کشمیری لیڈر مقبول بٹ شہید کی یاد میں

دنیا کی تاریخ میں بالعموم اورتحریک آزادی کی تاریخ میں بالخصوص کچھ ایسے رجال پیدا ہوئے ہیں جن کی نسبت یہ کہنا چنداں مبالغہ آرائی نہ ہو گی کہ وہ اپنی سوچ، فکر اور عمل کے اعتبار سے معاصر وقت سے کئی برس آگے ہوتے ہیں۔ اُن کے ہاں بے مقصد زندگی موت کے مترادف ہوتی ہے اور مقاصد جلیلہ اُن کی زندگی کا خاصہ ہوتے ہیں۔ نتائج سے لا پروا ہو کر وہ مقصد کے حصول کیلئے جان کی بازی بھی لگاتے ہیں۔ وہ اِس حقیقت سے ناواقف بھی نہیں ہوتے ہیں کہ جس راستے کا اُنہوں نے انتخاب کیا ہوتا ہے اُس راہ میں غیروں کے تیر دیکھنے ہیں اور اپنوں کے نشتر کا بھی مقابلہ کرنا ہے۔ لیکن افسوس قومیں ایسے عظیم افراد کو بمشکل دیر سے سمجھ پاتی ہیں۔

ایسی ہی شخصیات میں شہید محمد مقبول بٹ کا نام بھی آتا ہے۔ اُنہوں نے ایک موقف کو اختیار کیا۔ ایسا موقف جسے اُس وقت رائج بیانیے کے مقابلے میں بس اجنبی موقف تصور کیا جا سکتا ہے۔ مقبول بٹ نے اس موقف کو برحق جانتے ہوئے اس کا پرچار تقریری ، تحریری اور انفرادی ملاقاتوں کے ذریعے سے لوگوں میں کیا۔ لیکن افسوس کہ لوگوں کو سمجھنے میں کئی دھائیاں لگیں۔ محمد مقبول بٹ کشمیر کے دور دراز علاقے ترہگام کپواڑہ میں 18 فروری 1938ء کو ایک کسان گھرانے میں پیدا ہوئے۔ اتنے دور دراز علاقے میں پیدا ہونے اور زیادہ ایکسپوژر نہ ہونے کے باوجود ان کے افکار اور کارناموں کو دیکھ کر محسوس ہوتا ہے کہ ربِ کریم نے انہیں اپنے کام کیلئے منتخب کیا تھا۔

محمد مقبول بٹ کی ابتدائی تعلیم کپواڑہ میں ہوئی۔ گریجویشن کیلئے انہوں نے بارہمولہ کے سینٹ جوزف اسکول کا رخ کیا۔ بارہمولہ میں ان کا قیام ایک رشتہ دار کے ہاں تھا جو کہ محلہ توحید گنج میں رہتے تھے۔ محلہ توحید گنج صلاحیتوں سے مالا مال محلہ ہے۔ لہٰذا ان کی تربیت میں اس محلہ کا بھی حصہ رہا ہے۔ محمد مقبول بٹ بچپن سے ہی ظلم سے نفرت کرتے تھے اور مظلوم کی حمایت میں کھڑا ہوتے تھے۔ تقریری صلاحیتیں بھی اللہ نے عطا کی تھیں۔ جب شیخ محمد عبداللہ کو 27 اپریل 1958ء میں گرفتار کیا گیا تو اس موقع پر بہت سے اور لوگوں کو بھی گرفتار کیا گیا۔ مقبول بٹ چونکہ بہت زیادہ فعال تھے لہٰذا ان کا گرفتار ہونا یقینی تھا۔ گرفتاری سے بچنے کیلئے وہ زیر زمین چلے گئے اور کچھ ماہ بعد جب ان کے بی اے کا نتیجہ آیا تو انہوں نے ’’لکیر‘‘ پار کی۔

اس کے بعد بھی انہوں نے تعلیم جاری رکھی اور ایم اے کی ڈگری حاصل کی۔ ساتھ ہی روزگار کیلئے ہفت روزہ انجام میں سب ایڈیٹر ہو گئے۔ چونکہ رب نے تحریری صلاحیتوں سے بھی نوازا تھا، تعلیم مکمل کرنے کے بعد وہ کشمیر کی آزادی کیلئے پھر سے سرگرم ہو گئے۔ یہ وہ دور تھا جب دنیا میں قومی آزادی کی تحریکیں بہت جگہ برپا تھیں اور قومی آزادی کیلئے مسلح جدوجہد کرنا غلام و محکوم قوموں کا حق سمجھا جاتا تھا۔ محمد مقبول بٹ بھی اپنے مقصد کی آبیاری کیلئے مسلح جدوجہد شروع کرتے ہیں اوراپنے کچھ ساتھیوں کے ہمراہ کشمیر کا رُخ کرتے ہیں لیکن جلد ان کا مقابلہ پولیس سے ہو جاتا ہے اور ایک جھڑپ میں سی آئی ڈی کا ایک اہلکارمارا جاتا ہے اور محمد مقبول بٹ گرفتار ہو جاتے ہیں۔

