Major General Mohammed Akbar Khan, also known as Akbar Khan, fought as the Brigadier Incharge in Kashmir on the Pakistan side in Indo-Pak war of 1948.He also helped to stop the first Baloch insurgency of 1948.Later he served as the Chief of National Security under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and help quell the Balochi Insurgency during the early and mid 70's.But he is mostly known in Pakistan as the main conspirator of the first but failed coup attempt of 1951 which came to be known as the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case. Kashmir is a region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (January 5, 1928 – April 4, 1979) was a Pakistani politician who served as President, from 1971 to 1973, and as Prime Minister, from 1973 to 1977, of Pakistan. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...

Early Life and The Army

Akbar Khan, was born in 1912 in a fairly affluent Pathan family. He received his education at Islamia College, Peshawar, and was chosen for King's commission in the Army by the British. He received his military training at the famous military academy of Sandhurst and started his career in the Frontier Force Rifles - one of the distinguished regiments of the British Indian Army. During the World War II he fought on the Burma front and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for conspicuous gallantry and leadership. 1912 is a leap year starting on Monday. ... When the new province of NWFP was formed in 1901 after its separation from Punjab, there were three types of schools in the province. ... Peshāwar (known as Purushapura in Sanskrit) is a city in Pakistans North-West Frontier Province (pop. ... Sandhurst is the name of several villages in the UK, the most famous being the one in Berkshire near Camberley. ... The Indian Army in the time of the British Raj (1857–1947) See Indian Army for the post-independence (and post-partition) army of the Republic of India. ...

Indo-Pak War 1948

At the time of Independence, Akbar Khan was a member of the sub-committee involved in partitioning the armed forces between India and Pakistan. Almost immediately after Independence fighting started in Kashmir, the Indian Army landed in Srinagar and confronted the Pathan tribesmen who were advancing towards the valley. Akbar Khan, who was then a Brigadier, assumed command of the regulars and irregulars fighting against the Indian forces and was given the code name of General Tariq. Kashmir is a region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Change of Heart

It was during this period that he first became dissatisfied with the moral and material support being given to the Pakistani fighters by Liaquat Ali Khan's government. He also had a grudge against General Douglas David Gracey, then C-in-C of the Pakistan Army, who had put a brake on the deeper involvement of the army on the Kashmir front. Akbar Khan was of the opinion - rightly or wrongly - that acceptance of the ceasefire in Kashmir was a mistake and the armed struggle against the Indian Army should have been continued. Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan Nawabzaada Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (October 1, 1896 - October 16, 1951) was the first Prime Minister of Pakistan. ... General Sir Douglas David Gracey General Sir Douglas David Gracey served as Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan from 11 February 1948 to 16 January 1951. ...

The constraints under which Akbar Khan had to conduct the battle in Kashmir made him a very frustrated and dissatisfied person. By nature he was extremely brave and, in fact, rather rash. He was also very ambitious. All these qualities and tendencies combined to propel him towards conjuring up a plan to remove the Liaquat government by means of a coup d'etat.

The Conspiracy Begins

In sheer frustration, Akbar Khan started discourses with other armed forces officers to form a group to stage a military coup. The government also became suspicious of his moves. Akbar Khan's wife, Begum Nasim (daughter of the famous Muslim League woman politician Begum Shah Nawaz), was quite indiscreet in her conversation, criticizing the Government and its policies before all and sundry, as did Akbar Khan himself, to some extent. He thus came under the watch of the intelligence agencies. Brigadier Akbar was now due for promotion on the basis of his seniority. In December 1950, he was promoted Major General and posted as Chief of the General Staff in GHQ. In his book Friends, not Masters, General Ayub Khan wrote that he (Ayub) decided to post Akbar in the GHQ so that, firstly Akbar should not have direct command over troops like a Division Commander, and secondly because he could be kept under close watch by General Ayub Khan himself. Meanwhile, Akbar Khan continued his surreptitious meetings and discussions with various army officers and later with the civilians too. Field Marshal Ayub Khan Ayub Khan (May 14, 1907 – April 19, 1974) during the mid-1960s, was a Field Marshal and the political leader of Pakistan from 1958-1969. ... Field Marshal Ayub Khan Ayub Khan (May 14, 1907 – April 19, 1974) during the mid-1960s, was a Field Marshal and the political leader of Pakistan from 1958-1969. ...

