Vice-Admiral Taj Muhammad Khattak (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

:تاج محمد خٹک; b. 20 February 1948), , is a retired three-star rank admiral in the

Pakistan Navy ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Qur'an, 3:173'') , type ...

and a defence analyst, writing columns in the political correspondent, ''News International''. In addition, he also served as chairman of the

Port Qasim Authority The Port Muhammad Bin Qasim ( ur, ''Bandar-gāh Muhammad bin Qāsim''), or Qasim Port Authority ( ur, ), also known as Port Qasim, is a deep-water seaport in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, on the coastline of the Arabian Sea under the administra ...

from 2002 until 2005, while serving in active duty with the Navy.

Biography

Taj Muhammad Khattak was born in Montgomery, now

Sahiwal Sahiwal (Punjabi and ur, ), formerly known as Montgomery, is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 21st largest city of Pakistan by population and the administrative capital of both Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is approx ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

into a Punjabi-Pathan family on 20 February 1948. After his matriculation, he attended the Cadet College in

Hasan Abdal Hasan Abdal (Punjabi, ur, ), is a city in the Attock District of Punjab Province in Pakistan, located 40 km northwest of the country's capital city, Islamabad. Hassan Abdal is the headquarters of Hasan Abdal Tehsil (sub-district). As home o ...

and joined the

in 1965 as

Sub-Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second hig ...

. He participated well in the second war with

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

in 1965, and went to train with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

to complete his military training, specializing in

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...

. In 1969, the

Military Academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

Kakul Kakul (Kakol) is a village situated in the Tehsil and District Abbottabad, at an elevation of 1300 metres, 5 km northeast of center of Abbottabad city near the Thandiani Hills. Abbottabad is a District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Paki ...

awarded him the

Sword of Honour The ''Sword of Honour'' is a trilogy of novels by Evelyn Waugh which loosely parallel Waugh's experiences during the Second World War. Published by Chapman & Hall from 1952 to 1961, the novels are: ''Men at Arms'' (1952); '' Officers and Gent ...

for the best graduates of the academy. In 1969–70, Lt Khattak was posted in East-Pakistan, joining the crew of PNS Jessor, a

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

, and served in the Naaf River that located in the East Pakistan–Burma border. He participated in the

military operation A military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operations ...

Barisal Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Di ...

, and notably securing the

Biharis The Biharis () is a demonym given to the inhabitants of the Indian state of Bihar. Bihari people can be separated into three main Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic groups, Bhojpuris, Maithils and Magadhis. They are also further divided into a vari ...

who were loyal to Pakistan. In 1971, Lt. Khattak became the

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latit ...

of the PNS Jessor, the gunboat, serving and fighting in the Khulna-Mangla-Barisal sector during the civil war in East Pakistan. After the surrendering of the Eastern Command in 1971, Lt. Khattak was taken

war prisoner A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

by the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four ...

and held in

for two years. His efforts and action of valor won him the praise from the government, and was honoured with Sitara-i-Jurat in 1971 in his absence. Cdr Khattak served as a commanding officer in the surface warship command, commanding various warships during his career in 1970s. Upon his

repatriated Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...

to Pakistan in 1973, and was directed to attend the National Defence University in

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capita ...

where he attained MSc. in Strategic studies. In 1990,

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

Khattak was appointed

Naval Secretary The Naval Secretary is the Royal Navy officer who advises the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff on naval officer appointing (and General Officers). Their counterpart in the British Army is the Military Secretary. The Royal Air Force equiv ...

at the Navy NHQ, working under Chief of Naval Staff Admiral SM Khan. His staff appointments included his appointment at the Ministry of Ports and Shipping as an additional secretary, as well as director-general at the

Ministry of Communications A Communications Ministry or Department of Communications is a ministry or other government agency charged with communication. Communications responsibilities includes regulating telecommunications, postal services, broadcasting and print media. T ...

in 1990s. In 1997, he was promoted as two-star rank admiral, subsequently moved in the Navy NHQ, to be appointed as DCNS (Projects), and later DCNS (Materials) in 1998–99. In 1999,

Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often regar ...

Khattak was appointed as Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) in the Navy and later elevated as a senior

fleet commander The Fleet Commander is a senior Royal Navy post, responsible for the operation, resourcing and training of the ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel, of the Naval Service. The Vice-Admiral incumbent is required to provide ships, submarine ...

in 2000–2001. In 2002, he was promoted to three-star rank, Vice-Admiral, while serving as the senior

, Commander Pakistan Fleet (COMPAK). On 26 June 2002, Vice-Admiral Khattak was appointed as Vice Chief of Naval Staff with an immediate effect. Shortly, after his appointment, the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territorie ...

announced to promote Vice-Admiral

Shahid Karimullah Admiral Shahid Karimullah (Urdu: شاهد كريم الله; b. 14 February 1948) was a Pakistan Navy officer who served as the Chief of Naval Staff from 2002 until 2005. Prior to that, he also served as the Pakistan Ambassador to Saudi Ar ...

as a four-star admiral in the Navy, subsequently appointing him as Chief of Naval Staff on 3 October 2002. The promotion was controversial since Vice-Admiral Khattak was senior to Admiral Karim.ee. Following the news, Vice-Admiral Khattak was then moved as

secondment Secondment is the assignment of a member of one organisation to another organisation for a temporary period. Job rotation The employee typically retains their salary and other employment rights from their primary organization but they work close ...

and took over the chairmanship of

, which he served until he seek retirement in 2005. After retiring, he became a defence columnist, writing on country's major political correspondents and currently authoring articles on defence magazines.

References

External links

Port Qasim Authority Chairmen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khattak, Taj Muhammad 1948 births Cadet College Hasan Abdal alumni Punjabi people Pakistan Military Academy alumni People from Sahiwal Pakistani military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Pakistani prisoners of war National Defence University, Pakistan alumni National Defence University, Pakistan faculty Pakistan Navy admirals Recipients of Sitara-e-Jurat Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Living people

Biography

See also

References

External links