Intro
You will see Ahmadi’s running around social media bragging about these Ahmadi Generals. However, the truth is that they were only promoted because they were Ahmadi’s. Ahmadi’s infiltrated all governments jobs from 1947 to 1974. They were also given ranks in the Pakistani Army, Air Force and Navy. Zafrullah Khan and Dr. Salam seem to have helped Ahmadi’s into these positions. Whereas, the average Pakistani was overlooked. In fact, S.E. Brush also wrote that Ahmadi’s were given governmental and military jobs at a disproportionate rate (an unfair rate). There are a few other Ahmadi generals, they are General Akhtar Hussain Malik (his brother) another group of brothers who became Generals are General Iftikhar Janjua and Major General Ijaz Amjad and Zafar Ahmad Chaudhry.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________Who is General Akhtar Hussain Malik?
Lieutenant General Akhtar Hussain Malik (died 22 August 1969) was a distinguished General, a war hero of Pakistan Army in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. He was born in the small village of Pindori, now located in Punjab, Pakistan. He was the son of Malik Ghulam Nabi, a Headmaster at a local school. Despite the unavailability of schools in his village, his father made an effort to send him to a school miles away, where he and his friends had to walk for hours every day. After graduating from college, he enlisted as a sepoy in the British Indian Army. His personal qualities and education were soon noticed and he was sent to the Indian Military Academy, Dehra Dun for officer training and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on the Special List on 1 June 1941.[1]
He was admitted to the Indian Army and posted to the 16th Punjab Regiment, specifically the newly raised 7th battalion.[2] He was promoted war substantive Lieutenant. He was appointed acting Captain 1 January 1942 then promoted temporary Captain 1 April 1942. He was appointed the Brigade Intelligence Officer for the 114th Indian Infantry Brigade on 1 January 1942.[3]
He would later serve with his battalion in Burma and Malaya and in September 1945 as a temporary Major was commanding “A” company, 7/16th Punjab Regiment in Malaya.[4]
On the partition of India in August 1947 Malik opted to join the Pakistani Army.
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1976
The weekly Al-Fath of Karachi, of 13-20 February 1976, wrote:
“In Chamb Sector, Yahya Khan’s division was deployed. As soon the war began, the command of this division was given to General Akhtar Hussain Malik, who defeated the enemy with immense wisdom, highly specialised capabilities and bravery, and moved towards the [Indian] Occupied Kashmir.
“Upon this, Yahya Khan said to Ayub Khan, ‘I will command my division myself, Akhtar Malik should be removed from there.’ Ayub Khan accepted Yahya Khan’s demand and Yahya Khan was given the command. After that, the Pakistani Army’s progress in that sector stopped. Army specialists say that if the command had remained with Akhtar Malik, Kashmir would have been conquered.”
In this regard, Qudrat Ullah Shahab, an eminent Urdu writer and civil servant, said:
“When General Akhtar Malik started implementing his plan, and had nearly conquered Akhnoor, many generals including General Musa became concerned that if the campaign of General Akhtar Malik succeeded, he would emerge as an army hero. Many army and non-army officials, including President Ayub, did not want Major General Akhtar Malik to emerge as a hero of this war and a deserving [candidate] for the position of next commander-in-chief. Due to the fact that President Ayub had already mentally saved this position for General Yahya Khan, therefore exactly at a time when Major General Akhtar Hussain Malik was proceeding swiftly at the Chamb-Akhnoor Sector, he was removed from the command immediately and General Yahya Khan was put in his position. Perhaps the aim was to prevent the Pakistani Army from conquering Akhnoor. He [Yahya Khan] accomplished this task ‘very successfully’”. (Shahabnama, p. 885)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________Personality
Major General Akhtar Hussain Mailk was known for his towering presence, unsullied boldness in strategy, quick thinking, and his love for his country.[5] Although he was highly admired and respected by his subordinates, he was very outspoken. As a brilliant tactician he planed Operation Gibraltar and Operation Grand Slam with under auspices of Field Marshal Ayub Khan.[6][7]
1965 war
As GOC 12th Division, he was the overall commander for Operation Grand Slam in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. For his successful handling of the initial phase of the operation, he was awarded the Hilal-i-Jurat, the second highest gallantry award of the Pakistan Army. Controversially, the command was handed over to General Yahya Khan in mid operation, resulting in delay and eventual failure of the operation. The cause for this midway switch over is an object of speculation to this day. It is alleged that Field Marshal Ayub Khan knew that if General Akhtar Malik single highhandedly managed to capture Kashmir, he will become a hero for the public of Pakistan. General Yahya was thus introduced midway by Ayub Khan to foil any chances of rise of General Akhtar Malik as a hero who could become his political rival in future [8]. In a letter to his brother General Abdul Ali Malik, General Akhtar Malik highlighted sudden change of command and inapt leadership of General Yahya as one of the main causes of failure[9].
