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 ...

Mohammad Abbas Baig (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: برگیڈیر جنرل محمد عباس بیگ; September 1917 – 19 April 2008) was a

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

one-star officer. He was one of the pioneering military officers of the

who was dubbed "Baba-e-Artillery" (father of the

Artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

) for his role in establishing this core section of Pakistani army. Abbas Baig's father, Mirza Azam Baig, was a prominent soldier who had fought in the European theatre for the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

during the Great War (1914–1918). He survived a German gas attack and went on to serve in the personal bodyguard regiment of the emperor of Persia.

British Army career

Abbas Baig joined the British Army in 1933 and earned commission to the rank of second lieutenant in 1938. When the

Second World War 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 ...

broke out, Abbas Baig was sent to

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

to fight the Japanese. He was an outstanding officer who proved his prowess in that conflict.

Pakistan Army

Soon after the end of the war, the Islamic state of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

was created and, he was one of handful of commissioned officers that formed the lower/middle ranks of the army. No senior officers existed and these ranks were filled by the "loaned" British commanders. The newly established Pakistan Army rapidly developed into an efficient force and it was primarily due to the dedication and hard work of officers such as Abbas Baig. He became the first Muslim commander of number three self-propelled medium regiment and the first commandant of the Artillery centre in

Attock Attock ( Punjabi, ), formerly known as Campbellpur (Punjabi, ), is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, not far from the country's capital Islamabad. It is the headquarters of the Attock District and is 36th largest city in the Punjab and 61st largest c ...

in 1952. Amongst his early achievements were the raising of first artillery division and number one Artillery Corps and played a central role in establishing artillery corps to form the backbone of the army. BrigAbbasBaigwithAyub

Differences with Ayub Khan

Abbas Baig was one of the most senior officers serving under the army commander General

Ayub Khan Mohammad Ayub Khan (14 May 1907 – 19 April 1974) was a Pakistani military dictator who served as the second president of Pakistan from 1958 until his resignation on 1969. He was the first native commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army, se ...

when he imposed martial law and became president of Pakistan in 1958. Ayub Khan felt threatened by this brilliant young commander and he used his dictatorial powers to remove Abbas Baig from the scene in a mysterious circumstances. On the eve of being promoted from the rank of Brigadier to general, President Ayub not only blocked the promotion orders, he turned them to retirement directive.

Forced Retirement by Ayub Khan

Abbas Baig had no political ambitions and decided to go quietly as a gentleman officer. Thus, came to a premature end a glittering and brilliant career of what could have been one of the finest military leaders the country has produced. After a long retirement, Brigadier Abbas Baig died in April 2008 in the village of Thatti Mughlah, Jhelum. His legacy continued with all three of his sons having served in the

Pakistan army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

as officers and his grandsons are now carrying on the tradition by serving the very units of the army that Abbas Baig had helped establish more than half a century ago.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbas Baig, Mohammad H H 2008 deaths 1917 births