Tikka Khan
Tikka KhanHJHQA SPkNePl(Urdu:ٹِکّا خاں; 10 February 1915 – 28 March 2002)[3]was a Pakistani military officer who served as the firstchief of the army stafffrom 1972 to 1976.[4]Along withYahya Khan,he is considered a chief architect of the1971 Bangladesh genocide[5]which according to independent researchers led to the deaths of 300,000 to 500,000 people.[6][7]
Gaining acommissionin 1940 as an artillery officer in theBritish Indian Armyto participate inWorld War II,he rose to command the 8th and 15thinfantrydivisionsin thewar with India in 1965.In 1969, he was appointed as the commander ofIV Corpswhile acting asmartial law administratorinWest Pakistanunder President Yahya Khan. In 1971, he took over the command of army'sEastern CommandinEast Pakistanand appointed asGovernor of East Pakistanwhere he oversaw the planning and the military deployments to execute themilitary operationsto quell theliberation war effortsby theAwami League.[8]His tough rhetoric to deal with political enemies earned him notoriety and a nickname ofTouka(meaningCleaver)[9]and he was soon relieved of his command by President Yahya Khan.
After commanding theII Corpsin thewar with India in 1971,Tikka Khan was promoted to four-star rank and appointed as the first chief of army staff of the Pakistan Army in 1972. As an army chief, Tikka Khan provided support to thePakistan nuclear programmealongsidebureaucratGhulam Ishaq Khan.[10]Upon retirement from themilitaryin 1976, he was subsequently appointed asNational Security Advisorby Prime MinisterZulfikar Ali Bhutto,only to be removed in 1977 as a result of enforcedmartial law.In the 1980s, he remained active as a political worker of thePakistan Peoples Party(PPP) and emerged as its leader when appointed asGovernorofPunjabafter thegeneral electionsheld in 1988. His tenure ended when President Ghulam Ishaq KhandismissedPrime MinisterBenazir Bhutto's government in 1990 and he was succeeded byMian Muhammad Azhar.He retired frompoliticsin 1990. He died on 28 March 2002 and was buried with fullmilitary honoursinWestridge cemeteryinRawalpindi,Punjab, Pakistan.[11]
Early life and education
[edit]Tikka Khan was born on 10 February 1915[1]into aPunjabifamily of theJanjuaRajputclan[12]in the Jochha Mamdot village ofKahuta Tehsil,Rawalpindi District,Punjab,British India(nowPunjab, Pakistan).[13]
After his education in Rawalpindi, he joined theArmy Cadet CollegeinNowgong,Madhya Pradesh in 1933 and joined theBritish Indian Armyas asepoyin 1935; he gained his commission in the army from theIndian Military Academyon 22 December 1940.[14]
During these early years he was known to be a particularly good boxer.[15]
Military career
[edit]World War II
[edit]He participated inWorld War IIand fought with the2nd Field Regiment,Regiment of Artilleryin Libya against theAfrika Korpsled by German Field MarshalErwin Rommelin 1940.[14]He was captured by German troops and held as aPOWin Libya for more than a year.[14]After successfully escaping, he saw military action in theBurma campaignagainstJapanin 1945 where he was wounded and hospitalised for some time.[14]In 1946, he was posted in different parts of India such asDeolali,Mathura,andKalyan.[14]
During the same time, he served as an instructor at the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun.[14]
New beginnings in Pakistan
[edit]After theefforts of Muslim Leagueculminated in thepartition of British Indiaand the creation of Pakistan, Tikka Khan joined thePakistan Armyas a major in the Pakistan Army'sRegiment of Artilleryin 1947.[14]His military career progressed well and he got accelerated promotions in the army.[14]In 1949, he was promoted tolieutenant colonel.He worked hard to raise the Medium Regiment in the new army.[14]In 1950–54, he was promoted tocoloneland became the deputy director at the directorate of artillery in theGHQ.[14]
In 1955, he was promoted tobrigadier.[14]In 1962, he was promoted tomajor generaland posted at the GHQ in Rawalpindi.[14]
Between the wars: 1965–1971
[edit]In 1965, Major-General Tikka Khan was theGOCof the 8th Infantry Division that was positioned in Punjab, Pakistan.[16]At that time, the 8th Infantry Division consisted of the 51stParatrooperBrigadeand the 52nd Infantry Brigade.[16]In April 1965, the 8th Infantry Division intruded into theRann of Kutch.[17]Hostilities broke out between India and Pakistan and Tikka Khan's 8th Division fought theIndian Armyin theBattle of Rann of Kutch.[18][19]During the war, Tikka Khan earned a reputation as a victor of Rann of Kutch and was credited widely by thePakistani pressfor the victories he gained over the Indian Army.[14]He made a bold stand against the Indian Army's encirclement in the Sialkot sector in 1965.[14]He later led the 15th Infantry Division in theIndo-Pakistani war of 1965.[14]