The Communist Party Connection

In those days the Communist Party was under tremendous pressure from Liaquat Ali Khan's government. It was not being allowed to function openly as a political party. Arrest warrants had been issued for all the top leaders of the party - all the members of the party's central committee had gone 'underground'. Ordinary workers and even sympathizers were often arrested, beaten, sent to the fearful Lahore Fort for interrogation and threatened with dire consequences if they did not break all connections with the CP. Such was the climate of oppression for the left at that time. Communism - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan Nawabzaada Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (October 1, 1896 - October 16, 1951) was the first Prime Minister of Pakistan. ...

Akbar Khan's wife, Nasim had vast connections with political families and political personalities such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz, who was a committed sympathizer of the party. All these political connections brought together the Chief of General Staff and the CP leadership. Faiz Ahmed Faiz (January 7, 1910 - 1984), is considered by many to be a poet in the great tradition of Urdu poets like Ghalib and Iqbal. ...

Apparently the general had promised the CP leadership that if he came to power he would stop the continuous governmental assault on the leftists; the CP would be allowed to function as a legitimate political party like any other party and to take part in the elections which General Akbar promised to hold a few months after consolidating his power. In return the CP and its affiliated trade unions, kissan committees, etc would welcome the military government. The Pakistan Times, one of the leading newspapers of that period, whose editor was Faiz Ahmed Faiz, would lend editorial support to General Akbar's new dispensation. Faiz Ahmed Faiz (January 7, 1910 - 1984), is considered by many to be a poet in the great tradition of Urdu poets like Ghalib and Iqbal. ...

The Day and Co-conspirators

On February 23, 1951, a meeting was held at Major General Akbar Khan's house in which besides a number of military officers, three civilians were also present, namely Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Syed Sajjad Zaheer (General Secretary of the CP) and Mohammed Hussain Ata. In this meeting were also present Lt-Colonel Siddique Raja MC, and Major Mohammed Yousuf Sethi both of whom later obtained state pardon and became approvers in the case against the others. The Chief of General Staff Akbar Khan presented his plan in this meeting which was to arrest the Governor-General Khawaja Nazimuddin and the Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, both of whom were expected to be in Rawalpindi after a week (Karachi being the capital at that time). The Governor-General was to be forced to announce the dismissal of the Liaquat Government and the formation of an interim government presumably under General Akbar Khan. General elections under the army's supervision were also promised but no timeframe was given. The general also spoke about Kashmir, land reforms, eradication of corruption and nepotism and some such other topic. February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Faiz Ahmed Faiz (January 7, 1910 - 1984), is considered by many to be a poet in the great tradition of Urdu poets like Ghalib and Iqbal. ... Khwaja Nazimuddin Khawaja Nazimuddin (July 19, 1894 - 1964) was the second Governor-General of Pakistan, and then the second Prime Minister of Pakistan. ... Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan Nawabzaada Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (October 1, 1896 - October 16, 1951) was the first Prime Minister of Pakistan. ... The Karachi Port Trust Building Karachi (کراچي) is the largest city of Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ... Governor-General (or Governor General) is a term used both historically and currently to designate the appointed representative of a head of state or their government for a particular territory, historically in a colonial context, but no longer necessarily in that form. ... Kashmir is a region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. ...

The Probable Leak

Among General Akbar's confidants was one Askar Ali Shah, a police officer who was although not present at the meeting of Feb 23, 1951, had been informed beforehand by the general that he was going to convene such a meeting. This police officer had been a confidant of the general for over two years (or more) and had never leaked out any secret. But this time he got cold feet and blurted out to his IG Police, who in turn informed the Governor NWFP about the meeting. The governor wasted no time in contacting the Prime Minister. A prime minister is the leading member of the cabinet of the top level government in a parliamentary system of government of a country, alternatively A prime minister is an official in a presidential system or semi-presidential system whose duty is to execute the directives of the President and...

The Conspiracy Foiled

The first four persons to be arrested were the Chief of General Staff Major General Akbar Khan, the Brigade Commander of Quetta, Brigadier M.A. Latif Khan, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Akbar's wife Nasim. Later some other people were also picked up. But one of the accused, Mohammed Hussain Ata, who was underground eluded arrest for a long time. He was eventually arrested in East Pakistan about a month after the trial proceedings had commenced. Faiz Ahmed Faiz (January 7, 1910 - 1984), is considered by many to be a poet in the great tradition of Urdu poets like Ghalib and Iqbal. ...