گرفتاری سے پہلے کشمیریوں کو آزادی کی طرف مائل کرنے کیلئے وہ بہت سے افراد سے ملاقات کرتے ہیں۔ محمد مقبول بٹ گرفتار ہونے کے بعد سرینگر جیل میں قید کئے جاتے ہیں لیکن یہ آزادی کا دیوانہ کہاں رکتا ہے! وہ جیل سے فرار کی کوششیں کرتے ہیں اور بالآخر جیل میں ایک سرنگ بنانے میں کامیاب ہو جاتے ہیں۔ دوبارہ ’’لکیر‘‘ پار کرتے ہیں ۔ لیکن بدقسمتی سے یہاں ان سے تفتیش شروع کر دی جاتی ہے۔ آزادی کے اس متوالے کیلئے کسی کی محبت یا نفرت اہم نہ تھی۔ ہمیشہ ایک ہی دھن سوار تھی کہ کس طرح اپنی قوم کو آزادی دلائی جائے۔ جیل سے رہا ہوجانے کے بعد ان کی سرگرمیاں جاری رہیں۔

اس دوران وہ پاکستان میں بااثر لوگوں سے ملے اور اپنے مشن کے ساتھ انہیں وابستہ کرنے کی کوشش کرتے رہے۔ 1976 ء میں وہ دوبارہ ’’سرحد‘‘ پار کر کے مقبوضہ کشمیر وارد ہوئے تاکہ مقبوضہ کشمیر کے لوگوں کو اپنا ہمنوا بنا سکیں۔ وہ دوبارہ قید ہو جاتے ہیں۔ اس بار انہیں دہلی کی بدنام ’’تہاڑجیل‘‘ میں رکھا جاتا ہے، اور 11 فروری 1984 کو تہاڑ جیل میں ہی پھانسی دے دی جاتی ہے اور وہی دفن بھی کئے جاتے ہیں ۔ اس ظلم کے علاوہ ہندوستان کی جمہوریت پر ایک داغ یہ بھی ہے کہ مقبول بٹ کا جسد خاکی ان کے لواحقین کو نہیں سونپا گیا ۔ ان کی بہن کہتی ہیں۔ ’’ہم دہلی جانے کیلئے سرینگر ائیرپورٹ گئے مگر پولیس نے ہمیں جانے نہ دیا‘‘۔ ان کی بھتیجی کہتی ہیں ’’انہوں نے تہاڑ جیل سے ان کی کوئی چیز ہمیں نہ دی میری خواہش ہے کہ جیل میں ان کی قبر کی تھوڑی سی خاک ہی ہمیں دے دیتے‘‘۔

سہیل بشیر

راشد منہاس نے دشمن کی سازش کیسے ناکام بنائی

راشد منہاس 17 فروری 1951 کو کراچی میں پیدا ہوئے اور وہ نشان حیدر کا
اعزاز حاصل کرنے والے سب سے کم عمر اور پاک فضائیہ کے پہلے آفیسر ہیں۔ راشد منہاس نے اپنی ابتدائی تعلیم کراچی میں حاصل کی اور سترہ سال کی عمر میں پاک فضائیہ کی رسالپور اکیڈمی میں بطور فلائنگ کیڈٹ داخلہ لیا۔ 1971 میں راشد مہناس نے اکیڈمی سے جنرل ڈیوٹی پائلٹ کی حیثیت سے گریجویٹ کیا اور انہیں کراچی میں پی اے ایف بیس مسرور پر پوسٹ کیا گیا تاکہ لڑاکا پائلٹ کی تربیت حاصل کرسکیں۔

20اگست 1971 کو زیرتربیت پائلٹ کی حیثیت سے راشد منہاس ٹی 33 جیٹ ٹرینر کو اڑانے والے تھے جب بنگالی پائلٹ انسٹرکٹر فلائٹ لیفٹیننٹ مطیع الرحمان بھی ان کے ساتھ سوار ہوا۔ دوران پرواز مطیع الرحمان نے راشد منہاس کو سر پرضرب لگا کر بے ہوش کیا اور پرواز کا کنٹرول سنبھال کر طیارے کا رخ ہندوستان کی جانب موڑ دیا۔ اس وقت جب ہندوستان کا فاصلہ 40 میل رہ گیا تھا، راشد منہاس کو ہوش آیا اور انہوں نے طیارے کا کنٹرول دوبارہ حاصل کرنے کی کوشش کی، اس میں ناکامی کے بعد نوجوان پائلٹ کے پاس اپنے طیارے کو ہندوستان لے جانے سے روکنے کا ایک ہی راستہ رہ گیا تھا اور انہوں نے ہندوستانی سرحد سے محض 32 دور طیارے کو گرا کر اپنی جان پاکستان کے لیے قربان کردی۔

