Siddique Salik () (6 September 1935 – 17 August 1988), was an officer 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 ...

, combat artist, humorist, novelist, and a memoirist who served as 8th

Director-General A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...

of the

Inter-Services Public Relations The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) () is the media and public relations wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It broadcasts and coordinates military news and information to the country's Media of Pakistan, civilian media and the Pakistani ...

from 1985 until his death in 1988 in the plane crash in Bahawalpur with then President. In addition, he also authored two eyewitnessed books on the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

which took place in erstwhile East-Pakistan, giving accounts of politics and the barbaric strategies used by the military.

Early life

Education and military service

Siddique Salik was born in a Manglia, a village, located in Kharian Tehsil of Gujrat District, Punjab, British India on 6 September 1935. He hailed from a Jat clan of

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

and his family was traditionally

Peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

who worked in a local farm. He was educated in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, having attended the Islamia College in the Civil Lines in

in 1955. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

and later obtained master's degrees' in English literature and

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

from Islamia College in 1960. After college graduation, he taught

British literature British literature is from the United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. This article covers British literature in the English language. Anglo-Saxon (Old English) literature ...

in various colleges in

visiting professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting scientist, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic fo ...

while working as an associate

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

for the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. In 1964, he joined the

when he gained commissioned as a

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 ...

in the

Guides Cavalry The Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army which was raised in 1846 as Corps of Guides (India), The Corps of Guides. During more than a hundred and fifty years of military service, the regiment has earned the ...

of the Frontier Force. and joined the

(ISPR) as a

War correspondent A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war, war zone. War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the wor ...

. In 1969, he was promoted as

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 ...

while serving as military journalist in the ISPR.

Personal life

Brig. Salik was married and had three daughters and a son. His son, Sarmad Salik, is a political journalist who has worked for ''

PTV News PTV News HD is a 24-hour Urdu News channel owned by the Pakistan Television Corporation. It also broadcast as Terrestrial television. PTV News is a cable and satellite news channel launched in the face of tough international competition. Its ...

'', for

ARY News ''ARY News HD'' () is a Pakistani news channel launched on 26 September 2004 with the name "ARY One", the channel was later renamed to "ARY One World" until May 2009 when it was rebranded as "ARY News". A bilingual news channel in English and ...

as director of current affairs, Head of Strategy & Planning at

TRT World TRT Global, previously named TRT World, is a Turkish public broadcaster which broadcasts in English 24 hours a day and is operated by the TRT and based in the Ulus quarter of Ankara. It provides worldwide news and current affairs focusing on ...

, Senior Analyst of a Show called ''Public Opinion'' on Public News TV and was the

Managing Director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

at Indus News, the first international news channel in English from Pakistan.

War Appointment and military service in East Pakistan

In 1970, Major Salik was posted in

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

, and became the public relations officer in the ISPR East Pakistan of Eastern Command. Major Salik served as a military media correspondent but soon realized that the separate section of army had begun a successful mutiny and advised for the formation of

truth and reconciliation commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state ac ...

to end the bloodshed, though his advises were not heeded. He joined the senior military staff at the GHQ Dacca as a Public Relations Officer, working to release official statements made by the Eastern Command that was led by its Commander East,

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

Tikka Khan Tikka Khan, also known as the Butcher of Bengal.Tikka Khan title: * * * * * * * * (; 10 February 1915 – 28 March 2002) was a Pakistani military officer and war criminal who served as the first Chief of the Army Staff (Pakistan), chief of the a ...

, and later A.A.K. Niazi. On 20 December 1971, he was taken as

POW POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. POW or pow may also refer to: Music * P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...

by the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

when Commander Eastern Command Gen Niazi signed to concede the defeat and was flown to

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

to be imprisoned in the military barracks along with Niazi and Admiral

Sharif Sharīf or Sherif (, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, from the fami ...

