Ayub Khan

Ayub Khan (May 14 1907 – April 19 1974) was a Field Marshal during the mid-1960s, and the political leader of Pakistan from 1958 to 1969. He became Pakistan's first native Commander in Chief in 1951, and was the youngest full-rank general and field marshall in Pakistan's military history.

Early years

Khan was born in the village of Rehana near Haripur Hazara to an ethnic Pashtun family, the first child of the second wife of Mir Dad Khan, who was a Risaldar Major in Hodson's Horse. For his basic education, he was enrolled in a school in Sarai Saleh, which was about 4 miles from his village. He used to go to school on a mule's back. Later he was shifted to a school in Haripur, where he started living with his grandmother. He enrolled at Aligarh University in 1922, but never completed his studies, as he was accepted into the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He did well at Sandhurst, and was given an officer's post in the British Indian Army. During World War II he served as a captain and later as a major. Following the war, he joined the fledgling Pakistani Army as its most senior Muslim officer.

Related Topics:
Haripur Hazara - Pashtun - Aligarh University - 1922 - Royal Military Academy Sandhurst - British Indian Army - World War II - Captain - Major - Pakistani Army

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ayub Khan was later made Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistani Army, becoming in 1951 the first non-British general to hold that position. He would later go on to serve in the cabinet of Muhammad Ali Bogra as Defence Secretary, and when Iskander Mirza declared martial law on October 7 1958, Khan was made its chief martial law administrator. This would be the first of many instances in the history of Pakistan of the military becoming directly involved in politics.

Related Topics:
1951 - British - Muhammad Ali Bogra - Iskander Mirza - Martial law - October 7 - 1958 - History of Pakistan

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~