S. M. Ahsan
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Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan ( ur, سید محمد احسن b. 1920 – d. 1990) often known as S. M. Ahsan, was a senior admiral of the
Pakistan Navy ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English language, English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Quran, Qur'an, Al Imran, 3:173' ...
who was the Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Navy, serving 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 ...
from 1966 until 1969. After that, he briefly served in President Yahya Khan's administration as Finance minister before becoming Governor of East Pakistan in September 1969 until resigning in March 1971 to return to Pakistan. Gaining a commission in the Royal Indian Navy, he participated as a naval officer during World War II with the British and later decided to become a Pakistani citizen following 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 India by the United Kingdom in 1947. He played a crucial role in establishing the Inter-Services Intelligence and served in the war with India in 1965. Assuming the naval command in 1966, he took initiatives such as establishing the naval
special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
, expanding the capabilities of Naval Intelligence and modernising the navy. He was a trusted colleague of President Ayub Khan while attending the cabinet meetings chaired by President Ayub which enabled him influentially consolidate his
national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...
role in the Ayub administration. After completing his tenure as naval chief, he was appointed as Governor of East Pakistan while serving as a cabinet minister in the Yahya administration. On 1 September 1969, Vice-Admiral Ahsan assumed as the Governor of East Pakistan until his resignation, in protest, on 7 March 1971. He was then posted back to West Pakistan.


Biography


Early life and World War II

Syed Mohammad Ahsan was an ethnic Muhajir born in
Hyderabad Deccan Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and t ...
, Indian Empire, to an Urdu-speaking
Hyderabadi Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. ...
Syed family in December 1920. After being schooled in Hyderabad, he attended the Nizam College of the Osmania University and gained
B.A. degree Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate education, undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally complet ...
and decided to join the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) in 1938 as a
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 high ...
when his first cousin M.J. Syed joined the Royal Indian Merchant Navy. In 1938, he was accepted to join the Britannia Royal Naval College in United Kingdom where he was trained, and after a short probationary period in Royal Navy, he was given commission as Lieutenant in Executive Branch of the Royal Indian Navy. He specialized in Signals and was an instructor at the
Combined Cadet Force The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, and normally includes Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to "provide a ...
in Liverpool, England. During World War II he was a RIN naval officer on the side of Great Britain and saw actions in the Atlantic battle against the German Kriegsmarine. Upon posting back to British India, he participated in Arakan Campaign in 1942–43 and later served well in the Mediterranean theatre in 1944–45. His actions of valor earned him to be decorated with the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
by the United Kingdom after the
end of World War II End of World War II can refer to: * End of World War II in Europe * End of World War II in Asia World War II officially ended in Asia on September 2, 1945, with the surrender of Japan on the . Before that, the United States dropped two atomic ...
in 1945. In 1946, he was appointed as aide-de-camp to Viceroy of India,
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 German ...
and assisted him in cabinet meetings to resolve political crises in the British Indian Empire. When the United Kingdom announced its intentions to
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, Ahsan 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 was introduced by Lord Mountbatten to
Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...
as his aide-de-camp. In a meeting with Jinnah, Lord Mountbatten reportedly quoted: residentJinnah, I give you Pakistan, I give you my Aide'd camp, Lieutenant Ahsan." At the time of his joining the
Pakistan Navy ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English language, English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Quran, Qur'an, Al Imran, 3:173' ...
, the Indian Navy sent the military seniority list to Pakistan's
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
(MoD) where Lt. Ahsan was the 4th ranking officer in the Executive Branch in terms of seniority with Service No. PN-007. He was assigned as military adviser and
ADC ADC may refer to: Science and medicine * ADC (gene), a human gene * AIDS dementia complex, neurological disorder associated with HIV and AIDS * Allyl diglycol carbonate or CR-39, a polymer * Antibody-drug conjugate, a type of anticancer treatment ...
to founding father and the first
Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
M.A. Jinnah. In 1947, Lt. Ahsan was the first person at the
Jinnah Terminal Jinnah International Airport ( ur, جناح بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا) , formerly Drigh Road Airport or Karachi Civil Airport, is Pakistan's busiest international and domestic airport, and handled 7,267,582 passengers in 2017 ...
to receive Lord Mountabattens when they first arrived to Karachi to meet Jinnah. He did not participated in the first war with India on Kashmir crises in 1947. On 30 September 1949, he witnessed the commissioning of the PNS ''Tippu Sultan'' from the Royal Navy and was subsequently promoted as Lieutenant-Commander. He was made First
Executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...
of ''Tippu Sultan'' and later commanding the PNS ''Tariq'' as
Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...
in 1950. He participated in Task Force 92 alongside Commander A.R. Khan who commanded the ''Tippu Sultan'' and made a first goodwill visit to Malta, Middle East and Eastern Europe. In 1951, he commanded the which became a part of the 25th Destroyer. In 1955–56, he was posted in the
MoD Mod, MOD or mods may refer to: Places * Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band * M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US ...
's diplomatic assignment as the Naval attaché at the Pakistan Embassy situated in the Washington D.C.– the state capital of the United States. During this time, he went to attend the Naval War College in
Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
in Rhode Island, graduated with a
staff course Staff may refer to: Pole * Staff, a weapon used in stick-fighting ** Quarterstaff, a European pole weapon * Staff of office, a pole that indicates a position * Staff (railway signalling), a token authorizing a locomotive driver to use a particu ...
degree from the
College of Naval Command and Staff The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...
of the Naval War College. In 1957, he was promoted as
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 assigned to command the cruiser warship, the PNS ''Babur'', that sailed in Karachi the following year.