راشد منہاس کو 21 اگست 1971 کو مکمل فوجی اعزاز کے ساتھ سپرد خاک کیا گیا اور ان نوجوان پائلٹ کے پورے خاندان سمیت پاک فضائیہ اور دیگر مسلح افواج کے عہدیداران اس موقع پر موجود تھے۔ راشد منہاس کو بعد از وفات پاکستان کا سب سے اعلیٰ فوجی اعزاز نشان حیدر دینے کا اعلان اس وقت کے صدر جنرل یحییٰ خان نے کیا اور اس طرح وہ اس اعزاز کو پانے والے سے سب سے کم عمر اور پاک فضائیہ کے اب تک واحد رکن بن گئے۔ اپنے بیٹے کی شہادت پر راشد منہاس کے والد عبدالماجد منہاس نے یہ کہا ” اگرچہ بیٹے کی وفات کا دکھ کبھی ختم نہ ہونے والا ہے مگر مجھے اس بات پر فخر ہے کہ اس نے ایک نیک مقصد اور ملک و قوم کے وقار کے لیے اپنی جان قربان کی”۔ اٹھائیس اگست 1971 کو دیئے جانے والے ایک انٹرویو میں عبدالماجد منہاس نے کہا کہ ان کا بیٹا شروع سے ہی ایسے کرئیر میں دلچسپی رکھتا تھا جس کے ذریعے وہ ملک و قوم کی خدمت اپنی بہترین صلاحیتوں کے ساتھ کرسکے۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ راشد منہاس زمانہ طالبعلمی میں جنگوں پر لکھی جانے والی کتابوں کو پڑھنا پسند کرتے تھے اور ان کے اہم اقوال اپنی ڈائری پر نقل کرلیتے تھے۔

راشد منہاس کی ڈائری پر درج اقوال میں سے ایک میں کہا گیا تھا ” ایک شخص کے لیے سب سے بڑا اعزاز اپنے ملک کے لیے قربان کردینا اور قوم کی امیدوں پر پورا اترنا ہے”۔ راشد منہاس کی تعلیم کے حوالے سے سوال کے جواب میں انہوں نے کہا کہ ان کے بیٹے نے راولپنڈی کے میری کیمبرج اسکول میں ابتدائی تعلیم حاصل کی اور سنیئر کیمبرج کراچی سے کیا۔ راشد منہاس نے پاک فضائیہ 1968 میں پاک فضائیہ کا حصہ بنے اور پی اے ایف اکیڈمی سے سائنس کے مضمون میں گریجویشن ڈگری اعزاز کے ساتھ حاصل کی۔ عبدالماجد منہاس نے کہا کہ ان کی بڑا بیٹا ٹیکنیکل مزاج رکھتا تھا اوربارہ سال کی عمر میں ڈرائیونگ سیکھ چکا تھا۔ اس کی زاتی لائبریری میں دیگر موضوعات کے ساتھ ساتھ الیکٹرونکس اور علم فلکیات کی کتابیں بھی شامل تھیں۔ اس کے مشاغل میں پڑھنا، فوٹوگرافی، ہاکی اور بلیئرڈ شامل تھے۔ انہوں نے مزید بتایا کہ راشد منہاس ابتدائی عمر سے مزاجاً ایک آئیڈیلسٹ تھے جو اپنے ملک کی خدمت کرنا چاہتا تھا۔

ان کا کہنا تھا کہ راشد منہاس اپنے بہنوئی میجر ناصر احمد خان سے بہت زیادہ متاثر تھے جنھیں ستارہ جرات سے نوازا گیا تھا ” میرا بیٹا ہر کام کو مکمل کرنے والا، متعدل مزاج لڑکا تھا اور اسے پیسہ کمانے سے دلچسپی نہیں تھی”۔ عبد الماجد منہاس نے کہا کہ راشد منہاس اپنی پیدائش سے ہی پاک فضائیہ سے جڑا ہوا تھا کیونکہ اس کی پیدائش کراچی کے ڈرگ روڈ پر واقع پی اے ایف ہسپتال میں ہوئی ” میرے بیٹے نے اتنی بڑی قربانی دے کر میرا سر فخر سے بلند کردیا ہے”۔

انہوں نے مزید کہا ” ہمارے پاس ایسے فوجی ہیں جو اپنی زندگیاں قوم پر نچھاور کرنے کے لیے تیار ہیں”۔

جنرل اختر عبدارحمان ایک عہد ساز شخصیت

علی اصغر خان لودھی

General Hameed Gul

Hamid Gul   born 20 November 1936) HI(M), SBt, is a retired high-ranking general officer in the Pakistan Army, and a former spymaster famous for serving as the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency, between 1987 and 1989 during the late stages of and post-stages of the Soviet war in Afghanistan.^[1]Gul is widely known and credited for pressing the hard-line policies on India after starting the insurgency in Kashmir against India in 1989^[2] by diverting the Mujahideen who participated in the Soviet war to Indian-held Kashmir. Gul was also instrumental in the establishment of the Taliban and was once known as the “father of the Taliban”.^[3] Apart from the Kashmir militancy in India and the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, Gul is also accused by the United States of having ties to Islamic terrorist organisations such as the Al Qaeda.^[4]

 

Gul’s tenure as the director of the ISI coincided with Benazir Bhutto‘s term as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Later, Gul established the Islamic Democratic Alliance (IDA). Hamid Gul was born on 20 November 1936 to Muhammad Khan, in the Sargodha District of Punjab in what was then British India but now Pakistan. He got his early education from a school in his village. He briefly got admission in Government College Lahore, before reporting to Pakistan Military Academy Kakul.