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Legacy
Qudrat Ullah Shahab an eminent Urdu writer and civil servant from Pakistan said that
“At a time when Major (General) Akhtar Hussain Malik was to take over Akhnoor to pave the way to take Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, he was wrongly removed from the command, and General Yahya Khan was put in his position. Perhaps the aim was to deprive Pakistan success in Akhnoor, Yahya Khan accomplished this task very well.”[10]
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Zulfikar Ali Bhutto the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan and its fourth President said
“Had General Akhtar Malik not been stopped in the Chamb-Jaurian Sector, the Indian forces in Kashmir would have suffered serious reverses, but Ayub Khan wanted to make his favorite, General Yahya Khan, a hero.”[11]
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Death
Malik was posted to CENTO in Ankara, Turkey where he died in a road accident. His body was brought back to Pakistan and being an Ahmadi, he was buried in Rabwah.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________The famous Ahmadi Generals
The first ever Ahmadi General was General Nazir Ahmad (1947), he was mentioned in the famous list of 199 Ahmadi officers that was presented to the boundary commission in 1947. Colonel Mirza Daud Ahmad was also mentioned in the list, he is a grandson of MGA. After him came General Abdul Ali Malik and General Akhtar Hussain Malik (these 2 are brothers), Zafar Ahmad Chaudhry, Major General Iftikhar Janjua, Major General Ijaz Amjad, Brigadier General Ijaz Ahmad Khan, Brigadier General Waqiuz Zaman, the Lahori-Ahmadi Major General Abdul Saeed Khan, and we are still adding to the list. There were also those were super trusted by the colonist back in 1947, they were Major Malik Habib-ullah (who died at the age of a 100) (from Dhulmial), Captain Nizam ud Din (he was the father of Brigadier General Mohammad Iqbal Khan) and Captain Umar Hayat (father of Commander Yousaf), Major-General Nasir Ahmad Chaudhry is another. In terms of Medical Doctors, Dr. Major Shah Nawaz, Commander Dr. Abdul Latif (ww-2 era) were some of the first. During Zia’s era, Lt-Gen Mahmood-ul-Hassan and his protege Major General Dr. Mahmood ul Hassan Noori who was probably the last Qadiani to make it to the rank of General.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________Famous Ahmadi officer’s who almost made General
Major Syed Maqbool Ahmad was a colleague of Zia and one of the founders of ISI.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________Nasir Ahmad Faruqi (a Lahori-Ahmadi)
He was the principal secretary for Ayub Khan from 1959 to 1969 as well as Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan for the 1965 election, which was totally rigged. The elections in Pakistan were under his control in 1970 also.
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Forbidden history: Monumental services of Ahmadis in the Pakistani Armed Forces
Lieutenant-General Akhtar Hussain Malik Sahib
Lieutenant-General Akhtar Hussain Malik Sahib was born in Jalandhar, British India. During the World War II, he joined the British Indian Army as a sepoy. His capabilities were soon noticed by the higher in-command, and he was sent to the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun for training and further military education. He continued to progress and subsequently was promoted to the rank of captain on 1 April 1942.
After the partition of the Indian subcontinent, Akhtar Hussain Malik Sahib’s regiment was allocated to the newly-created Pakistani Army. He opted for Pakistani citizenship, and continued his military service with the Pakistani Army.
Lieutenant-General Akhtar Hussain Malik – an Ahmadi – planned “Operation Gibraltar” and “Operation Grand Slam” under the auspices of then President of Pakistan, Field Marshal Ayub Khan. As GOC for the 12th Infantry Division, Lieutenant-General Akhtar Hussain Malik Sahib was the overall commander for Operation Grand Slam in the 1965 war.
Agha Shorish Kashmiri, a leader of the Majlis Ahrar-e-Islam wrote a poem during those days and said:
دہلی کی سرزمیں نے پکارا ہے ساتھیو
اختر ملک کا ہاتھ بٹاتے ہوئے چلو
Meaning, “The land of Delhi has challenged us; let us move forward by assisting Akhtar Malik.”
While this operation was still in progress and was achieving great success, the reins of command were handed over to General Yahya Khan, resulting in extensive delays and eventual failure of the operation.
The weekly Al-Fath of Karachi, of 13-20 February 1976, wrote:
“In Chamb Sector, Yahya Khan’s division was deployed. As soon the war began, the command of this division was given to General Akhtar Hussain Malik, who defeated the enemy with immense wisdom, highly specialised capabilities and bravery, and moved towards the [Indian] Occupied Kashmir.
“Upon this, Yahya Khan said to Ayub Khan, ‘I will command my division myself, Akhtar Malik should be removed from there.’ Ayub Khan accepted Yahya Khan’s demand and Yahya Khan was given the command. After that, the Pakistani Army’s progress in that sector stopped. Army specialists say that if the command had remained with Akhtar Malik, Kashmir would have been conquered.”
