General Muhammad Musa Khan ( ur, ; ) was a

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

senior general who served as the 4th Commander-in-Chief of

from 1958 to 1966, under President

Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...

. Following his tenure as C-in-C of the Army, he later became a politician. Gaining commission as a

Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

, Khan served with distinction in the Burma and North African campaigns as part of the Allied effort in World War II. Following the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

in 1947, he opted for the Dominion of Pakistan, subsequently transferring his military service to the newly created Pakistan Army. He led forward combat brigades against India during the First Kashmir War in 1947–1948, and eventually ascended the ranks to become C-in-C after the

imposed martial law in the country following the 1958 coup d'état. Khan gained notability and public fame throughout Pakistan when he was in command of the Pakistan Army during the

Second Kashmir War The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

with India in 1965. Khan retired shortly after the 1965 war and embarked on a career in national politics, after which he was appointed to serve as the

Governor of West Pakistan West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial Enclave and exclave, exclaves created during the One Unit, One Unit Schem ...

, a position he held from 1966 to 1969. In 1985, he was appointed as the Governor of Balochistan and remained in office until his death in 1991.

Early life and military career

Musa was born on 20 October 1908 in Quetta,

Baluchistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

, British India to an ethnic

Hazara Hazara may refer to: Ethnic groups * The Hazaras, a Persian-speaking people of Afghanistan and Pakistan * Aimaq Hazara, Aimaq's subtribe of Hazara origin * Hazarawals, a Hindko-speaking people of the Hazara region of northern Pakistan * Hazar ...

family. His family was '' Sardar'' (lit. Chief) of Hazara tribe and was the eldest son of Sardar Yazdan Khan who was the local Tribal chief. General Musa, Circa 1935 in a British Uniform

General Musa, Circa 1935 in a British Uniform

After his schooling, he was recruited to the

as a ''Jawan'' in 1926 and eventually joined the

4th Hazara Pioneers The 4th Hazara Pioneers (or Independent Pioneer Battalion) was a regiment of the British Indian Army formed in 1922, when the Indian army moved from single battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments; the 106th Hazara Pioneers became the 1st ...

after being promoted as the Naik a

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

in the

. He was selected to join the Indian Military Academy at

Dehra Dun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislativ ...

as a cadet in October 1932. In 1935, he was commissioned from the IMA, Dehradun following a two years and six months long military training. He was said to be an excellent sportsman and played hockey. In 1936, he was posted to the 6th Royal Battalion of the

13th Frontier Force Rifles The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions. History The 13th Frontier Force Rifle ...

as a

Platoon Commander {{unreferenced, date=February 2013 A platoon leader (NATO) or platoon commander (more common in Commonwealth militaries and the US Marine Corps) is the officer in charge of a platoon. This person is usually a junior officer – a second or firs ...

and saw actions in the violent Waziristan campaign in 1936 until 1938. He participated well in the World War II on the side of the United Kingdom and served well in the Burma Campaign and North African theatre as part of the Norfolk Regiment of the British Indian Army. In Middle East, he led the

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

and was listed in

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

for "distinguished services in the Middle East during the period February to July 1941" and in the

London Gazette London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

30 December 1941 as a Lieutenant and acting Major. In 1942, his heroic action for valor won him the praise and was appointed as Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for "gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East." In 1945, he was promoted as substantive

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and substantive major in 1946 and was serving with the Machine Gun battalion,

by October 1942. During his time at the Indian Military Academy, Musa was selected as part of the first batch of cadets. Called "The Pioneers", his class also produced Smith Dun and Sam Manekshaw, future army chiefs of Burma and India, respectively. After the

partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...

of British India that followed the establishment of Pakistan in 1947, he opted for Pakistan and joined the

as a staff officer. In 1947 in the acting rank of Brigadier, he commanded the 103rd Infantry Brigade based in Sialkot brigade in

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

and served as commander of military units in the first war with India. In 1948, he went on to command the 52nd Infantry Brigade positioned in Quetta. After the war in 1948, Musa studied and graduated from the Command and Staff College in Quetta and proceeded to attend the Imperial Defence College in United Kingdom prior to his graduation.

Later military career

In 1950s, Musa's commanding assignments included his role as the Commandant of the

East Pakistan Rifles East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

, and also having served as GOC of 14th Infantry Division in Dhaka, East Pakistan, in 1951. In 1952, his last field assignment included his role as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 8th Infantry Division positioned in Quetta before stationed at the GHQ. Later, he soon became the Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army (then the commander-in-chief of the army's deputy) in the rank of major-general at the Army GHQ. His career progressed well in the army and was ascended as Commander-in-Chief by President

in 1958 when the latter disposed President Iskander Mirza who imposed martial law in 1958. Musa's promotion to the four-star appointment came with controversy in the country as many saw that his appointment was based on "dependability rather than merit." In October 1958, Musa was elevated as three-star general and appointed as Commander in Chief with

promoting himself as

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

and promoting Musa to four star general later. President Ayub delegated the military affairs to General Musa when heading the civic government. In 1960, he was appointed to serve as the President of the

Pakistan Hockey Federation The Pakistan Hockey Federation ( ur, ) is the governing body for the sport of field hockey in Pakistan. It is affiliated with the International Hockey Federation (FIH). Management positions The current Patron-in-Chief is Prime Minister Mian M ...

which he remained in the post until being retired in 1966. It was during his stint as president when the Hockey Team won its first

Gold Medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

against the Indian Hockey Team in the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

in Rome in 1960.

Bajaur Campaign

General Musa Khan Inspecting Afghan Soldiers

In September 1960, Afghan Regular Troops disguised as local tribesmen started border incursions into the

NWFP NWFP may refer to: *North-West Frontier Province, a province of British India, and later, Pakistan *Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP o ...

