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Lieutenant General Sahabzada Yaqub Ali Khan ( ; born 23 December 1920 – 26 January 2016) was a Pakistani politician, diplomat, military figure, pacifist,
linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingui ...
, and a retired general in the Pakistani Army. Born into an Indian nobility, he was educated in England and at the Indian Military College in
Dehradun 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 Legislative A ...
, then the Indian Military Academy and served during World War II as an officer in the 18th K. E. O. Cavalry Regiment of 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 cou ...
. After the Partition of British India in 1947, he opted for Pakistan and joined the Pakistan Army where he participated in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965. He was the commander of the army's Eastern Command in
East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...
. He was appointed as Governor of
East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...
in 1969 and 1971 but recalled to Pakistan after he submitted his resignation amid civil unrest. In 1973, he joined the
Foreign Service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...
and was appointed as the
Pakistan Ambassador to the United States The Pakistan Ambassador to the United States is in charge of the Pakistan Embassy, Washington, D.C. and Pakistan's diplomatic mission to the United States. The official title is Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United Stat ...
and later ascended as Foreign Minister, serving under
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: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Zia-ul-Haq in 1982. His stint as Foreign Minister played a major role in the Soviet intervention in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
(1979–89) and he took part in negotiations to end the
Contras The Contras were the various U.S.-backed and funded Right-wing politics, right-wing Rebellion, rebel groups that were active from 1979 to 1990 in opposition to the Marxism, Marxist Sandinista National Liberation Front, Sandinista Junta of Nat ...
in Nicaragua (1981–87) on the behalf of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
. In the 1990s, he served as an official of the United Nations for
Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...
until he was reappointed as Foreign Minister under Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...
. After retiring from diplomatic services in 1997, he spent his remaining years in Islamabad and died in Islamabad in 2016.


Biography


Youth and World war II


Early days

Mohammad Yaqub Ali Khan was born into an Indian royal family known as the Rohilla branch in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh,
British Indian Empire The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himse ...
on 23 December 1920. He had also been a close relative of the family of the Nawabs of Kasur, of Punjab. His father,
Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...
Abdus Samad Khan Nawab Abdul Samad Khan Bahadur (1861–1943) was the Nawab of Chhatari and Nawab of Talibnagar in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. He belonged to the Lalkhani family of Muslim Rajputs. Early life He selected trustee of the Old Party in ...
was an aristocrat and politician who served as chief minister of Rampur, and as
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
's representative to the League of Nations. He was educated at the
Rashtriya Indian Military College The Rashtriya Indian Military College (abbreviated RIMC; formerly known as Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College) is a military school for boys and girls situated in Doon Valley, Dehradun in India. The RIMC is a feeder institution for ...
at
Dehradun 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 Legislative A ...
, then the Indian Military Academy and gained a commission in
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 cou ...
in 1940 and attached to the
18th King Edward's Own Cavalry The 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry was a regular cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. Following the independence of India, the regiment was allotted to the Indian Army and redesignated as the 18th Cavalry. Formation Tracing its origins ...
.


Participation in WWII and POW

In his military career he saw action during World War II and served in the North African Campaign where he was attached to
18th King Edward's Own Cavalry The 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry was a regular cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. Following the independence of India, the regiment was allotted to the Indian Army and redesignated as the 18th Cavalry. Formation Tracing its origins ...
from April 1942. He was taken POW in North Africa in May 1942. In September 1943 he escaped from the Italian Prisoner of War camp P. G. 91 in Avezzano (with two other Indian officers) and was out for four to five months attempting to move south to Allied lines, but they were subsequently re-captured by German forces who put him in a Prisoner of War camp in Germany until April 1945 when he was released by the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
soldiers. During his time in German custody, he learnt languages by interacting with fellow prisoners and reading literature in those languages.


