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| Yaqub Ali Khan صاحبزادہ یعقوب خان; | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sahabzada Yaqub Khan (far right) | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 11 November 1996 – 24 February 1997 | |
| President | Farook Legharie |
| Prime Minister | Möenunddin Kureshi |
| Preceded by | Aseff Ali |
| Succeeded by | Gohar Ayub Khan |
In office 21 March 1982 – 20 March 1991 | |
| President | Ghulam Ishaq Khan General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq |
| Prime Minister | Mohammad' Khan Juneijo Benazir Bhutto Navaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Agha Shahi |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Sattar |
| Pakistan Ambassador to the United States | |
In office 19 December 1973 – 3 January 1979 | |
| President | Fzal Fazal Ilahi Chaudhrie General Zia-ul-Haq |
| Prime Minister | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto |
| Preceded by | Sultan Muhammad Khan |
| Succeeded by | Sultan Muhammad Khan |
| Martial Law Administrator of East-Pakistan | |
In office 7 March 1971 – 6 April 1971 | |
| President | General Yahya Khan |
| Vice President | Nurul Amin |
| Preceded by | VAdm Syed Mohammad Ahsan |
| Succeeded by | LGen Tikka Khan |
In office 23 August 1969 – 1 September 1969 | |
| President | General Yahya Khan |
| Preceded by | MGen Muzaffaruddin |
| Succeeded by | VAdm Syed Mohammad Ahsan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mohammad Yaqub Ali Khan 23 December 1920 Rampur, UP state, British Indian Empire |
| Citizenship | British Subject (1920–1947)  Pakistan(1947–) |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Alma mater | Rashtriya Indian Military College |
| Cabinet | Zia military government Yahya military government Bainazir Bhuttoo Government |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | SYAK |
| Allegiance | Pakistan
|
| Service/branch |  Pakistan Army (PA – 136)
|
| Years of service | 1940–1972 1982–1991 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant-General
|
| Unit | 18th Cavalry, Army Armoured Corps |
| Commands | Eastern Military High Command, East Pakistan 1st Armoured Division, Army Armoured Corps Command and Staff College Chief of General Staff |
| Battles/wars | Siege of Tobruk Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War Soviet war in Afghanistan |
Lieutenant-General Yaqub Ali Khan (Urdu: صاحبزادہ یعقوب خان; born 23 December 1920) was a high-profile figure and high-ranking general who held the most senior and prestigious military and government assignments in the Pakistan Government, and was also the primary the international face of Pakistan for three decades, first served as the Foreign minister, military government of President General Zia-ul-Haq from 1982 to 1991 until the dying days of Cold War, and then also served as the caretaker Foreign minister from 1996 to 1997. Educated and received commission in the army after attending the Rashtriya Indian Military College, Yaqub Khan served well in World War II on behalf of British Indian Army, his military career saw the actions in Operation Tobruk, and later opted for Pakistan, joining the staff of Pakistan Army. As Major-General, he commanded the combantant 1st Armoured Division during the 1965 September war against India and posted in East-Pakistan shortly after the war was ended. In 1967, he was elevated as the Chief of General Staff of the Eastern Military High Command under Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan and succeeded Admiral Ahsan as commander of eastern command in 1971. After failing to restore peace, Yaqub Khan was re-called to West-Pakistan where he commanded the combatant corps against India, and took voluntarily retirement from the army. In 1973, he entered in foreign service assuming the diplomatic post of Pakistan Ambassador to the United States. Soviet Union and France, which he held until 1979. Upon his return, he was re-called for his military service by then-Chief of Army Staff General Zia-ul-Haq in 1980, re-assuming the foreign military in 1982. Yaqub Ali Khan became an international figure when he played a central role in the UN-sanctioned negotiations to end the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan Soviet Socialist Republic, and also took part to end the civil war in Nicaragua, as he was the point man of the United Nations. Since 1990, Khan associated with the United Nations, served at the special representative of U.N. for Western Sahara and was finally reappointed as Foreign Minister in 1996. As a result of 1997 parliamentary elections, Yaqub Ali Khan took subsequent retirement from the foreign service and settled in USA where he continues to spend his later life in peace.
Origin and youth[]
Yaqub Khan belongs to the Pashtun royal family of the erstwhile Indian princely state of Rampur.[1] His father, Sahibzada Sir Abdus Samad Khan Bahadur, was a statesman and diplomat who at various points in his career served as chief minister of the state of Rampur, and as British India's representative to the League of Nations. Yaqub Ali Khan's connections can be traced to Nawab Mirza Ghalib who was appointed teacher of Nawab of Rampur in 1857, who travelled to Rampur twice, in 1860 and 1865. Sahabzada Yaqub Khan studied at the famous Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College, Dehradun. He was commissioned on 22 December 1940 and attached to 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry, part of 3rd Indian Motor Brigade. He served in North Africa during World War II with the British Indian Army, taking part in action at El Mechili with A squadron and the Siege of Tobruk. He was promoted lieutenant on 3 April 1942. Acting as the regimental Signal officer he was taken prisoner in on 27 May 1942 at Point 171, and spent the next three years in an Axis prisoner-of-war camp before being released at the end of the war. After independence, he opted for Pakistan, where he went on to enjoy a distinguished career in the Pakistani Army. Rising to the rank Lieutenant General, Yaqub Khan served as Chief of General Staff, Commander Eastern Command, and briefly after the resignation of Vice Admiral S.M. Ahsan, Governor of East Pakistan.
Diplomatic career[]
On retiring from the Army he embarked on a career as a diplomat, serving as Ambassador to France, the United States and Soviet Union from 1972 to 1982. While posted in USA, he also played a major role in the resolution of 1977 Hanafi Siege in Washington, D.C. Since 1982 he served as Foreign Minister under seven different governments. Then from 1992 until 1997 Yaqub Khan was the United Nations Secretary General's Special Representative for the Western Sahara.
Post career[]
Sahabzada Yaqub Khan is the founding chairman of the Aga Khan University Board of Trustees, which he chaired for almost two decades until his retirement in 2001.[2] He was a commissioner in the now retired Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict.[3]
Sahabzada Yaqub Khan is married to Begum Tuba Khaleeli, of the prominent Iranian Khaleeli family of Calcutta, and has two sons, Samad and Najib.He is settled in America (USA).
See also[]
- Pakistan
- Cold War
- Timeline of Afghanistan (1982)
References[]
- ↑ "Royal Ark: Rampur"
- ↑ "The Life and Work of Sahabzada Yaqub Khan" Aga Khan University News & Events
- ↑ "Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict"
- Indian Army List (April 1942, April 1945)
- Maj Gen Gurcharn Singh Sadu, I serve The Eighteenth Cavalry
External links[]
 |
Wikisource has original works written by or about: |
- Yaqub Khan – the man who reinvented himself by Khaled Ahmed (The Friday Times)
- SYK: The Man With Qualities Short biographical article by S. Abbas Raza
- Biographical article by M. Zafar in Defence Journal
- MAJOR-GENERAL SAHABZADA MOHD YAQUB KHAN (PA 136)
The original article can be found at Sahabzada Yaqub Khan and the edit history here.