Abdul Hamid Khan (general)
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- This article is about the Pakistani general. For the Pakistani politician, see Abdul Hamid Khan.
General Abdul Hamid Khan was the Army Chief of Staff (COS) under President General Yahya Khan, and the de-facto Army Commander-in-Chief during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and the subsequent Indo-Pakistani War.[1] He was considered "an old chum of President Yahya's" and along with other senior generals "persuaded Yahya to deal harshly with the East [Pakistan's] treachery."[2]
During the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War, then Major General Abdul Hamid Khan served as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 11th Infantry Division at Lahore. This division in addition to 10th Infantry Division under Major General Sarfraz Khan is credited with repelling the Indian thrust at Lahore on 6 September 1965.[3] 6 September is celebrated as 'Defence Day' in Pakistan in commemoration of the successful defence of Lahore against the Indian army. Later he led a two division task force which captured the district of Khem Karan in Indian Punjab, though further advances were checked. He then was able to withstand multiple counter attacks by the Indian Army in an effort to retake Khem Karan.
After the war, Abdul Hamid Khan was promoted to Lt. General and served as the first commander of IV Corps in Lahore.[4] After martial law was imposed by General Yahya Khan on 25 March 1969, Lt Gen Hamid Khan was made the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army and Deputy Martial Law Administrator of the country.[5] During that time he briefly held the cabinet portfolio of Home Affairs for four months.
The Hamoodur Rahman Commission, which investigated the 1971 partition, found that Generals Hamid and Yahya "would [both] slip out to Gen Yahya’s house for the purpose of meeting some of their female friends." The report concluded that womanizing by the senior military officers played a part in the 1971 defeat.[6] Retired General A.A.K Niazi, the commander of East Pakistan forces claimed in his memoirs that General Hamid Khan, despite being the acting C-in-C, visited the troops in East Pakistan only twice, a clear indication of dereliction of duty.[1]
The 1974 Hamoodur Rahman report recommended that General Hamid Khan, along with six other generals—including Yahya Khan—be publicly tried for the 1971 debacle.[7] However, all of these generals were let off the hook as the Hamoodur Rahman report was never published and the accused never tried.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Ahmad Faruqui. "Review of 'The Betrayal of East Pakistan'" Media Monitors, June 27, 2001
- ^ "Good Soldier Yahya Khan" Time Magazine, August 2, 1971
- ^ Agha Humanyun Amin. "The Battle of Assal Uttar: Pakistan and India 1965" Pakistan Orbat, February 24, 2002
- ^ "Changes in the Army High Command" British High Commission", 5 May, 1966
- ^ Pakistan : Martial Law "Who's Who" The American Papers - Secret and Confidential India.Pakistan.Bangladesh Documents 1965-1973, March 26, 1969
- ^ Adnan Rehmat. "Back to the future?" Himal South Asian, August 2000
- ^ Ardeshir Cowasjee. "Gen Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan - 4" Dawn Newspaper, 17 September, 2000
- ^ Ardeshir Cowasjee. "Gen Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan - 3" Dawn Newspaper, 10 September, 2000
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vice Admiral (retd) A. R. Khan |
Interior Minister of Pakistan 15 April 1969 - 3 August 1969 |
Succeeded by Sardar Abdur Rashid Khan |
