Zafar Muhammad Khan
Encyclopedia
Commander
Zafar Muhammad Khan (19?? - 4 December 1971) was a naval officer in the Pakistan Navy
who was the Captain
and Commanding Officer
of PNS Ghazi
during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
. The PNS Ghazi was sunk under mysterious circumstances while on a reconnaissance mine-laying mission in the approaches to the Indian port of Vishakapatnum (Bay of Bengal) and sank at about 00:10 hours. A total of 93 men, including 11 commissioned officers, and 82 non-commissioned officers lost their lives. In 1971, he was one the officer naval officers who were posthumously awarded Hilal-i-Jur'at for their actions.
in Electrical engineering
in 1956. He gained a commission in the Pakistan Navy in 1956, and was sent to Britannia Royal Naval College
at Dartmouth to take the General Naval Course (GNC). He began his active duty in 1960 when he graduated from there. He briefly served in PNS Ghazi as a Electrical Engineer Officer (EEO), and actively participated in Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
. He then participated and also served as an Torpedo officer (TO) in Operation Dwarka
on 7 September 1965. After the war, he taught electrical engineering courses as an Associate professor at the Pakistan Navy Engineering College
. He was promoted Lieutenant Commander
in 1967, and finally promoted Commander in 1971.
Four days later, he became a commanding officer of the PNS Ghazi. In late 1971, the political crisis and tensions between East
and West Pakistan
were heightened. Naval Intelligence (Pakistan Navy) realized that Indian intervention in Pakistan's affairs was inevitable. Sensing a deteriorating military scenario with the move of Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant
close to East Pakistan, the Pakistan Navy launched a covert reconnaissance mission codenamed "Operation Falcon". It was followed by deploying PNS Ghazi around the Indian peninsula from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. PNS Hangor
was deployed near the coast of West Pakistan under the command of Captain Ahmed Tasnim
.
In the night of 14 November 1971, PNS Ghazi sailed out of harbour under the command of Commander Zafar Muhammad Khan with 92 men on board. It was expected to report back to its home base on 26 November 1971. According to Naval Intelligence, two different missions were assigned to PNS Ghazi. Copies of the missions were handed over to Commander Khan, marked "Top Secret". The Operation's Commander had instructed Commander Zafar Khan not to open the files until PNS Ghazi approached Visakhapatnam port.
One of the PNS Ghazi's missions was to lay mines on Vishakapatnam Port, Bay of Bengal. Another assignment was to launch an assault on the only aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy
, the INS Vikrant. The PNS Ghazi was 400 miles off Bombay on 16 November, off Ceylon (now Sri Lanka
) on 19 November, and entered the Bay of Bengal on 20 November 1971. The PNS Ghazi had achieved the first objectives by laying the mines. On 23 November, as part of second assignment, PNS Ghazi under Commander Khan began to look for INS Vikrant. The PNS Ghazi's team concentrated on locating INS Vikrant, and increased her speed as the crew confirmed her location.
At 16:00 hours on 1 December 1971, Indian Naval Intelligence Branch deployed INS Rajput to launch an attack on PNS Ghazi. At 23:40 hours on 3 December, taking on board a pilot, INS Rajput moved through the channel to the exit from Visakhapatnam. In the night of 4 December, INS Rajput set off two depth charges, and the loud explosions were heard at the distant area, though it is still a subject of dispute. The deadly game between INS Vikrant and PNS Ghazi ended when, on 4 December 1971 at 00:10 hours, PNS Ghazi was sunk with all 93 men abroad, under unknown circumstances. 11 commissioned officers and 82 non-commissioned officers lost their lives.
The Sinking of PNS Ghazi's details and records are not fully publicly known. Pakistan and India have proposed different theories and reports. After the war, both countries concluded their investigations, not completely known to public. Pakistan had classified all the information regarding the PNS Ghazi, while the country has paid tribute to the men. Confusion remains as different military officers of both countries (involved in the conflict at that time) have put forward differing theories with their own points of view.
of the Pakistan Defense Forces. It was here that the Pakistan Navy first outlined the naval career of Commander Zafar Muhammad Khan and other officers. A well-known Pakistani actor, Shabbir Jan, portrayed the life and career of Commander Zafar Muhammad Khan.
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Zafar Muhammad Khan (19?? - 4 December 1971) was a naval officer in the Pakistan Navy
Pakistan Navy
The Pakistan Navy is the naval warfare/service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Pakistan's Navy is responsible for Pakistan's coastline along the Arabian Sea and the defense of important civilian harbors and military bases...
who was the Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
and Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of PNS Ghazi
PNS Ghazi
PNS Ghazi was Pakistan Navy 's first ever submarine, leased from United States in 1963. It saw action in the 1965 and 1971 wars between India and Pakistan. The submarine could be armed with up to 28 torpedoes and, in later years, was re-fitted in Turkey for mine-laying capability...
during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
. The PNS Ghazi was sunk under mysterious circumstances while on a reconnaissance mine-laying mission in the approaches to the Indian port of Vishakapatnum (Bay of Bengal) and sank at about 00:10 hours. A total of 93 men, including 11 commissioned officers, and 82 non-commissioned officers lost their lives. In 1971, he was one the officer naval officers who were posthumously awarded Hilal-i-Jur'at for their actions.
