Intro
Major General Iftikhar Khan Janjua HJ & Bar, SPk, SQA, (Urdu: افتخار خان جنجوعہ) (died December 9, 1971) of the Pakistan Army is the most senior Qadiani-Ahmadi Pakistani officer to have been killed in action. In 1947, he was mentioned in this official document as an ahmadi. He is listed on page 465, Ahmadi-#20, Captain Iftikar Ahmad Janjua.
He is known in Pakistan as the hero of Rann of Kutch, as he was a brigadier general and an Ahmadi, in command of 6 Brigade, during the fighting in April 1965 prior to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He was killed in a helicopter crash, in Kashmir, during the Battle of Chamb while in command of 23 Infantry Division during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. There are a few other Ahmadi generals, they are General Abdul Ali Malik and General Akhtar Hussain Malik (these 2 are brothers) and Zafar Ahmad Chaudhry. Major General Iftikhar Janjua was known for his boldness and for the confidence he inspired among his men by being in the front lines during the heat of the battle. He was a Janjua Rajput, a tribe known for its Martial Reputation and royal ancestry. His father Raja Mehmood Amjad was a barrister and the family was settled in Sargodha District. He is brother of Major General Ijaz Amjad, another outstanding general.[7]
______________________________________________________________________________________________1947
He is mentioned in this official document as an ahmadi. He is listed on page 465, Ahmadi-#20, Captain Iftikar Ahmad Janjua.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
1965 war
In April 1965, as part of a tri-service exercise (Arrow Head), the Indians brought in 31 and 67 Infantry Brigades in area Karim Shahi – Kavda. The IAF and the Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, supported by other naval vessels, also moved into the gulf. On 8/9 April, in a series of events not entirely clear, clashes broke out between the Indians and the Pakistanis at a post near Ding, Rann of Kutch.On 23 April Brigadier Iftikhar Janjua ordered the 4 Punjab to capture point 84 by first activity around Chad Bet. Since the progress of 6 Punjab was slow 2 Frontier Force (FF) was directed to join them. By first light, the battalion reached its objective without suffering too many casualties. 2 FF later attacked Biar Bet along with a squadron of 12 Cavalry. Biar Bet was captured by 0600 hours on 26 April.[1][2]
The outcome of the Rann of Kutch was considered as a positive for the Pakistan Army. As described by Lt General Gul Hassan Khan, then Director of Military Operations, in his later memoirs – “the set back in Kutch proved immeasurably disconcerting to the Indian army. As a result, the Government of India was in a quandary. On the other hand, ours was in a state of euphoria. The high command of our army was intoxicated by our showing and our morale could not possibly have been higher. We were ready for any task that may be assigned to us without any question.”.[3] The restraint shown by India would later convince Field Marshal Ayub Khan that the Indian Government was in no mood to fight. This encouraged them into launching the Kashmir offensive, which led to the War in September 1965.[3] After the 65 War, Janjua was the divisional commander of 6 Armoured Division even though he himself was an infantry officer [4] – no mean feat. He spared himself the time to learn about the nuances of armoured fighting vehicles and their operations. Soon after, Janjua would command 23 Division based at Jhelum.
1971 War
In the 1971 War, Janjua was divisional commander of 23 Infantry Division. He was assigned the task of capturing Chhamb, a strategically important town in Kashmir, which would turn out to be the only decisive victory for Pakistan on the Kashmir front of 1971. The fighting around Chhamb was intensely fierce and took toll on both the advancing Pakistani troops and the fiercely resisting Indian regiments. Although Janjua was advised by high command to try to take Chhamb from the south, Janjua said it was a better to take Mandiala bridge his troops would outflank the Indians eventually forcing them out of Chhamb and all the area west of Tawa.[5]
After intense fighting Mandiawala was captured, then Pallanwala and Chak Pandit, and on 9 December 1971, the first Pakistani troops entered the surrounding area around Chhamb under the personal supervision of Janjua. In the middle of fighting around Chhamb proper, on 9 December 1971, Janjua was killed when his OH-13S (Sioux) light helicopter, in which he was travelling on to coordinate and position his troops, was attacked.[6] His helicopter was shot down by an Indian shoulder-mounted weapon. He was badly burned and was evacuated to Combined Military Hospital Kharian Cantt. Iftikhar Khan Janjua Road is named after him in Rawalpindi, Cannt.