Staff and command appointments

His first assignment included his role as Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence at the Navy NHQ while establishing his intelligence department. At December 1952, he was asked by Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence Major-General Robert Cawthome to send a priority report that compiled detail discussions with Pakistani military personnel on the basic principles of the
ISI ISI or Isi may refer to: Organizations * Intercollegiate Studies Institute, a classical conservative organization focusing on college students * Ice Skating Institute, a trade association for ice rinks * Indian Standards Institute, former name of ...
. In addition, he was also asked for military's reaction towards the Basic Principles Committee where he ultimately warned of the theocracy and concluded that the economic disparities between East and West Pakistan must be addressed to prevent the breaking-up of the nation's unity. In 1959–60, he served as
chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
of the Navy NHQ under the Navy Commander in Chief. In 1960, he was promoted to the one-star rank, Commodore, and directed the Naval Intelligence during this time. In 1961–62, he again served on the diplomatic assignment when he was appointed as deputy chief military planning officer of Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) in Bangkok and later became its chief military officer. In 1962, he was promoted as
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 regarde ...
and established the Logistics Command to resolve the logistics problems in both East and West Pakistan. In 1964, he was sent to
Dacca Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...
and took over the chairmanship of the East-Pakistan Inland Water Transport Authority where he had begun training of East-Pakistani military on riverine tactics with the absence of the strong naval presence. During this time, he became the principal
military secretary Military Secretary is a post found in the military of several countries: * Military Secretary (India) *Military Secretary of Israel, called Military Secretary to the Prime Minister *Military Secretary (Pakistan) *Military Secretary (Sri Lanka) * Mil ...
to President Ayub Khan. In a short time, Rear-Admiral Ahsan gained influence on President Ayub Khan and advised him on important military issues concerning on the defence of the nation at the cabinet meeting chaired by the President Ayub. While in East, he played a crucial role in deployment of armed forces and prevented the army to involve in politics while opposing any military action against East Pakistani activists after the
riots A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targeted ...
in 1964 despite the calls.


