Africa; resolutely opposes the hegemony and aggressive expansion policies of superpowers; strongly condemns the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan and demands that Soviet troops withdraw unconditionally from Afghanistan; supports the Cambodian people's struggle against Vietnam's aggression and demands that Vietnam withdraw its invading forces in accordance with UN resolutions. Zia Haq was awarded the Gold Medal for International Peace and Cooperation in 1981. President Haq advocates the development of friendly relations with China. He has visited China many times. Zia Haq is a devout Muslim.