After PresidentAyub Khanhanded over thepresidencyto his army chief GeneralYahya Khanin 1969, Tikka Khan was promoted tolieutenant generalto command theIV Corps,stationed inLahore.[14]He was themartial law administratorof Punjab under President Yahya Khan who appointed him after replacing withAttiqur Rahman.[14]His personality was well known in Pakistan as being tough and ruthless.[14]In March 1971, Tikka Khan was sent toDaccaand left the post to Lieutenant General Bahadur Sher in March 1971.[14]
Bangladesh Liberation and 1971 war
[edit]The situation was very complex in bothWestandEast Pakistanafter thegeneral electionsheld in 1970 where theBengali nationalistAwami Leaguewon 160 of the 162 seats in East Pakistan, whereas theleftist-socialistPakistan Peoples Party(PPP) won 81 seats out of 138 in West Pakistan.[20]By constitutional law,Sheikh Mujibur Rahmanof the Awami League was supposed to be the candidate for the post ofPrime Minister of PakistanbutZulfikar Ali Bhuttoof the Pakistan Peoples Party was not ready to accept his role asLeader of the Oppositionand refused to sit in theNational Assemblyin this role.[20]
Under pressure by Bhutto and the Pakistan Peoples Party, President Yahya Khan postponed the National Assembly session despite meeting with and inviting the Awami League to form the government on 7 March.[20]Sheikh Mujibur Rahman reacted by calling upon theBengali peopleto launch anarmed liberation movementagainst Pakistan at a mass rally.[20]Responding to this, President Yahya Khan accepted the resignation of Lieutenant GeneralYaqub Khanas governor of East Pakistan and commander of the army'sEastern Commandin March 1971 and appointed Lieutenant General Tikka Khan as his successor. Tikka Khan arrived in Dacca the same month and took over the governorship. He assumed command of the Eastern Command on 7 March 1971. He has faced accusations of killing thousands of civilians.[20][user-generated source][21][22]
Acting on the instructions of President Yahya Khan's administration, Lieutenant General Tikka Khan began preparations of "direct-wise military operation" against the Awami League on the evening of 25 March 1971.[23]Tikka Khan's order to his soldiers wasI want the land and not the people.[24]Tikka Khan took assistance from loyal Bengalis andBiharisfor the operation and organized a paramilitary force calledRazakars.[citation needed]He ordered the arrest of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, outlawed the Awami League, and ordered a midnightattack on the University of Dhaka.[25]Tikka Khan was the architect and top planner ofOperation Searchlight.[8]Thousands were killed in this operation, including academics and other members of civil society, and the country was plunged into a bloody civil war.[25]Fatima Bhuttocalled him "a soldier known for his eager use of force."[25]He became notorious as the "Butcher of Bengal."[26][27]
In West Pakistan, domestic criticism and disapproval of Lieutenant General Tikka Khan grew to the point that President Yahya Khan replaced him with a civiliangovernmentled by a governor and a cabinet drawn from different political parties.[28]Tikka Khan was recalled to Pakistan, relinquishing the Eastern Command to Lieutenant GeneralAmir Khan Niazi,[29]and given command of theII Corpsbased inMultan,Punjab.[30]He commanded the II Corps during the1971 war with India.[30]Indian Major General D. K. Palit has questioned the wisdom of Tikka Khan's tactics used in theBattle of Chhambin December, citing high II Corps casualties incurred during Pakistani frontal attacks.[30]
Chief of Army staff
[edit]In 1972, President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto removed Lieutenant GeneralGul Hassan Khanfrom his position as commander-in-chief of the army[31]and replaced him with Tikka Khan.[32]Tikka Khan was a highly unpopular choice inmilitary circlesfor the chief of army staff because it was felt strongly that he was professionally unprepared for the assignment.[33]On the other hand, Tikka Khan was steadfastly loyal to Bhutto.[31]In 1972, he supported themilitarisationof thePakistan Atomic Energy Commissionby supportingMunir Ahmad Khanto take over the commission's chairmanship and the directorship of the clandestineatomic bomb programme.[34]He was implicated in theHamoodur Rahman Commission's[citation needed]report on the 1971 war with India over East Pakistan, but much of the report remainsclassified.