. While imprisoned, he was described by the

's officials as "intelligent, indefatigable, and admirable who was ignored by Niazi and others." About the war prisoners, Major Salik reportedly maintained that most of the war prisoners were given to believe that in two-to-three months, they will be repatriated back to Pakistan via trains to Wagha checkpoint and ships to

Karachi port The Port of Karachi (, ''Bandar gāh Karāchī'') is one of South Asia's largest and busiest deep-water Port, seaports, handling about 60% of the nation's cargo (25 million tons per annum) located in Karachi, Pakistan. It is located on the Karac ...

. However, these hopes were dashed when the prisoners had to wait years to be repatriated to Pakistan.

''Witness to Surrender'' and Inter-Services Public Relations

Under the population transfer agreement signed between

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

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# ...

, and

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

, Major Salik returned to Pakistan when he was repatriated by

to the

in 1973. Major Salik testified against AAK Niazi during the interviewing process of the War Enquiry Commission. Major Salik continued his military service and remained associate with the

, working on the public relations. During this time, he began working towards writing the memoirs and book that would recounts the events that led to the Surrender of Pakistan, which he titled as "''Witness to Surrender''." In 1977, Major Salik was promoted as Lieutenant-Colonel and published his book despite reservation within the military in 1979. The book has its significance and considered an eyewitness report on the committed genocide committed under the responsibility of Pakistani military and the

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Ba ...

(lit. Freedom Army), since the War Report was never declassified. Lieutenant-Colonel Salik also published the

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 ...

version of the book, title as: ''ميں نے ڈھاكه ڈوبتے ديكھا'' (lit. Witness to Surrender) in 1986, which was a translation of his English text. In his book, Salik presented a view of soldiers and sailors serving in the army and navy in a crucial period of insurgency and the politics that revolved around the Yahya administration, which eventually led to the independence of Bangladesh. In 1979, Salik joined the army staff at the Army GHQ as public relations officer, and began working as

speechwriter A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches to be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors. They can also be em ...

for

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Zia-ul-Haq. In 1981, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the army, and during this time, he remained in charge of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, though he was not appointed minister. In 1982, Salik was permanently appointed as

Press secretary A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. Dutie ...

for President Zia at the Army GHQ. In 1985, he was promoted as

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 ...

, and was appointed

when his appointment was approved by then- vice army chief General K.M. Arif. During his tenure at

, he became widely known in the public circles in country when he acted as the principal source of information on Pakistani military deployment in response to the

's massive military exercise. On 17 August 1988,

Brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

Salik was among those who died in a mysterious plane crash while he was traveling with President Zia and American ambassador Arnold Lewis Raphel; he was buried in his local village with full military honors.

Authorship, memoirs, and family

During his lifetime, Brig. Salik authored 9 books on military and politics; of which, six were written in

and three were written in English. In 1974, he wrote and published his first memoir, "''Hamah Yārān̲ Dozak̲h̲''", that recorded his life spent as war prisoner under the

. His book and novels also included: * (1974) * ''Witness to Surrender'' (, 1977) * (1981) * (1986) * ''Pressure Cooker'' (1984) * ''Wounded pride: the reminiscences of a Pakistani prisoner'' (1984) * ''Emergency'' (1985) * ''Salute: An autobiography'' (1986) * ''State and Politics: A Case Study of Pakistan'' (1987) His novel, , is a contemporary

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

which provides humor while discussing the political events in his country.

References

External links

Former Directors and DG's of ISPR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salik, Brigadier Siddiq 1935 births 1988 deaths University of the Punjab alumni Military personnel from Lahore English–Urdu translators Frontier Force Regiment officers Pakistan Army brigadiers Pakistani war correspondents People of the Bangladesh Liberation War Pakistani prisoners of war Pakistani non-fiction writers Pakistani novelists Pakistani memoirists Pakistani humorists Pakistani human rights activists S English-language writers from Pakistan Urdu-language writers from Pakistan Directors-general of the Inter-Services Public Relations 20th-century Pakistani translators Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1988 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Pakistan 20th-century memoirists People from Gujrat District Bangladesh Liberation War prisoners of war