Most of the accused were originally kept in various Lahore jails and later shifted to Hyderabad jail where a special compound inside the jail had been renovated and turned into the court premises. A special tribunal had been formed by the government to hear the case. The tribunal consisted of Justice Sir Abdul Rahman of the Federal Court, Justice Mohammed Sharif of the Punjab High Court and Justice Amir-ud-Din of the Dacca High Court.

The Trial

The trial began on June 15, 1951 at 8.00 a.m.The prosecution was led by the formidable A.K. Brohi - this was one of his earlier cases. Later he was to achieve great fame and notoriety as a legal adviser of dictators and authoritarians. The incomparable Husyen Shaheed Suhrawardy appeared on behalf of Brigadier Latif and Z.H. Lari on behalf of General Akbar. Other famous practitioners who appeared for the defence were Malik Faiz Mohammed, Khawaja Abdul Rahim, Sahibzada Nawazish Ali and Qazi Aslam. Gradually as the case proceeded and continued month after month, many of the counsel departed due to the inability of their clients to pay them. But credit goes to H.S. Suhrawardy who fought till the very end even when his client had stopped paying him anything more.

The basic charge against all the accused was one of Conspiracy to wage war against the King. A careful scrutiny of the first charge’ said the judgement, “shows that it relates to a conspiracy alleged by prosecution to have come into being for overthrowing the Government established by law in Pakistan by means of criminal force or show of criminal force” Other allegations, though punishable offences in themselves, were ‘either the consequences of this conspiracy or merely means to achieve the object for which it was stated to have been entered into.’ The judgement was, therefore, directed mainly to examine whether the evidence produced by the prosecution was sufficient to establish ‘(i) the existence of conspiracy ; and if that is found established, (ii) who are proved to have been parties to it?’ The evidence led by the prosecution to prove its case was both documentary and oral. The latter was of ‘persons, who, without being either parties or willing parties to it, either deposed to the existence of the conspiracy or stated facts which might lead a court to draw a conclusion in favour of its existence; and (of) persons who were either, on their own statements, or on account of admissions of facts made by them, or due to existence of other reasonable grounds, held to be willing parties to the conspiracy.’

The case as presented by the prosecution, relied basically on the evidence of the two approvers, and other witnesses who gave circumstantial evidence. It was not a false case at all. In general the bulk of the evidence was true. But there was a major falsehood which negated all the claims of the state of presenting a truthful case before the tribunal.

The prosecution induced the approvers to state that at the end of the crucial meeting of Feb 23, 1951 the people present had agreed to overthrow the government. They had to tell this lie because otherwise the allegation of conspiracy would have fallen flat. According to the penal code a conspiracy is only established 'when two or more persons agree to commit an illegal act or a legal act by illegal means'. If there is no agreement there is no conspiracy under the law.

The Conspirators claimed that after eight long hours of discussion, of arguments and counter-arguments, of high tension and near nervous breakdown, the group of persons assembled in Akbar Khan's house that day had agreed not to take any steps in pursuance of the plan presented by the Chief of General Staff. There was no agreement, and therefore no conspiracy! General Akbar could have very well been punished under the Army Act for even presenting such a plan and for trying to subvert the loyalty of others.

In jail the military officers and the intellectual civilians managed to get along together reasonably well, in spite of wide differences in ideology and thinking between some individuals. Actually, General Akbar had somehow managed to gather quite a diverse bunch of characters.

There was General Nazir Ahmed, who was an Ahmedi. Air Commodore Mohammad Khan Janjua and Major Hasan Khan were Shias. Brigadier Latif was into sufism and read a lot of religious books. Brigadier Sadiq, Lt-Col Ziauddin and Captain Khizar Hayat had faith in pirs and murshids. Lt-Col Niaz Mohammad Arbab was a good-natured person, belonging to an affluent and influential Arbab family of Tekhal Bala, near Peshawar. He was totally uncommitted ideologically, so much so that much later he became a minister in General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's government. Peshāwar (known as Purushapura in Sanskrit) is a city in Pakistans North-West Frontier Province (pop. ... Gen. ...

Syed Sajjad Zaheer, Mohammed Husain Ata and Faiz Ahmed Faiz were, of course, communists of varying degree. So was Major Ishaq Mohammed, but at that time he was still a beginner. Later, of course, Major Ishaq became a symbol of militant left-wing politics in Pakistan. He was a fearless person and used to argue with vehemence even with the judges of the Tribunal. After an exchange of hot words, Justice Sir Abdul Rahman thundered: "I will set you right", to which Ishaq boldly replied: "Go ahead, my Lord!" The Justice could then only mutter, "I pity you". Ishaq and Ata were both hot-tempered and indulged in blistering polemics when discussing politics in jail. Faiz Ahmed Faiz (January 7, 1910 - 1984), is considered by many to be a poet in the great tradition of Urdu poets like Ghalib and Iqbal. ...

