Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Muhammed Zafar Khan was the first South Asian Commander in the British Indian Army

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

. Khan belongs to the 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 ...

clan of

Chakwal Chakwal (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a city in Chakwal District in the Potohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. It is the Largest cities of Pakistan, 48th largest city of Pakistan by population. Chakwal is located 90 kilometres south-west o ...

. His father Raja Fazal Dad Khan was a minor Zamindar (landowner) and was commissioned with a British Indian Army cavalry unit. Five of Brig Muhammed Zafar Khan's brothers (in total he had seven brothers) joined the Army and became officers. His elder brother,

Muhammed Akbar Khan Muhammed Akbar Khan (), MBE PA-1 (born 19 April 1897-1993) was a Pakistani general and at the time of the independence of Pakistan, he was the most senior Muslim General. He also served as the first Senior Military Secretary of the Quaid-e-A ...

was the first Indian Muslim to become a General in the British Indian Army. His brother, General

Muhammad Anwar Khan Raja Muhammad Anwar Khan (23 February 1915 – 5 February 2005) was the first Pakistan Army Engineer Officer and the first Muslim Engineer-in-Chief (Pakistan Army), Engineer In Chief of the Pakistan Army. He was the first Muslim to be a Sapper ...

was the first Engineer in Chief of the Pakistan Army and his brother Major General Muhammed

Iftikhar Khan Mohammad Iftikhar Khan (; 10 January 1909 — 13 December 1949) also known as ''Ifti'', was a two-star general in the Pakistan Army serving as GOC 10th Division. Prior to the Partition of British India, he was an officer in the British India ...

was an officer inherited by the Pakistan Army from British India. He had been nominated to become the first local Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Army after General Douglas David Gracey's retirement. However, his death in a tragic plane crash in 1949 was a disaster for the newly formed country.

References

* Pakistan's Drift into Extremism, Hassan Abbas, 2005 * Pakistani Generals, A. K Anwar, 1992 * Akbar Khan, a biography, Khalid Akbar, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Akbar British Indian Army officers Pakistan Armoured Corps officers Indian Army personnel of World War II People from Chakwal District 1983 deaths 1908 births