Army career

Hamid Gul was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in October 1957 with the 18th PMA Long Course in the 19th Lancers regiment of the Armoured Corps. He was a Tank commander during the 1965 war with India. During 1972–1976, Gul directly served under General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq as a battalion commander, and then as Staff Colonel, when General Zia was GOC, 1st Armoured Division and Commander, II Corps at Multan. Thus, Gul had already cemented his ties with General Zia by serving under him when both were officers in the Armoured regiments of the II Corps. Gul was promoted to Brigadier in 1978 and steadily rose to be the Martial Law Administrator of Bahawalpur and the Commander of the 1st Armoured Division, Multan in 1982, his appointments expressly wished by Zia himself.^{[citation needed]}

Saudi influence

Gul was then sent to GHQ as the Director-General or DG Military Intelligence (DGMI)^[5] under General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq who then nominated him to be the ISI chief succeeding General Akhtar Abdur Rahman in March 1987. He was later replaced as the ISI commander by PM Benazir Bhutto in May 1989 and Gul was transferred as the commander, II Corps in Multan. In this capacity, Gul conducted the Zarb-e-Momin military exercise in November–December 1989, the biggest Pakistani Armed Forces show of muscle since 1971 Indo-Pakistani War.^{[citation needed]}General Asif Nawaz upon taking the reins of Pakistan Army in August 1991, had Gul transferred as the DG Heavy Industries Taxila. A menial job compared to Gul’s stature, Gul refused to take the assignment, an act for which he was retired from the army.^[6]

Career as ISI Chief

Execution of failed Jalalabad operation

During his time as head of the ISI and the Soviet war in Afghanistan, Gul was blamed for planning and executing the operation to capture Jalalabad from the Afghan army in the spring of 1989. This switch to conventional warfare was seen as a mistake by some since the mujahideen did not have the capacity to capture a major city. But the Pakistani army was intent on installing a fundamentalist-dominated government in Afghanistan, with Jalalabad as their provisional capital, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf as Prime Minister, and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar as Foreign Minister.

 

Contrary to Pakistani expectations, this battle proved that the Afghan army could fight without Soviet help, and greatly increased the confidence of government supporters. Conversely, the morale of the mujahideen involved in the attack slumped and many local commanders of Hekmatyar and Sayyaf concluded truces with the government.^[7] In the words of Brigadier Mohammad Yousef, an officer of the ISI, “the jihad [meaning the plans for Hekmatyar to be installed as prime minister] never recovered from Jalalabad”. As a result of this failure, Hamid Gul was sacked by Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and replaced by Shamsur Rahman Kallu, who pursued a more classical policy of support to the militants fighting Afghanistan.

Lieutenant-General Shahid Aziz

Shahid Aziz  is a Pakistani military author, intelligence writer, and retired three-star ranking general officer of the Pakistan Army. His military assignments included as the Chief of General Staff (CGS) from October 2001 to December 2003 and Commander of the IV Corps in Lahore from December 2003 to October 2005. After retiring from the military, he was appointed Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau, a post he left in May 2007 albeit amid controversy. ^[1][2][3][4]

Military career

Shahid Aziz is a graduate of National Defence University, Pakistan and was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in 1969. His military career has placed him in pivotal posts during critical periods in Pakistan. He served as the General Officer Commanding of the 12th Infantry Division stationed in Murree. During the Kargil conflict of 1999, he served as DG of the ISI’s Analysis Wing. That same year, he was appointed to the role of Director General Military Operations where he played a crucial role in the coup that brought Pervez Musharraf to power. After the events of 9/11, he was serving as Chief of General Staff at GHQ when the US deployed its forces to Afghanistan. He finally retired from the army in 2005 after having held the post of Lahore Corps Commander for two years.

Post-retirement

Lt. Gen. (retired) Shahid Aziz, who recently created ripples by acknowledging in an article^[5] that regular troops were involved in the Kargil operation, said the “misadventure” was a “four-man show” and details were initially hidden from the rest of the military commanders. He published a book “Yeh Khamoshi Kahan Tak? Aik Sipahi ki Dastan-e-Ishq o Junoon”(English: How Long Will You Remain Silent? A Soldier’s Saga of Love and Passion). ^[6][7]

Lt. Gen. Aziz is married and father of four children.

General Akhtar Abdur Rahman

Akhtar Abdur Rahman Khan   b. 11 June 1924 – 17 August 1988), was an influential statesman and a four-star rank general officer who tenured as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1987–1988 and as Director-General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) from 1979-1987.^[1] As director of the ISI, Akhtar holds a world prestige for masterminding the resistance network against the Soviet Union in their war to protect the fragile regime, the Communist Afghanistan.

 

Close to General Zia-ul-Haq, Akhtar consolidated political power and was widely regarded as country’s most powerful statesman to have an influence on country’s covert and overt public policies. Being regarded as the consistent United States ally, he was a close friend of counterpart William Casey of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In 1988, he was killed in the mysterious plane crash along with President Zia and many other high-ranking officers of the Pakistan and United States Armed Forces, including United States ambassador Arnold Lewis Raphel. After his death, two of his sons Humayun Akhtar Khan and Haroon Akhtar Khan later entered politics in Pakistan.

