Bakhtiar Rana
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Bakhtiar Rana, M.C., was a senior officer in the Pakistan Army
. He was Chief Martial Law Administrator (West Pakistan
). As a Lieutenant General, he commanded one of Pakistan Army's strike corps, I Corps
, as its Corps Commander from 1958 to 1966. As a Brigadier, he commanded the Frontier Corps
as its Inspector-General from 1953 to 1955.
Rajput
family in British India. His father, Rana Talia Muhammad Khan
, was a former British Indian Army officer and the first Muslim
Inspector-General of Police in British India, serving as Inspector-General of Patiala State
and the Northwest Frontier Province. Earlier, he served famously as Superintendent of Police, Kohat and District Officer, Frontier Constabulary, Hangu.
and was commissioned in the British Indian Army
in the Frontier Force Regiment
, known as the "Piffers". His unit was "1 FF".
He fought in the Second World War in the Middle East and was awarded the Military Cross
, the third highest gallantry award of the British Empire
.
on 14 August 1947, the Frontier Force Regiment was allocated to Pakistan and Bakhtiar Rana joined the newly-established Pakistan Army and helped in its formation.
As a Brigadier, he commanded the Frontier Corps
as its Inspector-General from 1953 to 1955. Lt. Gen. Bakhtiar Rana and his son, Major General Ghaziuddin Rana, who also commanded the Frontier Corps from 1988 to 1990, remain, to this day, the only father and son to have commanded the Frontier Corps.
As a Lieutenant General, he commanded one of Pakistan Army's strike corps, I Corps
, as its Corps Commander from 1958 to 1966. During the 1965 India-Pakistan War, Lt. Gen. Bakhtiar Rana was the only lieutenant general commanding a corps, namely 1 Corps, and he was one of only two lieutenant generals in the Pakistan Army during the war, the other being Lt. Gen. Altaf Qadir, who was on deputation to the Central Treaty Organization
(CENTO).
.
Lt. Gen. Bakhtiar Rana's sister, Begum Akhtar Sultan, was married to Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi
and his daughter, Talat, was married to the grandson of Chaudhry Niaz Ali Khan
.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Bakhtiar Rana, M.C., was a senior officer in the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
. He was Chief Martial Law Administrator (West Pakistan
West Pakistan
West Pakistan , common name West-Pakistan , in the period between its establishment on 22 November 1955 to disintegration on December 16, 1971. This period, during which, Pakistan was divided, ended when East-Pakistan was disintegrated and succeeded to become which is now what is known as Bangladesh...
). As a Lieutenant General, he commanded one of Pakistan Army's strike corps, I Corps
I Corps (Pakistan)
The I Corps, also known as I Strike Corps, of the Pakistan Army headquartered in Mangla, Azad Kashimir Province of Pakistan. Known as I Strike Corps, it is one of two strike corps within its ten manouvre Army corps...
, as its Corps Commander from 1958 to 1966. As a Brigadier, he commanded the Frontier Corps
Frontier Corps
The Frontier Corps is a federally-controlled paramilitary force of Pakistan, recruited mostly from the tribal areas along the western borders and led by officers from the Pakistan Army...
as its Inspector-General from 1953 to 1955.
Early life
Bakhtiar Rana was born in a Muslim NaruNaru
The Naru were actually poets in the princes court their ancestor wrote a poet which the prince liked and bestowed a title upon them.They are not of the original 36 royal clans.This is a fact but nowadays you can be what you want,if narus want to portray themselves as the original 36 then so be...
Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
family in British India. His father, Rana Talia Muhammad Khan
Rana Talia Muhammad Khan
Khan Bahadur Rana Talia Muhammad Khan, O.B.E. was the first Muslim Inspector-General of Police in British India, serving as Inspector-General of Police of Patiala State and the Northwest Frontier Province and a former British Indian Army officer...