In 1974, Tikka Khan led thecounterinsurgency military operationinBalochistanand successfully crushedBaloch independence movement.[35]In 1976, he provided his support toGhulam Ishaq Khanand Bhutto to expand the clandestine nuclear weapons programme.[10]The same year, Tikka Khan was preparing to retire from the military, and evaluated the eight serving lieutenant generals who were his potential successors as chief of army staff. When asked by Bhutto for his opinion on Lieutenant GeneralMuhammad Zia-ul-Haq,Tikka Khan did not recommend him. Tikka Khan later remarked, "I thought he was dull. In any case, he was the most junior of all the eight lieutenant generals."[36]However Bhutto by-passed his recommendations, approved Lieutenant General Zia-ul-Haq to four-star rank, and appointed him as army chief.[36]Upon retirement from the army, Khan joined the Pakistan Peoples Party.
Political career
[edit]National Security Advisor to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
[edit]Tikka Khan was appointedNational Security Advisorin 1976 by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.[37]However, his tenure was short and ended whenmartial lawwas imposed by army chief General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in 1977. General Zia ordered themilitary policeto arrest both Bhutto and General Tikka Khan and placed them under house arrest.[38]Bhutto was executed in 1979, after which General Tikka Khan emerged as one of the leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), becoming itssecretary general.[39]
Jail under Zia-ul-Haq
[edit]In 1980–88, Tikka Khan faced imprisonment numerous times for his political activities until President Zia-ul-Haqdiedin August 1988 in an aircraft explosion overBahawalpur.[citation needed]In spite of Tikka's leadership position within the political opposition, many of his army protégés such asSawar Khan,Iqbal KhanandRahimuddin Khanwere promoted to four-star rank and remained on deferential terms with him.[citation needed]In the1988 general election,Tikka Khan ran unsuccessfully for a seat representingRawalpindi.[39]
Governor of Punjab under Benazir Bhutto
[edit]He was appointed as theGovernorof Punjab by Prime MinisterBenazir Bhuttoin December 1988.[39]His governorship ended when President Ghulam Ishaq Khandismissed the governmentof Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in August 1990, after which Tikka Khan retired from active politics.[39]
Later life and death
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Gen_Tikka_Khan_%28Deathstone%29.jpg/200px-Gen_Tikka_Khan_%28Deathstone%29.jpg)
Throughout the 1990s, he battled with illness and was hospitalised inCMH Rawalpindifor several years. He refused many television interviews on the subject of thecontroversial events of 1971and died on 28 March 2002.[40]He was survived by three sons and two daughters.[41]
He was laid to rest withmilitary honoursin theWestridge cemeteryin Rawalpindi.[41]Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff CommitteeAziz Khanattended his funeral, accompanied by theArmy Chief of Staff,Chief of Air Staff,Chief of Naval Staffand other senior military and civil officials.[41]Former prime minister and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto paid Tikka Khan tribute in a message to his son Colonel Khalid Masud; she described the Colonel's father as one who "rose to the highest offices of this country due to his hard work and respect for the rule of law."[41]
Awards and decorations
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Hilal-e-Jurat
(Crescent of Courage) |
Hilal-e-Quaid-e-Azam
(HQA) | ||
Sitara-e-Pakistan
(Star of Pakistan) (SPk) |
Tamgha-e-Diffa
(General Service Medal) 1.Rann of KutchClasp |
Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War
(War Star 1965) |
Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War
(War Star 1971) |
Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War
(War Medal 1965) |
Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War
(War Medal 1971) |
Pakistan Tamgha
1947 |
Tamgha-e-Jamhuria
(Republic Commemoration Medal) 1956 |
Order of the Crown | 1939-1945 Star | Africa Star | Burma Star |
Italy Star | War Medal | India Service Medal | Queen Elizabeth II
(1953) |
Foreign decorations
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abGeneral Tikka Khan's Headstone(Headstone in graveyard). Army Graveyard, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. 2011.
- ^"Gen. Tikka Khan, 87; 'Butcher of Bengal' led Pakistani Army".Los Angeles Times.30 March 2002.Retrieved25 September2022.
- ^"Chiefs of Army Staff (Pakistan)".24 October 2017.
- ^"General Tikka Khan".pakistanarmy.gov.pk.Pakistan Army.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^Totten, Samuel; Parsons, William S.; Charny, Israel W. (2004).Century of Genocide: Critical Essays and Eyewitness Accounts.Psychology Press. pp. 295–303.ISBN978-0-415-94430-4.