Early life and education

Rehman was born on 11 June 1924 in Rampur, British Indian Empire to an educated family.^[2] His father, Dr. Abdul Rehman, was one of the few Muslim physician in the South Asian subcontinent at the time; his father died when he was of three years and a half.^[3] After passing the university entrance exam, Rehman enrolled in the Government College University (GCU) in Lahore in 1941, and subsequently earned Bachelor of Science in Statistics^[2] in 1945, followed by Master of Arts in Economics in 1947.^[3]

Military service

Akhtar joined the British Indian Army in 1946, before becoming Captain in Pakistan Army in 1949.^[3] After witnessing the traumatic events during the partition, Akhtar was appointed as an instructor at the Artillery School in Nowshera. Lmichael Hanekeater, he was selected for an infantry training course with the British Army and was sent on deputation to complete a course in the United Kingdom.^[3] Upon returning to Pakistan, he secured the promotion as Major and posted as a military adviser to East-Pakistan Army from April 1954 to October 1954.^[3][4] He was later transferred back to General combatant headquarters (GHQ) as a staff officer which he hold from April 1956 to February 1957.^[3] He actively participated in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 and appointed at IV Corps as an operational field officer.^[3] He fought well in Lahore sector that led to his promotion as lieutenant-colonel and remained second-in-command of the infantry regiment in Lahore.^[3] After the war, he was promoted as Colonel while being stationed with the IV Corps. Later, he was promoted as Brigadier and given transferred to northern parts of the country, and commanded an infantry brigadier as its brigader commander, in Azad Kashmir.^[3]

Director of Inter-Services Intelligence

In 1971, he was promoted to two-star rank, Major-General, and served as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 12th Infantry Division stationed in Murree. Akhtar was generally close to Bhutto and personally greeted Bhutto when he visited to command office of the 12th Division.^[5][6] He did not took part in Operation Fair Play and privately opposed the martial law to remove Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. In mere six months, he was appointed as adjutant general at GHQ for next two years.^[3] During this time, Rahman became aware of the conspiracy in the armed forces that included senior lieutenant-general Faiz Ali Chishti of X Corps, who was counted among the close associates of General Zia-ul-Haq, secretly became rebellious and conspired to stage a military coup in the country.^[3] As early as of 1977, Akhtar received a call from General Chishti and had his office in Chaklala Military District (CMD).^[3] At this meeting, Rehman was revealed of counter-coup that was aimed to topple General Zia-ul-Haq and was seeking help from him.

 

According to the News International‘s intelligence unit, Chisti was under the impression that since Rahman had not been promoted, he would accept this invitation; especially when he was promised that after the design worked out successfully, he would not only be promoted but would also become one of the pillars of the new regime.^[3] After coming back to GHQ, Rehman, as surprised he was, quickly contacted General Zia-ul-Haq and foiled the plot against Zia.^[3]In June 1979 after the counter-coup had been foild, President General Zia-ul-Haq called Akhtar and awarded him a promotion while offering him the coveted position of the directorate of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).^[3] After being promoted to three-star rank, lieutenant-general, General Rehman directed the ISI’s operation that would make the ISI to became one of the major organs of Pakistan’s fast expanding organisational machinery of military.^[3] His influence on atomic weapons programme grew and worked tirelessly and collected around him colleagues who were equally dynamic and determined to make the ISI an organisation that would have great impact on the domestic and external policies of the country.^[3]

Chairman joint chiefs

During his eight-year tenure, the ISI became one of the world’s most powerful spy agencies.^[3] In 1987 at the pinnacle of his career, General Akhtar was elevated to the four-star rank and secured the appointment as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the highest and most prestigious four-star assignment in the Pakistan Armed Forces.^[3] However, a year later, he died in a plane crash along with General Zia.

Role in the Soviet–Afghan War

When the Soviet Union deployed its 40th Army in Afghanistan, many of General Zia’s leading generals believed that Pakistan would be the Soviet Union’s next target. They felt that because of Pakistan’s strategic location and given the fact that it has warm water ports in the Arabian Sea, it was a prime target for future invasion. Since the top military brass believed that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan threatened Pakistan’s national security, Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency the ISI headed by General Akhtar started providing financial, military, and strategic assistance to the Afghan mujahideen. The ISI received billions of dollars in military assistance from the CIA and Saudi Arabia to train and command the Afghan rebels in a bid to defeat the Soviets. This covert operation was known as Operation Cyclone, and was executed with the CIA provided the money and weapons, the ISI trained and commanded the Afghan Mujahideen groups, and the Mujahideen conducted Guerilla warfare, ultimately helping lead to the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. General Akhtar is widely praised for his crucial role as Director General of the ISI during the war.

Death

On August 17, 1988 General Akhtar Abdur Rahman died in a mysterious plane crash which also killed President General Zia-ul-Haq. General Akhtar and General Zia along with a number of other top Pakistani military personnel were earlier in Bahawalpur to witness a US M1 Abrams tank demonstration. After witnessing a failed demonstration in which the tank missed most of its targets, the Generals left Bahawalpur in a C-130 Hercules. Shortly after taking off, the control tower lost contact with the aircraft which began flying erratically and eventually nosedived and exploded on impact. There are a number of conspiracy theories behind the crash due to the fact that there was never a thorough investigation despite the fact that some of Pakistan’s most powerful military officials lost their lives.

Books mentioning General Akhtar

• Fateh by Haroon-ur-Rasheed
• Silent soldier by Mohammad Yousaf
• The Bear Trap by Mohammad Yousaf and Mark Adkin
• Charlie Wilson’s War by George Crile
• Ghost Wars by Steve Coll
• A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif

Lalak Jan Shaahed

Lalak Jan Shaahed ( 1967 – 7 July 1999) was born in Yasin, in the Ghizer District, of the Northern Areas of Pakistan (now called Gilgit-Baltistan). After school he joined the Pakistan Army, and reached the rank of Havaldar.

