Rawalpindi conspiracy
Encyclopedia
The Rawalpindi Conspiracy (also known as the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case) was an attempted coup d'etat
against the government of Liaquat Ali Khan
, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan
in 1951. The conspiracy was the first of many subsequent coup attempts
against elected governments in the history of Pakistan. The coup was planned by Major General
Akbar Khan
, a senior commander in the Pakistani army in conjunction with other military officers and left-wing Pakistani politicians.
. Pakistan's war with India
over the territory had ended in a ceasefire in 1948 that left northwestern Kashmir in Pakistani hands, and the rest with India
. The ceasefire was deeply resented in the Pakistani military. Many regarded it as a blunder, which could allow Indian forces to strengthen their position in Kashmir and deny Pakistani forces the opportunity to completely occupy the territory. The government of Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan resisted the urgings of Pakistani commanders to launch another attack on Indian forces in favor of a more moderate policy.
, where the army headquarters were located, while the political capital of the state was in the southern city of Karachi
at the time. The civilian conspirators included leading Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz
, who was notably active in left-wing politics and sympathetic to the Communist Party of Pakistan
. Akbar Khan's wife, Naseem Shahnawaz Khan, was also believed to have motivated her husband to undertake this plot.
After an 18-month trial conducted in secrecy, Maj. Gen. Khan and Faiz Ahmed Faiz were both convicted and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. Their defence lawyer was the notable Bengali
Muslim politician Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
. When Suhrawardy became the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1957, he obtained a reprieve for most of the conspirators.
. Upon coming to power in 1971, Bhutto appointed Akbar Khan to be chief of national security. Faiz continued to publish many works of poetry, and was appointed to the National Council for Arts by the Bhutto government. Gen. Ayub Khan launched the first successful military coup against the government of President Iskander Mirza in 1958, assuming the reins of the presidency himself until 1969. Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated later in 1951, in October, in an unrelated attack by a Pashtun separatist in Rawalpindi.
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
against the government of Liaquat Ali Khan
Liaquat Ali Khan
For other people with the same or similar name, see Liaqat Ali Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan was a Pakistani statesman who became the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Defence minister and Commonwealth, Kashmir Affairs...
, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
in 1951. The conspiracy was the first of many subsequent coup attempts
Military coups in Pakistan
Military coups in Pakistan began in 1958 and number three successful attempts. There have also been numerous unsuccessful attempts since 1949. Since its independence in 1947, Pakistan has spent several decades under military rule .-1958 coup:In 1958, the first Pakistani President Major General...
against elected governments in the history of Pakistan. The coup was planned by Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Akbar Khan
Akbar Khan (Pakistan)
Major General Akbar Khan, DSO also known as Mohammed Akbar Khan, was a Pakistan Army officer who is most known as the Brigadier-in-Charge in Kashmir on the Pakistan side in Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. He also served as a commander of the Pakistan Army's division to stop the first Baloch insurgency...
, a senior commander in the Pakistani army in conjunction with other military officers and left-wing Pakistani politicians.
Causes
The main reason behind the coup attempt was the frustration and division within the military caused by Pakistan's failure to occupy the entire territory of the Himalayan kingdom of Jammu and KashmirJammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
. Pakistan's war with India
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
The India-Pakistan War of 1947-48, sometimes known as the First Kashmir War, was fought between India and Pakistan over the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu from 1947 to 1948. It was the first of four wars fought between the two newly independent nations...
over the territory had ended in a ceasefire in 1948 that left northwestern Kashmir in Pakistani hands, and the rest with India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The ceasefire was deeply resented in the Pakistani military. Many regarded it as a blunder, which could allow Indian forces to strengthen their position in Kashmir and deny Pakistani forces the opportunity to completely occupy the territory. The government of Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan resisted the urgings of Pakistani commanders to launch another attack on Indian forces in favor of a more moderate policy.
Participants
Eleven military officers and four civilians were involved in the conspiracy. The main person responsible for planning the coup was Maj. Gen. Akbar Khan, the chief of general staff of the Pakistani army. During the 1947 war, Khan had led Pakistani forces under the pseudonym of "General Tariq." He was based in the northern city of RawalpindiRawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, where the army headquarters were located, while the political capital of the state was in the southern city of Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
at the time. The civilian conspirators included leading Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was a Pakistani intellectual, poet, and one of the most famous poets of the Urdu language. He was a member of the Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind and an avowed Marxist. In 1962, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union...
, who was notably active in left-wing politics and sympathetic to the Communist Party of Pakistan
Communist Party of Pakistan
The Communist Party of Pakistan is a communist party affiliated with Communist Party of the Russia. Before the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the party had long association and ties with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ....
. Akbar Khan's wife, Naseem Shahnawaz Khan, was also believed to have motivated her husband to undertake this plot.
Exposure and trial
The conspiracy was foiled after the government was informed of the coup attempt by one of the confidantes of Akbar Khan. Government forces immediately arrested Maj. Gen. Akbar Khan and the other conspirators, including Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The army commander-in-chief, Gen. Muhammad Ayub Khan and the defence secretary Maj. Gen. Iskander Mirza had both remained loyal to the government. Ayub Khan immediately ordered the army troops to surround and take control of the army headquarters, where Maj. Gen. Akbar Khan was based. Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan announced the foiling of the coup on March 9, 1951. The government passed the Rawalpindi Conspiracy (Special Tribunal) Act to set up a special tribunal to investigate the conspiracy. A trial was held for the 15 individuals accused, namely - Maj. Gen. Akbar Khan, Air Commodore M. K. Janjua, Maj. Gen. Nazir Ahmed, Brigadier Sadiq Khan, Brigadier M. A. Latif Khan, Lt. Col. Zia-ud-Din, Lt. Col. Niaz Muhammad Arbab, Captain Khizar Hayat, Maj. Hassan Khan, Major Ishaq Muhammad, Captain Zafrullah Poshni, Mrs. Naseem Akbar Khan, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Syed Sajjad Zaheer and Muhammad Hussain Ata.After an 18-month trial conducted in secrecy, Maj. Gen. Khan and Faiz Ahmed Faiz were both convicted and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. Their defence lawyer was the notable Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
Muslim politician Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was a Pakistani-Bengali politician and statesman who served as 5th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 till 1957, and a close associate of Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan, first Prime minister of Pakistan...
. When Suhrawardy became the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1957, he obtained a reprieve for most of the conspirators.
Aftermath
Major General Akbar Khan was soon rehabilitated in Pakistani political life, becoming an adviser to Pakistani politician Zulfikar Ali BhuttoZulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
. Upon coming to power in 1971, Bhutto appointed Akbar Khan to be chief of national security. Faiz continued to publish many works of poetry, and was appointed to the National Council for Arts by the Bhutto government. Gen. Ayub Khan launched the first successful military coup against the government of President Iskander Mirza in 1958, assuming the reins of the presidency himself until 1969. Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated later in 1951, in October, in an unrelated attack by a Pashtun separatist in Rawalpindi.