1965 war with India and Commander in chief

In 1965, he was stationed back to Pakistan and assumed the command of Naval Intelligence as its Director-General, and participated in second war with India in 1965. Rear-Admiral Ahsan and his staff at the Navy NHQ helped planned out the naval offense in Dwarka and partially leading the fleet as its Commander. The operation met with mixed results but it stopped the
Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
raiding Karachi and Pakistan's coastal areas as Admiral Ahsan collated the intelligence reports on the Indian Navy's strategic western naval positions, and orchestrated naval operations against the Indian Navy. After the war, he was most senior admiral serving in the navy and was nominated for navy's
chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
by outgoing naval chief Admiral A.R. Khan in 1966. His nomination papers were approved by President Ayub Khan in 1966, and appointed him as commander in chief of Navy. In 1967, he was promoted to the three-star rank, Vice-Admiral, and was honored with Sitara-e-Pakistan by President Ayub. As a naval chief, he oversaw the induction of the Daphné submarines procured from France in 1966 in navy's submarine branch. Since 1966–68, Admiral Ahsan knew of Indian Navy massive procurement and acquisitions of weapon systems being acquired from the Soviet Union and United Kingdom. On multiple meetings with President Ayub, he raised the issue of modernizing the navy against India, and kept warning the Army GHQ of potential and possible Indian Navy's attack on West and East region of the country; his reservations were bypassed on every meeting and warnings were not heed due to the financial reasons. His Navy NHQ staff was in brief conflict with the Air AHQ staff over the establishment of naval aviation by induction of fighter jets in 1968. The Air AHQ staff bypassed his recommendation over the loss of jets and their pilots in seas in an event of conflict with India. He succeeded in convincing President Ayub in acquiring the missile boats only, and permissions were granted to procured the Soviet-built Osa-class missile boat in 1968. He led series of unsuccessful talks with the Soviet Navy and Russian Marshal Andrei Grechko in 1969 due to their
warming Warming may refer to: People *Eugenius Warming, (1841–1924), Danish botanist * Thomas Warming, (b. 1969), Danish illustrator, painter and author See also *Global warming *Warming up *Warming Land Warming Land is a peninsula in far northern G ...
of relations with India. From 1966 to 1969, his Navy NHQ staff tussle with the
Finance ministry A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
over the issues of budget and financial support for modernization of navy without any success. He established the
Special Services Group Navy The Pakistan Navy Special Service Group abbreviated SSGN or simply Navy seals, is the special operations force tasked with the conducting the small-unit based military operations in all environmental formats of the sea, air, and land by adopti ...
(SSG and commissioned the Pakistan Marines in 1966 after commissioning the naval
facilities Facility may refer to: * A place for doing something, or a place that facilitates an activity: ** A commercial or institutional building, such as a hotel, resort, school, office complex, sports arena, or convention center ** Medical facilit ...
for training purposes in the special operations. In 1966, he further accepted the recommendation from United States Navy to train its special forces unit, an equivalent organization to that of U.S. Navy SEALs. In Karachi, he went on to commission the Naval Academy to provide teaching of the naval staff and cadets instead of sending cadets to United Kingdom for training and education. From 1966 to 1968, he served on the served on the Board of Governors of
Cadet College Petaro Cadet College Petaro is a military boarding school in Jamshoro District of the southern province of Sindh in Pakistan; about 20 miles (32 km) from Hyderabad which is under administration of Pakistan Navy. Its campus occupies over 700 acres ...
. Vice-Admiral Ahsan is also credited with founding
Port Qasim 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 ...
 – Pakistan's second port – after exploring the coast around Phitti Creek, when he was Chief of Naval Staff.Raza, Syed Rasul (2008), "§Chapter II: Industrial Reforms and Development Philosophy. The Era of Nationalization.", Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto: The Architect of New Pakistan, Karachi, Sindh: The Economic Policies, pp. 17–20 He immediately met with then–Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto where he convinced Bhutto in 1972 to locate the port there. After convincing Bhutto, he supervised the construction and establishment of the port where he set up the main industries and machineries at the Port. The main channel of this port bears his name. From 1966 to 1969, he established the East-Pakistan Navy and commissioned the warships, ''PNS
Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...
'' and ''PNS Tughril'', in its arm. However, he struggled with expanding the East-Pakistan Navy's capabilities as many sailors and officers had defected to India to joined 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, wa ...
's military wing– the '' Mukti Bahini''.