The two coolest customers in that circle were the senior members of the group, Syed Sajjad Zaheer and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Faiz Ahmed Faiz (January 7, 1910 - 1984), is considered by many to be a poet in the great tradition of Urdu poets like Ghalib and Iqbal. ...

The Aftermath

Of the fifteen, the only woman, Begum Nasim, was acquitted while Major General Nazir Ahmed was dismissed from service and sentenced till the rising of the court. All the others received prison sentences ranging from a minimum of four years (civilians and junior officers) to a maximum of 12 years for Major General Akbar Khan.

In the words of the principal accused, Akbar Khan, it was General Ayub Khan ( who was the Army C-in-C), who was the choreographer of this comic strip (conspiracy case) and who apparently had feared that Akbar Khan had about two divisions at his disposal, to support him. His ordeal after his arrest is best described in his own words: Field Marshal Ayub Khan Ayub Khan (May 14, 1907 – April 19, 1974) during the mid-1960s, was a Field Marshal and the political leader of Pakistan from 1958-1969. ...

.... In the early hours of the morning on March 9, 1951 I was arrested and carried away the whole of that day, a long distance from Pindi, to jail. In the deserted suburbs of what looked like a dead town, distant and asleep, that cold night, at 11 p.m. the massive doors of the jail groaned creaked and opened slowly to swallow a motor convoy that was bringing me in seventeen hours had been taken by that convoy speeding across territory that I had not been permitted to see, so that neither the route nor the destination should be known to me or anyone else interested in following us. That morning while I had been sleeping peacefully, a hundred men had surounded my house and successfully overpowered my one unarmed watchman. Then Major-General Hayauddin knocked at my bedroom window and said that he had to see me about something most urgent. I had gone at once, without even putting on shoes, through the study door to meet him. But as I emerged, men with bayonets and sten guns had rushed at me from three sides -- the front and both flanks. I had been rushed at before, during the war, by the Japanese in fighting -- but never by 20 to one and not when I was unarmed. I had only a split second to think and I had let them come on. I think it had been the complete failure of this melodrama to impress me at all that had stopped the men mid-stride. No bayonet or sten gun had reached my body--- and the few hands that had been laid at me had been quickly withdrawn. A mere telephone call would have sufficed to tell me that I was under arrest. But instead all troops had been alerted and these men had apparently expected to be gunned down by some sort of desperado.

Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan himself made the announcement from Lahore about the conspiracy which was generally regarded as treason and the conspiracy came to be known as "The Rawalpindi Conspiracy". Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan Nawabzaada Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (October 1, 1896 - October 16, 1951) was the first Prime Minister of Pakistan. ... Lahore (لاةور) is a major city in Pakistan and is the capital of the province of Punjab. ...

UK High Commissioner in his 3rd report to his Government on the Rawalpindi Conspiracy ending 17 March, 1951 on the question of evidence against the conspirators, stated that “General Akbar Khan was a dangerous man, under the influence of an ambitious wife, and that he had been regarded as very anti-Commonwealth before he went to the United Kingdom last year to attend the Joint Services Staff College. According to Gracey the Defence Secretary Iskander Mirza wished Akbar to go on to the Imperial Defence College to ‘complete his education’. The impression was that on his return, he would be less anti-British, and it was felt that he might be sobered up by being given a responsible job under the eye of the Commander-in-Chief at GHQ. General Gracey also told Colonel Franklin that he had informed the Chief of the Imperial Staff of Akbar’s tendencies before he had left for the course... According to an informant... the police have been investigating the activities of Akbar and his wife for the last two years, and General Gracey also maintains that these two, and certain of his friends, had been known as the “Young Turk Party”. Inspite of all this those in charge were, last December, quite happy to appoint the General to a key post in the Pakistan Army”. Iskander Mirza (November 15, 1899 - November 15, 1969) was the first President of Pakistan and held that position from 1956 until 1958. ...

In 1971 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto made Akbar Khan Chief of National Security. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (January 5, 1928 – April 4, 1979) was a Pakistani politician who served as President, from 1971 to 1973, and as Prime Minister, from 1973 to 1977, of Pakistan. ...