, was a former British Indian Army officer and the first Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Inspector-General of Police in British India, serving as Inspector-General of Patiala State
Patiala State
Patiala State was a princely state in India.The history of Patiala state starts off with the ancestor of the Sikh Patiala Royal House, Mohan Singh being harassed by neighbouring Bhullars and Dhaliwals . They would not allow Mohan to settle there. He was a follower of Guru Hargobind and the Guru...
and the Northwest Frontier Province. Earlier, he served famously as Superintendent of Police, Kohat and District Officer, Frontier Constabulary, Hangu.
British Indian Army
Bakhtiar Rana was trained at the Indian Military AcademyIndian Military Academy
The Indian Military Academy, Dehradun is the officer training school of the Indian Army. IMA was established in 1932.-Demands for an Indian military training academy:...
and was commissioned in the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
in the Frontier Force Regiment
Frontier Force Regiment
For Pakistan's Border Guard see: Frontier CorpsThe Frontier Force Regiment is one of six Infantry regiments in the Pakistan Army. At present, the regiment consists of 67 battalions and has its regimental depot at Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. For that reason Abbottabad is also known as Home of...
, known as the "Piffers". His unit was "1 FF".
He fought in the Second World War in the Middle East and was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, the third highest gallantry award of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
Pakistan Army
After the creation of PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
on 14 August 1947, the Frontier Force Regiment was allocated to Pakistan and Bakhtiar Rana joined the newly-established Pakistan Army and helped in its formation.
As a Brigadier, he commanded the Frontier Corps
Frontier Corps
The Frontier Corps is a federally-controlled paramilitary force of Pakistan, recruited mostly from the tribal areas along the western borders and led by officers from the Pakistan Army...
as its Inspector-General from 1953 to 1955. Lt. Gen. Bakhtiar Rana and his son, Major General Ghaziuddin Rana, who also commanded the Frontier Corps from 1988 to 1990, remain, to this day, the only father and son to have commanded the Frontier Corps.
As a Lieutenant General, he commanded one of Pakistan Army's strike corps, I Corps
I Corps (Pakistan)
The I Corps, also known as I Strike Corps, of the Pakistan Army headquartered in Mangla, Azad Kashimir Province of Pakistan. Known as I Strike Corps, it is one of two strike corps within its ten manouvre Army corps...
, as its Corps Commander from 1958 to 1966. During the 1965 India-Pakistan War, Lt. Gen. Bakhtiar Rana was the only lieutenant general commanding a corps, namely 1 Corps, and he was one of only two lieutenant generals in the Pakistan Army during the war, the other being Lt. Gen. Altaf Qadir, who was on deputation to the Central Treaty Organization
Central Treaty Organization
The Central Treaty Organization was formed in 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. It was dissolved in 1979.U.S...
(CENTO).
Family
Lt. Gen. Bakhtiar Rana had two sons and one daughter. Both his sons, Ghaziuddin Rana and Salahuddin Rana, joined the Pakistan Army and rose to the ranks of Major General and Brigadier respectively. His younger son, Salahuddin Rana, also served as his Aide-de-campAide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
.
Lt. Gen. Bakhtiar Rana's sister, Begum Akhtar Sultan, was married to Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi
Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi
Rai Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi was a Manj Rajput ruler of Talwan in Jalandhar District, Punjab, British India and a military officer who became a freedom fighter in British India and a political leader in Pakistan...
and his daughter, Talat, was married to the grandson of Chaudhry Niaz Ali Khan
Chaudhry Niaz Ali Khan
Chaudhry Niaz Ali Khan , founder of the Dar ul Islam Movement and the Dar ul Islam Trust in South Asia and the Dar ul Islam Trust Institutes in Pathankot, India and Jauharabad, Pakistan, was a civil engineer, civil servant, landowner, agriculturalist and philanthropist...
.
External links
- http://www.khyber.org/pashtohistory/frontiercorps/frontiercorps.shtml
- http://afpakwar.com/blog/archives/4667
- http://www.understandingpakistan.com/index.php/pakistan-india-war-of-1965-the-ground-war-athar-osama