Politics


Yahya administration and governorship

After 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 ...
tendered resignation due to worsening of law and order situation in the country, and invited Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army General Yahya Khan to take over the presidency. In 1969, he relieved the naval command to Admiral Muzaffar Hassan to be appointed as deputy CMLA under Yahya administration. In August 1969, he joined the Yahya administration as
cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, ...
of
finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...
,
statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ''wikt:Statistik#German, Statistik'', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of ...
, commerce, industry, and planning commission. However, this was short-lived and Admiral Ahsan was appointed as Governor of East Pakistan on 1 September 1969. The assignment was considered very difficult by the Pakistani military when many senior officials in West were reluctant to accept appointments in East Pakistan. The law and order situation was quickly deteriorating under the martial law enforced by Major-General Muzaffaruddin in East. In the Cabinet meeting, President Yahya was told that the situation in East is at a critical, and his government needed an administrator with a good reputation in the province. In an attempt to control the law and order in the country, Admiral Ahsan's service was extended and appointed governor in East and arrived his
Dacca Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...
to take an oath from Dhaka High Court Justice Salahuddin at the
Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
in 1969. In talks with representatives of Pakistani print and electronic news media, Admiral Ahsan reportedly quoted that he was "pretty sure" that by 1971, new government of elected representatives would replace the interim government." He became governor of East Pakistan in 1969. Soon after, he was reportedly in conflict with Governor of West Pakistan, Air Marshal
Nur Khan Air Marshal Malik Nur Khan Awan ( ur, ; 22 February 1923 – 15 December 2011) commonly known as Nur Khan, was a three-star air officer, politician, sports administrator, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force, serving under ...
, over the issues of legal and political reforms in the country while President Yahya was in conflict with his army chief Lieutenant-General
Abdul Hamid Khan Abdul Hamid Khan may refer to: *Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani (1880–1976), nicknamed Red Maulana, leader of his own faction of National Awami Party * Abdul Hamid Khan Dasti, former Chief Minister of Punjab, Pakistan * Abdul Hamid Khan (badmin ...
on administrative issues in 1969–70. Many initiatives were taken by Admiral Ahsan to resolve the political crises of East by keeping in good terms with President Yahya and noted that the six-point were not new. In 1969, he paid a
state visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
to the United States to meet with Elliot Richardson to gain foreign support for East Pakistan and sustainability in the region. In addition, he also arranged the visit of U.S. Navy officials to visit him at the Governor's House, Dhaka to strengthened military relations with the United States. In 1970, his government coordinated efforts to rehabilitate the infrastructure after the deadly cyclone and used the military coordinate to relief operations after meeting with President Yahya who had instruct him to "take charge".


1970 general elections, resignation and 1971 war

In 1970, he oversaw the electoral process to hold the nationwide
parliamentary 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 the country in a charged atmosphere. Under his rule, the law and order had been improved and it was projected that Awami League led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would claim the
supermajority A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority ru ...
in the provincial assembly that would allow them to form the national government in Islamabad. The Awami League secured ~39.2% of the seats in the Parliament as opposed to the
Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan People's Party ( ur, , ; PPP) is a centre-left, social-democratic political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third largest party in the National Assembly and second largest in the Senate of Pakistan. The party was founded ...
(PPP) led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who ended up with 18.6% of the seats – all from West Pakistan. Zulfikar Bhutto refused to negotiate the six points when President Yahya met with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and put more stress on the situation after telling his party workers not to visit Dhaka. About the postpone of the power ceremony, Kamal Hossain reportedly notified Admiral Ahsan of "danger" of delaying the power transition. Together with his principal staff officer Lieutenant-General
Sahabzada Yaqub Khan Lieutenant General Sahabzada Yaqub Ali Khan ( ; born 23 December 1920 – 26 January 2016) was a Pakistani politician, diplomat, military figure, pacifist, linguist, and a retired general in the Pakistani Army. Born into an Indian nobility ...
, he provided his arguments on numerous occasions to President Yahya against the military actions in East and their arguments were well known to the United States's politicians. On 22 February 1971, Ahsan attended a high-level meeting chaired by President Yahya Khan, a gathering which Ahsan described as "tense", where the atmosphere was highly "anti-Bengali", with no Bengali representation in the policy and decision-making. He opposed a military solution to the supposed crisis in East Pakistan. Admiral Ahsan renewed his offer to President Yahya, Rahman, and Bhutto to work out an arrangement where the Pakistani military deployments to support the Eastern Command could get out intact, without being humiliated. Known as the Ahsan Formula, Pakistan would become a confederation of the two wings, giving East Pakistan a degree of autonomy. Yahya would head the confederation. East Pakistanis in West Pakistan would be moved to East Pakistan and vice versa. National assets would be divided in proportion to population. The military vetoed the plan. In February 1971, he supervised the military deployments in East that were already preparing to conduct a military operation to curb the movement. Disheartened and isolated by his colleagues, Admiral Ahsan tried reaching President Yahya by telephone without success. On 7 March 1971, Admiral Ahsan resigned in protest from his position as Martial Law Administrator of East Pakistan. He participated in the war with India in 1971 but without an assignment of any command at the Navy NHQ and sought
honorable discharge A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and th ...
from the navy after the war ended in the winter of 1971. In an article titled "A nation's shame" published in the ''Newsline magazine'' of September 2000, Ahsan concluded:
But who was responsible for creating this hostile atmosphere and hatred among the people? The situation deteriorated further after General Yahya Khan postponed the first session of the newly elected constituent assembly. It became very clear immediately after the election results that the generals were not prepared to transfer power to the Awami League. First the delay in summoning the National Assembly session and later its postponement confirmed the Bengalis' worst fears, that the election results were not acceptable both to the generals and to the majority of West Pakistani politicians. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto publicly called for a boycott of the assembly session. Such a transgression was bound to further fuel public resentment.