Northern Light Infantry deployment

As a junior officer in the Northern Light Infantry, Jan fought against India in the Kargil War of 1999.

Tiger Hill in the Kargil Sector had been occupied by around 130 men of 12th NLI (Northern Light Infantry) unit of the Pakistan Army. These men were under the command of Subedar Sikander, who was given the responsibility to capture Indian territory (which was under Indian control after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971). Havaldar Major Lalak Jan was his 2IC (second in command). The men of 12th NLI were ordered by the Subedar to change their positions while firing back at the Indian forces.

Kargil War

On 1 July 1999, the 18th Grenadiers Battalion (India) launched a fierce attack on Tiger Hill, occupied by the Pakistani Army, under cover of heavy artillery shelling around the bunkers. Subedar Sikandar sneaked across the Line of Control and placed his men in well-entrenched positions, and managed to repulse the attack without any loss of life on their own part. Exact casualty figures for the attacking Indian 18th Grenadiers Battalion, are not available. On the morning of 2 July 1999, hoping to use the cover of the mist, the 18th Grenadiers launched another intense attack on Tiger Hills. Realizing the great difficulty in holding their previous positions that had been spotted and zeroed-in by the Indian artilliery deployed below, Subedar Sikandar ordered his men to retreat to secondary positions around a secret bunker.

 

Once the men were secure, he directed Lalak Jan to descend Tiger Hill and, amidst the Indian Artillery shelling, plant the landmines in the area in front of the Indian forces. Though this was deemed a nearly impossible task by all, the Subedar and the 2IC agreed that this task was very important, if they were to make a dent in the Indian offensive. Planting the landmines was the only way for them to neutralize the Indian armor and artillery, as the men of 12th NLI did not have any heavy/armour-piercing weaponry; their light-attack unguided (RPG-7)s were inadequate for the task. They were hoping that the mist under which’s cover the Indians were attacking, would help Lalak Jan as well, and that the Indians would not be expecting such an audacious and surprising move from the men holed up above.

Mountain combat

Accepting the daunting task, Lalak Jan descended Tiger Hills in the mist. He was provided as fierce a cover as possible, to keep the Indians distracted. Lalak Jan, born and raised in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountain Ranges in northern Pakistan, used his natural mountaineering abilities to the fullest, and managed to plant the landmines in such a manner that the Indians would encounter them as soon as they tried to move forward to new positions higher up towards the hill. Lalak Jan returned to 12th NLI’s position, having successfully completed this mission.

 

The trap was now set; The men had to lure the Indian forces into it. Subedar Sikandar told his men to gradually reduce the firing to a standstill. About two hours after firing ceased from the Pakistan side, the Indians ventured forward, hoping that they’d managed to clear the area of the 12th NLI. The landmines planted by Lalak Jan wrought havoc to their forward movements. The Indians are believed to have suffered many casualties, suffering losses in both men and armor. This incident was not publicized by the Indian side however, due to which the exact amount of damage is not known. The damage was severe enough, in any case, that 18th Grenadiers battalion did not attack the Tiger Hills positions for around half a week, until support arrived in the form of another Indian Unit, eight Sikh.

On 6 July, both the 18th Grenadiers battalion and the 8th Sikh launched a combined attack on Tiger Hills, in what many consider one of the fiercest battles of the Kargil Operation. Detachments of Indian soldiers launched an attack from the very high, steep side of the hills. The 12th NLI was not expecting an attack from this side, and it took them by surprise. The NLI fought this battle at a heavy cost. Over half the 12th NLI unit’s strength was lost in the fighting that ensued, suffering 80 casualties out of the unit’s total strength of around 130. Casualties including Subedar Sikander, who had commanded the unit in this battle so far. In the course of the fighting that ensued, some number of bunker fortifications held by the NLI unit were completely destroyed by the Indians, launching surprise attacks and dropping grenades into them.

 

Towards the end of the engagement, only Havaldar Lalak Jan and three other men remained. The onslaught of the Indians was continuing and they were rapidly advancing towards capturing the hills. Lalak Jan, now the senior most person around, placed his three men in strategic positions, assigning two to three positions per person, and ordering them to rapidly fire from different positions. These men, pitted against an enemy vastly superior in number and weaponry, managed to repulse the Indian onslaught, in a saga of sheer courage and great determination.

 

On 7 July 1999, the 18th Grenadiers battalion and the 8th Sikh unit launched yet another combined offensive. This time they succeeded in their attack. Two of Lalak Jan’s men were killed, and Lalak Jan and his only other remaining comrade in arms, Bakhmal Jan were both seriously injured. Not giving up, Lalak Jan got hold of a LMG and while Bakhmal Jan provided him with the ammunition, and the two men desperately kept trying to repulse the Indian attack. Lalak Jan’s left arm had been rendered useless after receiving bullet wounds to it. Bakhmal Jan, unable to sustain his grave injuries, died while supplying the ammunition to Lalak Jan. After the Indian offensive had subsided, reinforcements (50 to 60 men) were sent to Tiger Hill under Captain Amer. When he saw the condition of Lalak Jan he told him to go back to the base camp on account of his severe injuries, his arm being shot and completely limp, and in no condition to be used. Lalak Jan told the captain that he did not want to die on a hospital bed, and would rather die in the battlefield. He reassured his Captain that he should not worry about the bullet wounds in Lalak’s arm, that Lalak Jan could still be of some use in the battlefield.