Naval career
Khan graduated from Karachi University with a B.Sc.Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
in 1956. He gained a commission in the Pakistan Navy in 1956, and was sent to Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
at Dartmouth to take the General Naval Course (GNC). He began his active duty in 1960 when he graduated from there. He briefly served in PNS Ghazi as a Electrical Engineer Officer (EEO), and actively participated in Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
. He then participated and also served as an Torpedo officer (TO) in Operation Dwarka
Operation Dwarka
Operation Dwarka, also known as "Operation Somnath", was a naval operation commenced by the Pakistan Navy to attack the Indian coastal town of Dwarka on 7 September 1965. This was the first use of Pakistan Navy in any of the Indo-Pakistan Wars...
on 7 September 1965. After the war, he taught electrical engineering courses as an Associate professor at the Pakistan Navy Engineering College
Pakistan Navy Engineering College
Pakistan Navy Engineering College is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is one of the constituent colleges of the National University of Sciences and Technology. It is administered by the Pakistan Navy and the campus is referred to as PNS Jauhar...
. He was promoted Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
in 1967, and finally promoted Commander in 1971.
Four days later, he became a commanding officer of the PNS Ghazi. In late 1971, the political crisis and tensions between East
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
and 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...
were heightened. Naval Intelligence (Pakistan Navy) realized that Indian intervention in Pakistan's affairs was inevitable. Sensing a deteriorating military scenario with the move of Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant
INS Vikrant
INS Vikrant was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy.Her keel was laid down on 12 November 1943 by Vickers-Armstrong on the Tyne and she was launched on 22 September 1945....
close to East Pakistan, the Pakistan Navy launched a covert reconnaissance mission codenamed "Operation Falcon". It was followed by deploying PNS Ghazi around the Indian peninsula from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. PNS Hangor
PNS Hangor
PNS Hangor was a Daphné class submarine that served in the Pakistan Navy from 1970 to 2006. She was built by France, and was a type of diesel-electric submarine class. She earned renown, when during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, she sank the Indian Navy's ASW frigate INS Khukri with two Homing...
was deployed near the coast of West Pakistan under the command of Captain Ahmed Tasnim
Ahmed Tasnim
Vice Admiral Ahmad Tasnim, HI, SJ , SBt, is a now-retired three-star naval officer who is most famous as the Commander of the PNS Hangor when it sunk the INS Khukri at 20:00 hrs on 8 December 1971 during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, off the coast of Diu, Gujarat, India.Vice Admiral Ahmad Tasnim,...
.
In the night of 14 November 1971, PNS Ghazi sailed out of harbour under the command of Commander Zafar Muhammad Khan with 92 men on board. It was expected to report back to its home base on 26 November 1971. According to Naval Intelligence, two different missions were assigned to PNS Ghazi. Copies of the missions were handed over to Commander Khan, marked "Top Secret". The Operation's Commander had instructed Commander Zafar Khan not to open the files until PNS Ghazi approached Visakhapatnam port.
One of the PNS Ghazi's missions was to lay mines on Vishakapatnam Port, Bay of Bengal. Another assignment was to launch an assault on the only aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
, the INS Vikrant. The PNS Ghazi was 400 miles off Bombay on 16 November, off Ceylon (now Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
) on 19 November, and entered the Bay of Bengal on 20 November 1971. The PNS Ghazi had achieved the first objectives by laying the mines. On 23 November, as part of second assignment, PNS Ghazi under Commander Khan began to look for INS Vikrant. The PNS Ghazi's team concentrated on locating INS Vikrant, and increased her speed as the crew confirmed her location.
At 16:00 hours on 1 December 1971, Indian Naval Intelligence Branch deployed INS Rajput to launch an attack on PNS Ghazi. At 23:40 hours on 3 December, taking on board a pilot, INS Rajput moved through the channel to the exit from Visakhapatnam. In the night of 4 December, INS Rajput set off two depth charges, and the loud explosions were heard at the distant area, though it is still a subject of dispute. The deadly game between INS Vikrant and PNS Ghazi ended when, on 4 December 1971 at 00:10 hours, PNS Ghazi was sunk with all 93 men abroad, under unknown circumstances. 11 commissioned officers and 82 non-commissioned officers lost their lives.
The Sinking of PNS Ghazi's details and records are not fully publicly known. Pakistan and India have proposed different theories and reports. After the war, both countries concluded their investigations, not completely known to public. Pakistan had classified all the information regarding the PNS Ghazi, while the country has paid tribute to the men. Confusion remains as different military officers of both countries (involved in the conflict at that time) have put forward differing theories with their own points of view.
Media
The Pakistan Navy has paid tribute to Commander Zafar and the crew of PNS Ghazi by establishing monuments of the fallen officers. In 1998, a dramatization of PNS Ghazi, as PNS Ghazi (Shaheed), was filmed, and it was financed and produced by ISPRInter Services Public Relations
Inter Services Public Relations is an administrative military organization within the Pakistan Defence Forces that coordinates military information with the media and the civil society...
of the Pakistan Defense Forces. It was here that the Pakistan Navy first outlined the naval career of Commander Zafar Muhammad Khan and other officers. A well-known Pakistani actor, Shabbir Jan, portrayed the life and career of Commander Zafar Muhammad Khan.
Honours
- PNS Zafar: Named after Commander Zafar Muhammad Khan (shaheed). The establishment was commissioned on 15 March 1974, and serves as the depot for all Pakistan Navy personnel stationed at Islamabad.
- Zafar Chowk: Named after Commander Zafar Muhammad Khan (shaheed). In order to perpetuate his memory, the naval and Islamabad municipal authorities have named the road crossing which gives access to Naval Residential Area in Islamabad "Zafar Chowk".