War Enquiry Commission

He welcomed the formation of the War Enquiry Commission that was to be chaired by Chief Justice Hamoodur Rahman in 1972, and attended its proceedings. He testified before the commission and described the hostile mood of the military leadership when they decided to postpone the assembly session and launch a military operation in the eastern province. Ahsan stated:
On arrival in Rawalpindi, I was alarmed to notice the high tide of militarism flowing turbulently.... There was open talk of a military solution according to plan. I was caught quite unaware in this atmosphere for I know of no military solution which could possibly solve whatever crisis was supposed to be impending in the minds of the authorities. It was evident from the statement that the decision to launch a military operation was taken without consulting the Governor of East Pakistan who was the only sane voice in the government. The President presided over the meeting of the governors and martial law administrators attended as usual by the military and the civilian officers of the intelligence community. It is relevant to record that among the tribe of governors and MLAs, I was the only non-army governor and the only active naval officer in the midst of active service men. I was the only person, though a non-Bengali, who had to represent the sentiments of seventy million Bengalis to a Pakistani government. During the past 17 months, in meetings and conferences, my brief ran counter to the cut-and-dried solutions of Pakistan representatives and civil servants. The president invariably gave decisions which accommodated East Pakistan's viewpoint, at least partially. This made me unpopular with my colleagues who probably thought I was "difficult at best" and "sold" to the Bengalis at worst.


Legacy


post-retirement, death and honours

Ahsan retired from the Navy. He was appointed chairman of Port Qasim Authority in 1972 and later chairman of National Shipping Corporation from 1975 to 1976. After leaving the public service in 1976, he spent his remaining years in quietness and put himself out of public eye during his last years. During his last years, Admiral Ahsan learned French and played bridge. Ahsan died peacefully in 1989 in his Karachi villa and was given an honorary guard of honor by the Government of Pakistan and buried in military graveyard in Karachi per accordance to his will. His death was mourned 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 ...
, President Ghulam Ishaq, Chairman joint chiefs Admiral
Iftikhar Ahmed Sirohey Admiral (Pakistan), Admiral Iftikhar Ahmed Sirohey ( ur, ; b. 1934) is a retired Four star rank, four-star rank Four star admiral, admiral, strategist, and a memoirist who is currently tenuring his fellowship at the The Institute of Strategic St ...
, and Chiefs of Staff of Army, Navy, and Air Force. In 1990, the Pakistan Navy established a naval base in Balochistan and commissioned in 1991 as PNS Ahsan to honor his services. The main channel of the
Port Qasim 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 ...
bears his name, as it known as Ahsan Channel, which was inaugurated 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 ...
who acknowledged Admiral Ahsan's as the founder of Port Qasim at a speech on the occasion of the opening of a new terminal at Port Qasim on 4 August 1989.


See also

*
Hyderabad State Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and t ...
* Muhajirs


References


External links


A leaf from history: Advice that went down the drain

Navy website
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