Muhammed Akbar Khan (), MBE PA-1 (born 19 April 1897-1993) was a Pakistani general and at the time of the

independence of Pakistan The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation th ...

, he was the most senior Muslim General. He also served as the first Senior Military Secretary of the Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammed Ali Jinnah. He held the distinguished honor of being the most senior officer of the Pakistani Army and held the service number of PA-1. He is considered a stay-behind commander during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948.

Military career

Early career

Born on 19 April 1897 to a Punjabi Minhas

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

family, Khan enlisted in the Indian Army & the 12th Cavalry 1 May 1914. He was made a Viceroy's Commissioned Officer (VCO) in the rank of Jemadar 1 July 1915. The 12th Cavalry was mobilized for field service in November 1915 and he served in Mesopotamia from 28 November 1915 to 13 September 1917. He was granted a temporary commission in the Indian Army as a second lieutenant on 1 December 1919. He was attached to 40th Cavalry Regiment from 6 January 1920 until 6 January 1921, when, now a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

as of 1 December 1920, he was attached to the 12th Cavalry. On 28 August 1921, the 12th Cavalry amalgamated with the 11th K. E. O. Cavalry to form the 11/12th Cavalry, which was renamed the 5th King Edward's Own Probyn's Horse in July 1922. Khan was given a permanent commission in the Indian Army as second lieutenant with effect from 17 July 1920. He was also permanently appointed to the 5th King Edward's Own Probyn's Horse from being attached to the regiment. He was promoted

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 17 July 1927 and from late 1927 to late 1931 he held the appointment of Quarter Master in the regiment. He was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in June 1930. From 1 May 1933 he was posted away from the regiment as Assistant Recruiting Officer, Lahore, a post he held until 30 April 1934. On 11 May 1934 he transferred to the 1st battalion,

14th Punjab Regiment The 14th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on Partition of India, independence in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st Punjab Regiment, 1st, 15th Punjab Regiment, 15 ...

, who he served with on the Mohamand campaign on the North West Frontier in 1935. Whilst serving with them he later became attached to the Royal Indian Army Service Corps, to which he transferred on 5 February 1936. Khan was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 17 July 1938.

World War II

At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he was commanding the 41st Animal Transport Company in France but deployed from Mumbai to

Marseilles Marseille (; ; see below) is a city in southern France, the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the Provence region, it is located on the coast of the Mediterranean S ...

in December 1939 with 32 Animal Transport Company (Mules) as part of Force K-6, having entrained at Landikotal on 2 December 1939. Later he was to help in the evacuation of troops from Malo-les-Bains. He was promoted to temporary lieutenant-colonel on 31 October 1942, while serving with the R.I.A.S.C. On 27 July 1945 he was appointed acting colonel, then on 26 January 1946 promoted temporary colonel, on 17 July 1946 promoted substantive lieutenant-colonel and finally on the 21 December 1946 appointed acting brigadier.

Pakistan Army

On the creation of Pakistan he was appointed to command Sind Area, later renamed (1 January 1948) 8th Division on 15 August 1947 until 6 December 1950.The Pakistan Army 1947-49 by Major-General Shaukat Riza

Books

He wrote over 40 books under the name ‘’Rangroot’’, which means private soldier or enlisted man to denote his rise from a modest background, on subjects related to Islam and military strategy, including: * ''Ḥadīs-i difāʻ Nabī-ĕ-Akram-ke usva-ĕ-ḥasana-kī rawshanī-meṅ'', 1954, 336 p. * ''Māz̤ī, ḥāl aur mustaqbal kā aṣlaḥ jang'', 1954, 115 p. * ''Hazrat Ali as an Amir'', 44 p. * ''Krūsaid aur jihād'', 1961, 436 p. * ''Muhammad Mustafā Kamāl Pasha'', 1966, 295 p. * ''Turkon ki jidd o jahd-i āzādi'', 1966, 4,240 p. * ''K̲h̲avātīn-i Islām aur hadīs'', 1966, 160 p. * ''The ideologies in conflict'', 1967, 217 p. * ''On war; the Islamic policy: grand strategy & diplomacy'', 1967, 418 p. * ''Guerrilla warfare, its past, present and future; and, Counter guerrilla warfare'', 1967, 392 p. * ''The choice of the Arabs versus Zionists cult'', 1967, 68 p. * ''K̲h̲avātīn-i Islām kelie mashʻal-i rāh'', 1967, 280 p. * ''Maḥshar-i Falast̤īn'', 1968, 244 p. * ''Sultan Salahuddin Yousaf Ayubi versus the crusaders'', 1968, 437 p. * ''Merī āk̲hi̲rī manzil'', 2006, 438 p.

Military career

Early career

World War II

Pakistan Army

Books

References

Further reading