The Pakistani government (the Yahya regime) was primarily responsible for the genocide. Not only did it prevent the Awami League and Rahman from forming the federal government, but it opted for a military solution to a constitutional crisis. In doing so, it decided to unleash a brutal military operation in order to terrorize the Bengalis. Yahya's decision to put General Tikka Khan (who had earned the name of "Butcher of Baluchistan" for his earlier brutal suppression of Baluchi nationals in the 1960s) in charge of the military operation in Bangladesh was an overt signal of the regime's intention to launch a genocide.
- ^Dummett, Mark (16 December 2011)."Bangladesh war: The article that changed history".BBC News.Retrieved19 December2021.
- ^Payne, Robert(1973).Massacre: The tragedy at Bangla Desh and the phenomenon of mass slaughter throughout history.Macmillan Publishers.p. 13.ISBN9780025952409.
- ^abHamid Mir (26 March 2010)."Apology Day for Pakistanis".The Daily Star.Retrieved25 May2013.
- ^"Gen. Tikka Khan, 87; 'Butcher of Bengal' Led Pakistani Army".Los Angeles Times.30 March 2002.ISSN0458-3035.Retrieved6 June2022.
- ^ab"RANDOM THOUGHTS: Unsung Heroes (Part XXII)- By: Dr. A.Q. Khan – South Asian Pulse".sapulse.com.A.Q. Khan memoirs.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^"Former administrator of East Pakistan Lt-General Tikka Khan dies".India Today.Retrieved17 October2023.
- ^Nawaz, Shuja (2008).Crossed Swords: Pakistan, its Army, and the Wars Within.Oxford University Press.p. 266.
Word spread within the army that Yaqub had lost his nerve. This was further strengthened by the choice of Lt. Gen. Tikka Khan as Yaqub's replacement. Tikka, a Janjua Rajput from a village near Kahuta in Rawalpindi district, was seen as a commander who followed orders to the letter.
- ^Tripathi, Salil (2016).The Colonel Who Would Not Repent: The Bangladesh War and Its Unquiet Legacy.Yale University Press. p. 127.ISBN978-0-300-22102-2.
- ^abcdefghijklmnopqrsSagar, Krishna Chandra (1997).The War of the Twins.Northern Book Centre. p. 57.ISBN978-81-7211-082-6.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^Abdul Wahab, A.T.M. (2004).Mukti Bahini Wins Victory: Pak Military Oligarchy Divides Pakistan in 1971.Columbia Prokashani. p. 86.ISBN978-984-713-044-6.
- ^abCloughley, Brian (2016).A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections.Skyhorse Publishing.p. 84.ISBN978-1-63144-039-7.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^Khanna, K. K. (2015).Art of Generalship.Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. p. 176.ISBN978-93-82652-93-9.
- ^Bajwa, Farooq (2013).From Kutch to Tashkent: The Indo-Pakistan War of 1965.Hurst Publishers.p. 71.ISBN978-1-84904-230-7.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^Haskew, Michael E. (2015).Tank: 100 Years of the World's Most Important Armored Military Vehicle.Motorbooks International. p. 201.ISBN978-0-7603-4963-2.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^abcde"Fall of Dhaka 1971".Story of Pakistan.4 June 2002.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^"Unfinished agenda of 1971".The Statesman(Opinion).Retrieved27 March2016.
- ^Chowdhury, Prabir Barua (26 March 2016)."A friend in need".The Daily Star.Retrieved27 March2016.
- ^Dixit, J. N.(2003).India-Pakistan in War and Peace.Routledge. p. 169.ISBN978-1-134-40758-3.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^"How Genocide Triggered Bangladesh Bid for Independence".The Citizen India. 25 March 2021.Retrieved23 January2022.
- ^abcBhutto, Fatima(2011).Songs of Blood and Sword: A Daughter's Memoir.Nation Books. p. 100.ISBN978-1-56858-632-8.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^Ahmed, Salahuddin (2004).Bangladesh: Past and Present.APH Publishing. p. 174.ISBN978-81-7648-469-5.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^"Muktijuddho (Bangladesh Liberation War 1971) - Butcher of Bengal General Tikka Khan takes charge in East Pakistan - History of Bangladesh".Londoni.Retrieved8 September2020.