(now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) province of Pakistan with the goal of starting a local rebellion to capture the Pashtun Inhabited Territory, under General Musa's leadership, Pakistani troops and Local Pashtun tribesmen along with Pakistan Airforce support pushed back the Afghans in 1961 and captured many Afghan soldiers.

The 1965 War

In 1964, he became aware of

covert operation A covert operation is a military operation intended to conceal the identity of (or allow plausible deniability by) the party that instigated the operation. Covert operations should not be confused with clandestine operations, which are performe ...

studied by the Foreign ministry led by Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and presented views against the operation due to no linkage between the covert actions and the conventional backup. General Musa also had the support from President Ayub Khan on his views; however, the war began in 1965. General Musa did not order the

without the confirmation by President Ayub Khan despite Foreign Minister Bhutto's urging. After the Indian Army moved to the Rann of Kutch, General Musa ordered Army GHQ to respond to the Indian Army by moving the 12th Division. After reviewing the aerial view of the area and getting directions from President Ayub to make way for Maj General Yahya Khan, General Musa controversially relieved GOC Maj Gen

Akhtar Hussain Malik Akhtar ( fa, links=no, ) means "star" in Persian. It is a unisex name. It is also a common surname. A variant spelling is Akhter. Notable people with the given name or surname include: Given name Akhtar * Akhtar Aly Kureshy Pakistani lawyer a ...

and handed over the command of the 12th Division to Major-General Yahya Khan, which resulted in critical time delays of troop movements and eventual failure of the operation. About the failure due to command change, General Musa justified his actions that he had not had time to select a commander or staff despite the authority given to him. He led and commanded the

in the largest

tank battle ''Tank Battle'' is a Milton Bradley board game of strategy where players attempt to out-guess and out-maneuver their opponent in a contest of armored warfare, and includes the extra strategy brought by fuel and ammunition dumps as well as anti-tank ...

, which earned him public fame. His strategy based on classical trench method supported by armory, artillery and airpower was tactically powerful and successful as it stopped the advancing Indian Army but politically unsuccessful due to the country being party of the

peace treaty A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surr ...

brokered by the USSR in 1965. General Musa's military service is unique due to the fact that he had received two extension as a Commander-in-chief from the period of 1958 until 1966. Upon his retirement, General Musa did not recommend Yahya Khan's nomination as Commander-in-chief and Yahya's name was not included in the list of nomination sent to President Ayub Khan; nonetheless, General Musa was succeeded by General Yahya Khan as Commander in Chief. About the war with India in 1965, General Musa provided his views and testimonies in two books written on

military history Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians norma ...

of Pakistan Army: first being the "My Version" and the second being the " Jawan to General".

Politics

At the time of his retirement in 1966, General Musa was a famed and popular military figure which led President Ayub Khan to appoint him as the

. News of the appointment was met with enthusiasm by the

West Pakistani West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was d ...

people. In 1967, he became Governor of West Pakistan until submitting his resignation on 2 March 1969 when General Yahya Khan imposed martial law to takeover the presidency. From 1969 to 1984, he settled in Karachi while receiving a military pension. In 1985, he became active in national politics on a Pakistan Muslim League platform led by Prime Minister M. K. Junejo. He was appointed as Governor of Balochistan by the President Zia-ul-Haq after the general elections held in 1985.name="Hazara The Best" After the general elections held in 1988, Governor Musa controversially dissolved the provincial assembly on the then-Chief Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali's advice. However, the

Balochistan High Court The Balochistan High Court ( ur, ) is the highest judicial institution of Balochistan, Pakistan. The court is formally known as the High Court of Balochistan. It is situated in the provincial capital, Quetta. Mir Ali Dost Bugti was the first ...

restored the provincial assembly amid public condemnation of the Governor's move. The step towards dissolving the assembly was believed to have been taken with the consent of the President and Prime Minister. On 12 March 1991, General Musa died while in office and per accordance to his wishes, he was buried in

Mashhad Mashhad ( fa, مشهد, Mašhad ), also spelled Mashad, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. It serves as the capital of R ...

, Razavi Khorasan, Iran. In his honour, the provincial Balochistan government established a vocational school, the General Muhammad Musa Inter-College (GMMIC), in Quetta, Pakistan in 1987.

Post-1965 war

About the war with India in 1965, General Musa provided his views and testimonies in two books written on

of Pakistan Army: the first being ''My Version'' and the second being '' Jawan to General''. General Mohammad Musa, who commanded the Army in the '65 war, gave his account of how the events unfolded at GHQ, the C-in-C and the Supreme Commander Field Marshal Ayub Khan surprising India on 6 September 1965 in ''My Version''.

Awards and decorations

Foreign Decorations

References

External links

Official profile at Pakistan Army website
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Musa, Muhammad 1908 births 1991 deaths Pakistani people of Hazara descent People from Quetta People from Karachi Hazara people Hazara politicians Hazara military personnel Indian Military Academy alumni Frontier Force Regiment officers British Indian Army officers Indian Army personnel of World War II Members of the Order of the British Empire Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Pakistani generals Commanders-in-Chief, Pakistan Army Military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Pakistani autobiographers Pakistani memoirists Pakistan Hockey Federation presidents Governors of West Pakistan Governors of Balochistan, Pakistan Pakistan Muslim League politicians Recipients of Hilal-i-Jur'at Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Pakistani sports executives and administrators Generals of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 20th-century memoirists Burials in Mashhad Burials at Imam Reza Shrine Indian Members of the Order of the British Empire Pakistan Command and Staff College alumni