Abdul Hamid Khan (general)

For other people named Abdul Hamid Khan (disambiguation)|Abdul Hamid Khan, see Abdul Hamid Khan (disambiguation).
Abdul Hamid Khan
Allegiance Pakistan Pakistan
Service/branch  Pakistan Army
Years of service 1939 1971
Rank General
Commands held 11th Infantry Division, Lahore
I Corps, Kharian
Chief of Staff, Pakistan Army
Battles/wars World War II
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Awards Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam
Sitara-i-Pakistan
Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam

General Abdul Hamid Khan, (Urdu: عبد الحمید خان) HQA, SPk, SQA, was a Pakistan Army General. He was the Chief of Staff (COS) Pakistan Army under President General Yahya Khan during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War.[1]

1965 Battle of Khem Karan

During the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War, then Major General Abdul Hamid Khan served as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 11th Infantry Division at Kasur. This division in addition to 10th Infantry Division under Major General Sarfraz Khan repelled the Indian thrust at Lahore on 6 September 1965. His division captured the district of Khem Karan in Indian Punjab, though further advances were checked. He then was able to withstand multiple counter-attacks by the Indian Army in an effort to retake Khem Karan.[2][3]

Career in the Yahya Government

After the war, Abdul Hamid Khan was promoted to Lieutenant General and served as the commander of I Corps, then based in Kharian (it is currently based in Mangla).[4] After martial law was imposed by General Yahya Khan on 25 March 1969, Lt Gen Hamid Khan was made the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Army and Deputy Martial Law Administrator of the country.[5] During that time he briefly held the cabinet portfolio of Home Affairs for four months. He was promoted to full general on February, 1971 and was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Army also known as the de facto commander-chief of the army.

1971 Indo-Pakistan War

General Hamid, the Chief of Staff was blamed along with General Yahya Khan for the Pakistani military debacle during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. [6]

References

  1. Riza, Maj Gen Shaukat. (1990). The Pakistan Army 1966-71. Rawalpindi: Services Book Club 1990.
  2. Riza, Maj Gen Shaukat. (1984). The Pakistan Army: War 1965. Rawalpindi: Services Book Club 1990.
  3. Ravi Rikhye. "The Battle of Assal Uttar: Pakistan and India 1965" Pakistan Orbat, February 24, 2002
  4. "Changes in the Army High Command" British High Commission", 5 May 1966
  5. Pakistan : Martial Law "Who's Who" The American Papers - Secret and Confidential India.Pakistan.Bangladesh Documents 1965-1973, March 26, 1969
  6. Ardeshir Cowasjee. "Gen Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan - 4" Dawn Newspaper, 17 September 2000

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Afzal Rahman Khan
Interior Minister of Pakistan
1969
Succeeded by
Sardar Abdur Rashid Khan
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