Return to India and Partition

Upon returning to India in 1945, he was selected as an
adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commissioned ...
to Field Marshal
Lord Wavell Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, (5 May 1883 – 24 May 1950) was a senior officer of the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, the Bazar Valley Campaign and the First World War, during which he was wounded i ...
with an army rank of major. After hearing the news of
partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the 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: India and Pakistan. T ...
and
creation Creation may refer to: Religion *''Creatio ex nihilo'', the concept that matter was created by God out of nothing *Creation myth, a religious story of the origin of the world and how people first came to inhabit it *Creationism, the belief that ...
of Pakistan, he decided to
opt OPT or Opt may refer for: Computing * /opt, a directory in the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard * Option key, a modifier key on Apple keyboards * Optimal page replacement algorithm, a page replacement algorithms for swapping out pages from memory ...
for Pakistan, and initially was selected as Aide-de-camp to Muhammad Ali Jinnah– the first Governor-General of Pakistan. It was then-
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
S.M. Ahsan who was made the ADC at the behest of
Lord Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of Germa ...
, and Yaqub was appointed as commandant of the Governor-General's bodyguard for the first Governor-General which he led until 1948. In the period 1948–49, he attended the short one-year course at the Command and Staff College at Quetta and graduated with a staff officer's degree. In 1951, he served in the
Military Intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from ...
(MI) as
lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel ...
, and directed initiatives to analytical branch of the ISI for the whereabouts of the Indian Army but he reportedly struggled with providing factual intelligence that was provided to ISI. He commanded the
11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) The 11th Cavalry (Frontier Force), is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was previously known as the 11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry and was a regular cavalry regiment of the old British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by th ...
, Armoured Corps from December 1952 to October 1953. He was promoted to
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge of ...
in 1953 and went to Paris in France to attend the famed École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr where he graduated in 1954. Upon returning to Pakistan, he was promoted to
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, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
in 1955 where he served as a chief instructor at the Command and Staff College.


Staff and war appointments:1960–69

In 1958, he was appointed as the vice Chief of General Staff at the Army GHQ and later becoming the Commandant of the Command and Staff College in Quetta in 1960. In 1960 he was promoted to major-general and commanded the 1st Armoured Division of Armoured Corps and was said to have a portrait of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in his office. As an armored commander, he arranged a course on philosophy on the '' Panzer'' doctrine to educate the armoured division on the tank battles and strategies. He participated in the war against India in 1965, having command of his 1st Armoured Division. He helped develop the operational planning of the armoured vehicular warfare deployments against the Indian Army advances in Punjab and presented his views at the Army GHQ. Soon after, he was appointed as Director-General Military Operations (DGMO) by General Musa Khan and directed all formats of ground operations during the
1965 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 ...
against India. After the war, he was appointed as Chief of General Staff at the Army GHQ under army chief General
Yahya Khan General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan , (Urdu: ; 4 February 1917 – 10 August 1980); commonly known as Yahya Khan, was a Pakistani military general who served as the third President of Pakistan and Chief Martial Law Administrator following his p ...
in 1966 and remained until 1969.


East Pakistan: military advisor and governorship (1969–71)

In 1969, Lieutenant-General Yaqub Khan was posted to
East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...
as the commander of Eastern Command in Dacca by President
Yahya Khan General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan , (Urdu: ; 4 February 1917 – 10 August 1980); commonly known as Yahya Khan, was a Pakistani military general who served as the third President of Pakistan and Chief Martial Law Administrator following his p ...
and helped evaluate the command rotation of the Eastern military. Soon, he was appointed as Governor of
East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...
where he began learning the
Bengali language Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second most widely spoken of ...
and became accustomed to
Bengali culture The culture of Bengal defines the cultural heritage of the Bengali people native to eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent, mainly what is today Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura, where the Bengali language is t ...
. He was highly respected by the East Pakistani military officers due to his stance and professionalism and was said to be very well liked and respected in the East. He was known to be an unusual military officer who knew very well about "limits of force", and did not believe in the use of brute force to settle political disputes. In 1969–71, he worked together with Admiral Ahsan in advising the Yahya administration in an effort to resolve the situation and restricted strictly the proposal of usage of military force in the province. At the cabinet meeting, he was often fierce and strictly resisted the usage of military option but was respected in the military due to his understanding of Bengali issues and whose colleagues often labeled him as "Bingos." In 1970, he notably coordinated the relief operations when the disastrous cyclone had hit the state and gained prestige for his efforts in the country. In 1971, he participated in the area contingency and fact-finding mission, which was known as the Ahsan–Yaqub Mission, to resolve the political deadlock between East Pakistan and Pakistan as both men argued that "military measures would not change the political situations". In March 1971, he became aware of the rumors of a military action against East Pakistanis and delivered desperate
military signals Military communications or military signals involve all aspects of communications, or conveyance of information, by armed forces. Military communications span from pre-history to the present. The earliest military communications were delivered b ...
to President Yahya Khan in Islamabad to not use military solution as he feared Indian intervention. After the resignation of Admiral Ahsan, he was ordered to use military force against the civil agitation led by the
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: * Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan * Awami Front, ...
but refused to take this order and tendered his resignation to be posted back to Pakistan. His resignation came in the light of resisting the military orders and fiercely maintained to President Yahya that "military solution was not acceptable". Commenting on the situation, Yaqub maintained that: "
resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceutic ...
Yahya was also keen to impose the "open sword" martial law to roll back the situation as it was in 1969." He lodged a strong protest against the military solution and maintained that the "central government had failed to listen to the voices of their co-citizens in the East." To many authors, Yaqub Khan had become a "
conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...
" in the military. He was posted back to Pakistan, joined the Army GHQ staff and participated in winter war against India in 1971 without commanding an assignment and retired from the military after the war, also in 1971.


