NEW DELHI: Retired Lieutenant General P S Joshi, who was the first chief of the Integrated Defence Staff of the armed forces, died at a private hospital in Indore on Wednesday after prolonged illness. He was 65.
Joshi had been ailing for the last two years and was under treatment at the Apollo Hospital in Indore. A condolence meeting for the officer would be held in Mhow tomorrow, an army spokesperson said on Thursday.
Born on September 9, 1943 he was commissioned into the First Battalion of Eight Gorkha Rifles in December 1962 and had a distinguished military career.
In his early career, the infantry officer served in Ladakh, actively participated in the 1965 Indo-Pak war and also served in Sikkim.
Lt Gen Joshi was wounded in a mine clearing operation in 1967 during his tenure in Sikkim.
He was academically well qualified, with a Bachelor's degree in Russian Language from Jawaharlal Nehru University, an MSc degree from Madras University and a Diploma in Security Management from US' National Defence University at Washington DC.
A graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, he had also done the Higher Command Course at the College of Combat and the United States Army War College.