In this regard, Qudrat Ullah Shahab, an eminent Urdu writer and civil servant, said:
“When General Akhtar Malik started implementing his plan, and had nearly conquered Akhnoor, many generals including General Musa became concerned that if the campaign of General Akhtar Malik succeeded, he would emerge as an army hero. Many army and non-army officials, including President Ayub, did not want Major General Akhtar Malik to emerge as a hero of this war and a deserving [candidate] for the position of next commander-in-chief. Due to the fact that President Ayub had already mentally saved this position for General Yahya Khan, therefore exactly at a time when Major General Akhtar Hussain Malik was proceeding swiftly at the Chamb-Akhnoor Sector, he was removed from the command immediately and General Yahya Khan was put in his position. Perhaps the aim was to prevent the Pakistani Army from conquering Akhnoor. He [Yahya Khan] accomplished this task ‘very successfully’”. (Shahabnama, p. 885)
The former Security Superintendent of Rawalpindi Jail, Colonel Rafiuddin has recorded his memoirs about Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in a book titled, Bhutto ke Aakhri 323 Din. He stated that one day, they had a discussion about the 1965 war, and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said:
“If General Akhtar Malik’s advance at the Chamb-Jaurian front of Kashmir had not been halted, he would have decimated the Indian army in Kashmir. However, Ayub Khan wanted his favourite General Yahya Khan to emerge as the hero.” (Bhutto ke Aakhri 323 Din, p. 66)
Colonel Rafiuddin states that during this discussion, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto highly praised General Akhtar Malik, and said:
“Akhtar Malik was a General of exceptional genius. He was a great commander, a man of courage and guts who understood the art of military strategy. A General of his calibre has never been produced by the Pakistani Army.” (Ibid)
These remarks were also published in The Nation on 5 December 1991.
Mumtaz Hussain Shah Advocate has also mentioned this incident in his book, Aamriyyat Ke Saaye (p. 88). At the end, he writes:
“General Akhtar Malik was removed from the Chamb-Jaurian sector, merely because he belonged to the Qadiani Jamaat, and the generals of Pakistani Army did not want a Qadiani General to get the credit for such a great success.”
A detailed and informative article of Brigadier (retired) Shaukat Qadir, was published in the Daily Times of Lahore on 4 October 2003 in which he outlined details of Operation Grand Slam 1965. He stated that Lieutenant-General Akhtar Hussain Malik was a brave and courageous commander, who would never got frightened even in highly pressured situations, and would keep calm and instil confidence in his colleagues, officers and soldiers alike.
For his successful handling of the initial phase of the operation at the Chamb-Jaurian area in [Indian] Occupied Kashmir, Lieutenant-General Akhtar Hussain Malik was awarded the Hilal-e-Jurrat (Crescent of Courage), the second highest gallantry award of Pakistan’s Army.
After the war, Lieutenant-General Akhtar Hussain Malik was posted to an advisory commanding position for CENTO in Ankara, Turkey, where he passed away in a road accident on 22 August 1969. He was buried in Rabwah, Pakistan.
Dr Shabbir Ahmad of America, in his article published in Nawa-e-Waqt Sunday Magazine, said:
“It is said that when General Akhtar Malik got injured in a dangerous accident in Turkey, he had two words on his tongue during his last moments, ‘Akhnoor, Kashmir’”. (Nawa-e-Waqt Sunday Magazine, 12 June 2005, p. 10)
Ahmad Nadim Qasmi, a prominent journalist, poet and literary critic, said:
“Lieutenant-General Akhtar Hussain Malik was such a hero of the country and nation, whose name is even known to the Pakistani children.” (Daily Jang of Karachi, 4 September 1969)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________Links and Related Essays
Forbidden history: Monumental services of Ahmadis in the Pakistani Armed Forces
Who is Zafar Ahmad Chaudhry? (19 August 1926 to December 17, 2019)
Who is Major General Iftikhar Khan Janjua? (died December 9, 1971)
Dr. Abdus Salam liked white women, alcohol and a busy British lifestyle
- October 1942 Secret Edition Indian Army List
- ^ October 1942 Secret Edition Indian Army List
- ^ October 1942 Secret Edition Indian Army List
- ^ Solah Punjab. The history of the 16th Punjab Regiment. page 275
- ^ “An Ahmadi General – who saved Pakistan”. http://www.thepersecution.org. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ Pakistan’s Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, America’s War on Terror By Hassan Abbas Pg 44
- ^ Khan, M. Ilyas (5 September 2015). “The secret troops who tried to start a rebellion”. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Anwar, Muhammad, 1948-. Pakistan : time for change. Baig, Ebad,. Bloomington, IN. ISBN 9781477250297. OCLC 868067421.
- ^ “Letter of General Akhtar Malik (Re Grand Slam) – Brown Pundits”. http://www.brownpundits.com. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/12/27/426904/-A-Brief-Overview-of-Pakistan-s-Intelligence-Service
- ^ Pakistan’s Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America’s War on Terror By Hassan Abbas Pg 51
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