Foreign service


Ambassadorship to France, United States, and Soviet Union

After seeking the honorable discharge from the army, he joined the
Foreign Service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...
as a career diplomat in 1972, initially taking his first assignment as Pakistan Ambassador to France until 1973. In 1973, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto appointed him as the
Pakistan Ambassador to the United States The Pakistan Ambassador to the United States is in charge of the Pakistan Embassy, Washington, D.C. and Pakistan's diplomatic mission to the United States. The official title is Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United Stat ...
which he served in this capacity until 1979. He was sent Pakistan's envoy to United States when the foreign relations with the United States were cooling but he gained international prominence when he became involved with Egyptian ambassador
Ashraf Ghorbal Ashraf Ghorbal (Alexandria, Egypt May 1925 – 29 November 2005) was an Egyptian diplomat. Career Ghorbal began his career in 1949 when he entered the Egyptian diplomatic service as a member of its delegation to the United Nations. In January 1 ...
and Iranian Ambassador to the United States
Ardeshir Zahedi Ardeshir Zahedi, GCVO ( fa, اردشیر زاهدی; 16 October 1928 – 18 November 2021) was an Iranian politician and diplomat who served as the country's foreign minister from 1966 to 1971, and its ambassador to the United States and the Uni ...
to take part in defusing the siege of three federal buildings in the
Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, N ...
by the group of American Muslims in 1977. In 1979, he was sent to Moscow and was appointed as Pakistan Ambassador to the Soviet Union where he worked towards building foreign relations with the Soviet Union by signing an educational accord. In 1980, he was reassigned in France again where he remained until 1982.


Foreign minister and United Nations

Yaqub Ali Khan was brought in to the Zia administration as Foreign Minister in 1982 when
Agha Shahi Agha Shahi ( ur, آغا شا ﮨی; 25 August 1920 – 6 September 2006), ''NI'', was a Pakistani career Foreign service officer who was the leading civilian figure in the military government of former President General Zia-ul-Haq from 1977 ...
departed
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: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Zia-ul-Haq's cabinet. He was appointed foreign minister in the conservative-aligned government but Yaqub maintained his composure and his wit in the Zia administration. As foreign minister, he directed a proactive and keen pro-American policy and supported the U.S. sponsored clandestine program to arm the Afghan mujahideen against
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
-sponsored Socialist Afghanistan. He advised President Zia-ul-Haq on many key matters and firmly had gripped the country's foreign policy on the track of pro-U.S. foreign policy as many military officers joined his
Foreign ministry In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
. During this time, the matters were kept out of the sight of the Foreign Office with Yaqub handling matters with the military. He continued his role as foreign minister after the
general elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
held in 1985 by the Prime Minister Mohammad Junejo. At foreign fronts, he played a crucial role in providing the support for his country's cover and clandestine nuclear development whilst maintaining a strong policy of deliberate ambiguity. In 1984, he reportedly issued a statement in Washington, D.C., on Pakistan's massive retaliation when observing India's pre-emptive strikes on Pakistan's facilities, and made unsuccessful proposal to United States to put Pakistan under its
nuclear umbrella The "nuclear umbrella" is a guarantee by a nuclear weapons state to defend a non-nuclear allied state. The context is usually the security alliances of the United States with Japan, South Korea, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (m ...
. In the 1980s, he provided his diplomatic expertise in resolving the Soviet–Afghan War when he explored the possibility of setting-up the interim
system of government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
under former monarch
Zahir Shah Mohammed Zahir Shah (Pashto/Dari: , 15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last king of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973. Serving for 40 years, Zahir was the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan s ...
but this was not authorized by President Zia-ul-Haq. In 1984–85, he paid visits to China, Saudi Arabia, Soviet Union, France, United States and the United Kingdom to develop framework for the Geneva Accords which was signed in 1988. About the death and state funeral of President Zia-ul-Haq, Yaqub was earlier warned by Soviet Foreign Minister Edward Shevardnadze that Pakistan's
support Support may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Supporting character Business and finance * Support (technical analysis) * Child support * Customer support * Income Support Construction * Support (structure), or lateral support, a ...
for Afghan mujahideen "would not go unpunished." Yaqub Khan, on the other hand, stressed the need for troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. In the 1980s, he also managed to maintain Pakistan's close friendship with Iran and the rich
Arab States The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...
during the Iran-Iraq war. After the
general elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
held in 1988 in the country, Yaqub was kept as foreign minister in the First Benazir ministry by Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...
in order to engage in negotiation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In 1988–90, he aided Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to reach agreement to sign an arms control treaty with her Indian counterpart Rajiv Gandhi. In 1990, he met Indian External Minister, I.K. Gujral to convene a secret message to Indian Prime Minister
V. P. Singh Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 – 27 November 2008), shortened to V. P. Singh, was an Indian politician who was the 7th Prime Minister of India from 1989 to 1990 and the 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda. He is India's only prime minister to ...
to warn against an active conflict between two countries. After the
general elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
held in 1990, he was inducted in
first Sharif ministry The first Nawaz Sharif ministry under prime minister Nawaz Sharif was sworn into office on 9 November 1990, after the nine-party Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) unanimously nominated him the government head. __TOC__ Cabinet Sharif's 18-member cab ...
by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif where he remained until 1991. He once again put country's foreign policy to supporting U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in the Gulf War. After the Gulf War, Yaqub left his post as foreign minister following his resignation on 26 February 1991. After his resignation, he went on to join the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
when he was named the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara (SRSG) is appointed by the Secretary-General to lead the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). List of Special Representatives Controversy At ...
in 1992 which he remained until 1995. In 1996, he was again re-appointed as foreign minister by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto but it was short-lived when his tenure was cut-short after
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: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Farooq Leghari dismissed Benazir Bhutto's government. Although he retired from politics in 1997, Yaqub Ali Khan did provide his support to President Pervez Musharraf to stabilise his writ against the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999 when he visited United States to provide legitimacy of military martial law.