 

Around this time, soon after Captain Amer’s reinforcements arrived, the Indians started shelling from a secret, out-of-sight bunker in an adjacent hill. The command of the handful of troops at Tiger Hill had been taken up by Captain Amer. He realized that the fire was coming from a secret bunker and also directed fire towards it, but zeroing in and targeting the bunker proved exceedingly difficult. The exact reason for the failure of this fire by Captain Amer’s forces is not confirmed. Three likely reasons come to mind however. The secret bunker might have been very well designed and protected by the mountainsides, the fire might not have been directed properly or thirdly, the bunker was not in range of the light weaponry possessed by the Pakistanis atop Tiger Hill.

 

There was only one way left to counter the secret Indian bunker; it had to be blown up from a closer range. Lalak Jan, despite his injuries, volunteered for the mission, but his plea was rejected by the captain. Having significant experience of the mountains himself, the captain was of the opinion that he would be the best man to do it, himself. The captain relented in the end, on Lalak Jan’s persistent insistence that his audacious landmine installation experience and his mountaineering skills would enable him to have a fighting chance to complete this task.

Final combat

Lalak Jan put a bag of explosives on his back, and while shouldering an AK-47 descended Tiger Hills for the second time, again amidst heavy Indian shelling. Managing to avoid being seen by the Indian forces, and utilizing his knowledge of the surrounding hills to take cover, he located the secret bunker and threw the explosives inside the bunker. The bunker, which incidentally was also an ammunition dump, blew up in a very big blast. Lalak Jan managed to take cover, and the Indian Army lost 16 men inside and nearby the bunker. The other Indian soldiers saw Lalak Jan and opened fire on him. Surrounded from all sides by Indian fire, Lalak Jan made a valiant effort to resist and returned fire. He sustained grave injuries, especially as a result of heavy mortar shelling.

Death

On 15 September 1999, the commanding officer of 12th NLI sent two Special Service Group Comando groups to Tiger Hills to recover the body of Lalak Jan. The two forces were designated ‘Ababeel’ and ‘Uqaab'(Eagle). Ababeel provided the fire cover while Uqaab went into the destroyed enemy bunker to retrieve the body of Lalak Jan. When his body was found, Havaldar Lalak Jan had his AK-47 firmly clenched to his chest. Pakistan awarded him the Nishan-i-Haider, Pakistan’s highest military award, for extraordinary gallantry. Only ten soldiers have ever received this honour. Jan was the first person from the Northern Areas of Pakistan to receive the award.

Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui

Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui (18 July 1935 – 6 September 1965) was a well-known fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force. He is recognised for services to his country during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, and is a recipient of both the Hilal-e-Jurat (Crescent of Courage) and the Sitara-e-Jurat (Star of Courage). He was commissioned in the 13th GD(P) Course on 10 June 1953 winning the Best Pilot Trophy from Pakistan Air Force Academy, Risalpur.

Indo-Pakistan War of 1965

He was shot down during attack on Halwara Air Base along with Flight Lieutenant Younis Hasan as his number 2 and then-Flight Lieutenant Cecil Chaudhry as number 3. Flight Lieutenant Hasan also embraced Shahadat during the same mission. Guns of his F-86 Sabre jammed right in the middle of the attack. Flight Lieutinent Chaudhry asked him to return which he refused. He ordered Chaudhry to carry on the attack and provided cover to the tail of Chaudhry. His plane was badly damaged due to enemy fire and finally crashed on Halwara.

Honors and legacy

Pakistan’s third biggest air base, Rafiqui Airbase (Shorkot Cantonment) is named after him. One of the largest roads of the Lahore Cantonment is named Sarfaraz Rafiqui Road in his honour. Rafiqui Shaheed Road in Karachi is also named after him. In Peshawar, the Rear Air Headquarters and PAF School and Degree College, are located on Rafiqui Road.

M.M. Alam – Falcon of Pakistan Air Force

Muhammad Mahmood Alam  (known as “M.M. Alam”; born Muhammad Mahmud Alam; 6 July 1935 – 18 March 2013) was^[2] a Pakistani fighter pilot, North American F-86 Sabre Flying ace and one-star general who served with the Pakistan Air Force. Squadron Leader Muhammad Mahmud Alam, Commander of No 11 Squadron, was already a notable leader and highly experienced pilot in 1965, when he was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat (“The star of courage”), a Pakistani military decoration, for his actions during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. In earning his decorations, Alam downed five Indian aircraft in less than a minute — the first four within 30 seconds — establishing a world record. He also excelled in gunnery competition, a skill that without a doubt contributed greatly to his becoming the first and the only jet ace in one mission.