- ^Shehabuddin, Elora (2008).Reshaping the Holy: Democracy, Development, and Muslim Women in Bangladesh.Columbia University Press. p. 66.ISBN978-0-231-51255-8.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^Kathpalia, Pran Nath.Mission with a Difference: The Exploits of 71 Mountain Brigade.Lancer Publishers. p. 53.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^abcPalit, Maj Gen DK (1998).The Lightning Campaign: The Indo-Pakistan War, 1971.Lancer Publishers. p. 83.ISBN978-1-897829-37-0.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^abJaffrelot, Christophe(2015).The Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience.Oxford University Press. p. 226.ISBN978-0-19023-518-5.
- ^Iqbal, Zafar (2011). "Elitist Political Culture and the Perils of Democracy in Pakistan". In Kalia, Ravi (ed.).Pakistan: From the Rhetoric of Democracy to the Rise of Militancy.Routledge. p. 142.ISBN978-0-415-67040-1.Retrieved20 August2016.
- ^Abbas, Hassan(2015).Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror.Routledge. p. 102.ISBN978-1-317-46327-6.Retrieved20 August2016.
- ^Israeli, Raphael(2016).Years of Upheaval: Axial Changes in Islam Since 1989.Transaction Publishers. p. 84.ISBN978-1-4128-6190-8.
- ^"Killings of Zehris and history of Balochistan's plight".The News International.Retrieved17 April2013.
- ^abElliott, John; Imhasly, Bernard; Denyer, Simon (2008).Foreign Correspondent: Fifty Years of Reporting South Asia.Penguin Books India. p. 129.ISBN978-0-670-08204-9.Retrieved20 August2016.
- ^"Tikka Khan dead".The Hindu.30 March 2002.
In 1976, he joined the Pakistan People's Party and became Special Assistant on National Security to the then Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
- ^"An unwell commando".The Nation.Retrieved27 March2016.
- ^abcdBurki, Shahid Javed(2015).Historical Dictionary of Pakistan.Rowman & Littlefield. p. 544.ISBN978-1-4422-4148-0.Retrieved20 August2016.
- ^Singh, Khushwant (13 April 2002)."This Above All".The Tribune.Retrieved15 October2016.
- ^abcd"Tikka Khan passes away".Dawn.29 March 2002.Retrieved20 August2016.
Further reading
[edit]- Zaheer, Hasan:The separation of East Pakistan: The rise and realisation of Bengali Muslim nationalism,Oxford University Press, 1994.
- Sisson, Richard & Rose, Leo:War and secession: Pakistan, India, and the creation of Bangladesh,University of California Press (Berkeley), 1990.
- Matinuddin, General Kamal:Tragedy of Errors: East Pakistan Crisis, 1968–1971,Wajidalis, Lahore, Pakistan, 1994.
- Salik, Siddiq:Witness to surrender,Oxford University Press, Karachi, Pakistan, 1977.
External links
[edit]- Official profile at Pakistan Army website
- Tikka Khan Passes Away—DAWN
- Article rebutting General A.A.K. Niazi's accusations against General Tikka Khan, by Nasir M. Khan, Pakistan Link, 30 March 2001
- Article mentioning General Tikka Khan's tenure as Chief of Army Staff (1972–1976), A.R. Siddiqui, Dawn, 14 September 2003.
- Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission Report, The Report of the Commission of Inquiry – 1971 War as Declassified by The Government of Pakistan, Volume-I: Supplementary Report – Top secret, PART III – MILITARY ASPECT, CHAPTER VI.
- Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission Report, The Report of the Commission of Inquiry – 1971 War as Declassified by The Government of Pakistan, Volume-I: Supplementary Report – Top secret, PART IV – SURRENDER IN EAST PAKISTAN, CHAPTER II – Alleged atrocities by the Pakistan Army.
- Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission Report, The Report of the Commission of Inquiry – 1971 War as Declassified by The Government of Pakistan, PART IV – MILITARY ASPECT, Chapter III, The formulation of defence plans.
- Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission Report, The Report of the Commission of Inquiry – 1971 War as Declassified by The Government of Pakistan, Volume-I: Supplementary Report – Top secret, PART IV – SURRENDER IN EAST PAKISTAN, CHAPTER I – The moral aspect.
- Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission Report, The Report of the Commission of Inquiry – 1971 War as Declassified by The Government of Pakistan, PART V: MISCELLANEOUS, CHAPTER VI: Summary and recommendations.
- Amin Fahim pays rich tributes to General Tikka Khan, Dawn, 5 April 2002.
- General Yahya Khan agreed to withdraw forces, India did not, by Khalid Hasan, Daily Times, 3 July 2005.
- 1915 births
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