Post-retirement and death

In 1981, he was appointed as the founding chairman of the
board of trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organi ...
of the
Aga Khan University Aga Khan University is a non-profit institution and an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network. It was Founded in 1983 as Pakistan's first private university. Starting in 2000, the university expanded to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Ki ...
which he chaired for almost two decades until his retirement in 2001. He was also a commissioner in the now retired Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict in New York City, United States. Yaqub Ali Khan was married to Begum Tuba Khaleeli of the Iranian Khaleeli family of
Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commerc ...
with whom he had two sons, Samad and Najib. He was said to be proficient in seven global languages including English, Russian, French, Urdu, German, Italian, and
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
. He died of an old age, at 95, in Islamabad where he was laid to rest in Westridge cemetery in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan. His funeral services were attended by then CJCSC General
Rashad Mahmood General Rashad Mahmood NI(M) ( ur, ), is a retired four-star army general in the Pakistan Army who served as the 15th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. He was appointed as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan by prime mi ...
, then COAS General
Raheel Sharif General Raheel Sharif (Urdu: ; born 16 June 1956), is a retired four-star army general of the Pakistan Army who served as the 9th Chief of Army Staff from 29 November 2013 to 29 November 2016. After his retirement as Pakistan's army chief, he ...
, then Air Chief General
Sohail Aman Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman ( ur, ; born 10 June 1959) is a retired four star air officer who served as the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force. He took charge from Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt on 19 March 2015.Mateen Ha ...
, then Naval Chief Admiral
Muhammad Zakaullah Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah (Urdu: محمد ذكاءالله ; born 10 January 1958) is a retired admiral in the Pakistan Navy, who was the 15th Chief of Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy. He was later replaced by Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abb ...
and other high-ranking civil and military officials and people from all walks of life.


Awards and decorations


Foreign decorations


Autobiography

*


See also

*
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara (SRSG) is appointed by the Secretary-General to lead the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). List of Special Representatives Controversy At ...
* Timeline of Afghanistan (1982)


References

* Indian Army List (April 1942, April 1945) * Maj Gen Gurcharn Singh Sadu, I serve The Eighteenth Cavalry


External links


Yaqub Khan – the man who reinvented himself by Khaled Ahmed (The Friday Times)


Short biographical article b
''S. Abbas Raza''





Sahibzada Yaqub and Gul Hassan: A Study in Contrast on The Friday Times
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