Iftikhar Janjua was a brilliant and charismatic leader who inspired his troops to continue to fight. It was leading from the front for which General Iftikhar Janjua is remembered even today by the troops who served in 23 Division during the Battle of Chhamb. It was this quality which enabled him to arrive at a realistic appraisal of the actual situation without undue reliance on exaggerated reports from lower echelons and successfully take Chhamb.[5
______________________________________________________________________________________________
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.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Forbidden history: Monumental services of Ahmadis in the Pakistani Armed Forces
Major General Iftikhar Khan Janjua Sahib
Another Ahmadi, Major General Iftikhar Khan Janjua Sahib was one of the most senior Pakistani Army officers to have been martyred while in action. He is known in Pakistan as the hero of Rann of Kutch, as he was a brigadier in command of the 6 Brigade, during the fighting in April 1965 prior to the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. He was awarded the Hilal-e-Jurrat (Crescent of Courage) for his bravery.
On 8-9 April 1965, clashes broke out between India and Pakistan at a post near Ding, Rann of Kutch. The outcome of the Rann of Kutch was considered as a positive result for Pakistan’s Army. As described by Lieutenant General Gul Hassan Khan, then Director of Military Operations, in his later memoirs:
“The set-back in Kutch proved immeasurably disconcerting to the Indian Army. As a result, the Government of India was in a quandary. On the other hand, ours was in a state of euphoria. The high command of our army was intoxicated by our showing and our morale could not possibly have been higher. We were ready for any task that may be assigned to us without any question.” (The Nation, 24 September 1999)
After the 1965 War, Iftikhar Janjua Sahib was the divisional commander of the 6 Armoured Division. Then, he commanded the 23 Division based at Jhelum.
In the 1971 War, Iftikhar Janjua Sahib was divisional commander of the 23 Infantry Division. He was assigned the task of capturing Chamb, a strategically important town in Kashmir, which would turn out to be the only decisive victory for Pakistan on the Kashmir front of 1971.
After intense fighting, Mandiawala was captured, then Pallanwala and Chak Pandit, and on 9 December 1971, the first Pakistani troops entered the surrounding area around Chamb under the personal supervision of Iftikhar Janjua Sahib. During the battle, on 9 December 1971, Major General Iftikhar Khan Janjua was martyred when his OH-13S (Sioux) light helicopter was attacked, in which he was travelling to coordinate and position his troops.
Iftikhar Khan Janjua Road is named after him in Rawalpindi, Cannt.
Iftikhar Janjua Sahib was a charismatic leader who inspired his troops to continue to fight. Due to his great leading skills, he is remembered even today by the troops who served under his command, in the 23 Division during the Battle of Chamb.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Links and Related Essays
Who is Zafar Ahmad Chaudhry? (19 August 1926 to December 17, 2019)
https://ahmadiyyafactcheckblog.com/2019/10/10/who-is-major-general-ijaz-amjad/
Dr. Abdus Salam liked white women, alcohol and a busy British lifestyle
http://listofqadiani.blogspot.com/
http://www.thepersecution.org/50years/general.html
_____________________________________________________________________________________________Tags
#ahmadiyya #ahmadiyyatrueislam #ahmadiapartheid #Ahmadiyyat #rabwah #qadian #meetthekhalifa #muslimsforpeace #ahmadiyyafactcheckblog #nolifewithoutkhalifa #AhmadiMosqueattack #AhmadiyyaPersecution #trueislam #ahmadigenerals
35 Pingback