Early life

Born July 6, 1935 to a well-educated family of Kolkata, British India, M.M. Alam completed his secondary education in 1951 from Government High School, Dacca, East Pakistan. He joined the PAF in 1952 and was granted commission on October 2, 1953.^[3] Alam’s brothers are M. Shahid Alam, an economist and a professor at Northeastern University,^[4][5] and M. Sajjad Alam, a particle physicist at SUNY Albany.^[6]His family moved to West Pakistan in around 1971, after the secession of East Pakistan. Being the eldest among 11 siblings in his family, M.M. Alam never married as he had to share the financial responsibilities of his younger sisters and brothers. Several of his younger brothers excelled in various academic and professional careers, owing their success to MM Alam’s hard work.^[3]Contrary to later accusations that also embittered him towards the establishment, ethnically Bengali Alam remained loyal to Pakistan and not to the newly created Bangladesh.^[5][7]

Service with the Pakistan Air Force

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965  

M. M. Alam was the first ever honored fighter pilot for PAF, listed on top in the hall of famers list at the PAF Museum in Karachi. Alam is considered as a national hero for Pakistan, most significantly, for his remarkable show of brilliance in the war of 1965 when he was posted at Sargodha. During this war he was involved in various dogfights while flying his F-86 Sabre fighter. He downed nine Indian fighters in air-to-air combat, including six Hawker Hunter fighters.^[1]In one mission on 7 September 1965, Alam downed five Indian aircraft in less than a minute, the first four within 30 seconds, establishing a world record, with total of 9 aircraft downed in the war.^{[1][8][9][10][11]} Alam’s confirmed kills are as follows:

• September 6, 1965, 1× Hawker Hunter^{[citation needed]}
  • Squadron Leader Ajit Kumar Rawlley, No. 7 Sqn, KIA near Tarn Taran.
• September 7, 1965, 5× Hawker Hunters^{[citation needed]}
  • Squadron Leader Onkar Nath Kacker, No. 27 Sqn, POW
  • Squadron Leader A B Devayya, No. 7 Sqn also claimed by Flt Lt Amjad Hussain ^[12]
  • Squadron Leader Suresh B Bhagwat, No. 7 Sqn
  • Flight Lieutenant B Guha, No. 7 Sqn
  • Flying Officer Jagdev Singh Brar, No. 7 Sqn, KIA, near Sangla Hill.
• September 16, 1965, 1× Hawker Hunter
  • Flying Officer Farokh Dara Bunsha, No. 7 Sqn, KIA, near Amritsar.

The Pakistan Air Force figures have been disputed by Indian sources which claim Alam made four kills, attributing one of the losses of Sqn Ldr Onkar Nath Kacker’s aircraft to technical failure or some other cause including the possibility of ground fire.^[7][13] They also claim that gun camera footage of Alam’s kills is yet to be made public and therefore some of the kills cannot be confirmed.^[14]

In 1967, Alam was transferred as the Squadron Commander of the first squadron of Dassault Mirage III fighters procured by the PAF. He was removed from staff college based on a false pretext in May 1969. In 1972, he commanded No. 26 Squadron for two months.^[7]

In 1982, Alam retired as an Air commodore and took up residence in Karachi. Since retiring, Alam had become more deeply interested in religion.^[14]

Soviet War in Afghanistan

Alam took part in the Soviet War in Afghanistan and was a close companion of Soviet War veteran Ahmad Shah Massoud as quote by Zaid Hamid in his book “From Indus to Oxus” and some other close acquaintances of Alam.

Death

The Air Force legend had been battling illness since December 2012, and was admitted to Pakistan Naval Station Shifa Hospital in Karachi.^[15] After a protracted illness, M. M. Alam died in Karachi on 18 March 2013. He was 77. Alam had been suffering from respiratory problems but his health had deteriorated lately. He had been under treatment for about 18 months. M. M. Alam’s funeral prayer was offered at the PAF Base Masroor, where he served some of the finest years of his air force life. He was later laid to rest at the Shuhuda (Martyrs) graveyard at PAF Masroor Airbase. Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad, Air Chief Marshal (Ret.) Farooq Feroz Khan, Sindh corps commander Lt. Gen Ijaz Chaudhry, Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) Director-General Maj. Gen. Rizwan Akhter, several war veterans of the 1965 war and a number of colleagues of M. M. Alam attended the funeral. One of the younger brothers of the deceased, Zubair Alam, was also present.^[3]

Major Tufail Mohammad

Tufail Mohammad ( c. 1914 – 7 August 1958) was born in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. Mohammad was posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan’s highest military award and is the only person to win the award for an action outside the Indo-Pakistan Wars. In 1958, Major Tufail Muhammed was posted to East Pakistan as the Company Commander of a battalion of East Pakistan Rifles (a Para military force for border security). During his command, Indian troops violating international borders captured a village in the area of Laskhmipur of East Pakistan. On August 7, 1958 Major Tufail launched an assault to force withdrawal of Indian troops from the village; He divided his men into three groups and attacked Indian troops during the dark hours of August 7.

 

Their groups was able to reach the enemy without being detected but as the firefight started, the group came under heavy fire and Major Tufail received three bullets in his stomach. Despite being shot in stomach, he kept moving and was able to silence the incoming fire from machine gun. By tactically using grenades, Major Tufail was able to destroy key enemy posts. When he saw an enemy commander inflicting heavy casualties to his men he crawled towards enemy posting and engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand battle which resulted in the killing of a commander of the Indian Army. He killed him by hitting him with his steel helmet on the face.

 

He continued the operation with his men which resulted in the withdrawal of Indian forces. Despite being heavily injured, he called his junior officer “I have completed my duty; the enemy is on the run.” He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries. Major Muhammed Tufail was buried with full military honors in his native city Burewala. His native town has been named after him and is now known as Tufailabad. Major Muhammed Tufail was posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Haider and he is the only person to get this award for an action outside the Indo-Pakistani wars.