Farrakh Khan

Lieutenant-General Farrakh Khan (12 December 1938 – 25 June 2016), was a three-star rank army general in the Pakistan Army who was notable for his tenureship as the Chief of General Staff (CGS) at the Army GHQ from 1991 to 1994.[1]

Farrakh Khan
Farrakh Khan (1938–2016)
Birth nameFarrakh Khan
Nickname(s)Man of Steel
Born(1938-12-12)12 December 1938
Attock, Punjab, India
(Present-day in Punjab, Pakistan)
Died25 June 2016(2016-06-25) (aged 77)
CMH Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
Buried
Westridge Cemetery
Allegiance Pakistan
Service/branch Pakistan Army
Years of service1954–1994
RankLieutenant-General
Unit15th Lancers, Armoured Corps
Commands heldChief of General Staff
XI Corps, Peshawar
DG Pakistan Army Rangers
Military Secretary (Mil Secy)
GOC 6th Armoured Division
Battles/warsIndo-Pakistani war of 1965
Indo-Pakistani war of 1971
1986–87 Indian military exercise
AwardsSitara-i-Imtiaz (military)

Biography

Farrakh Khan joined the Pakistan Army in 1954, and entered the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul in 1956 where he passed out of the class of 20th PMA Long Course in 1959, and gained commission in the 15th Lancers of the Armoured Corps.:159[2] At the PMA, 2nd-Lt Khan was notable for his role as a peer leader among the military cadets, serving as their section leader.[3]

He attended the Command and Staff College in Canada, and earned master's degree from the National Defence University in Islamabad.:159[2]

During the war with India in 1965, Capt. Khan served as one of the commanding officers in the 24th Cavalry in Frontier Force Regiment. In the view of Mahmud Ali Durrani, the former NSA of Pakistan government, Capt. Khan was noted for his leadership in maintaining the performance of the tanks in the Armoured Corps and was quoted: "With an excellent commanding officer and sound senior officers, our Regiment 25 Cavalry was jelled into a highly professional force which proved its mettle in the 1965 war with India and earned the title of 'Men of Steel'."[3] He later served in the Western front of the third war with India in 1971.[3]

In 1984, Major-General Khan took over the command of the Army Rangers on Punjab section and served until 1985, when he was elevated as a military secretary at the Army GHQ in Rawalpindi.[4][5] In 1985, Maj-Gen Khan was elevated as GOC of the 6th Armoured Division in Kharian, and oversaw the combat deployment in response to the massive military exercise by the Indian Army in 1985–86.:Contents[6]

In 1988–1991, Lieutenant-General Khan was appointed as the Field Commander of the XI Corps, stationed in Peshawar.[3][5]

Chief of General Staff

In 1991, Lt-Gen. Khan was appointed as the Chief of General Staff (CGS) at the Army GHQ under Chief of Army Staff General Asif Nawaz.:970[7] After the sudden death of General Asif, Lt-Gen. Khan was one of the five most senior army generals in the race for the promotion to four-star rank.[8]

Due to his office stature of Chief of General Staff, Lt-Gen. Khan had met both the necessary seniority and profound ability to become the army chief, despite the senior most Lt-Gen. Javed Nasir who was overlooked and never considered for this appointment.[8]

His closeness and impartiality on issues between President Ghulam Ishaq and Prime Minister Sharif, Lt-Gen. Khan were eventually overlooked and subsequently superseded by retiring though junior-most Lt-Gen. Abdul Waheed Kakar for the appointment of army chief by President Ghulam Ishaq.[9] Eventually, General Kakar was appointed and elevated as four-star general in the army, and became the army chief in 1994.[9] Lt-Gen. Khan decided to serve in his capacity despite being superseded, and eventually retired in 1994, completing 40 years of military service with the army.[3]

Death

He died at the CMH (Combined Military Hospital), Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Saturday, 25 June 2016.[10] His was buried in the Army Graveyard, Rawalpindi on 26 June 2016.

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See also

References
  1. "Press Report on Chiefs of General Staff of Pakistan Army". The News Pakistan. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  2. Impact International. News & Media. 1989. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  3. Durrani, PA, Major-General Mahmud Ali (4 July 2016). "'A Farewell'". Native Pakistan. Native Pakistan, Durrani. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  4. "Welcome to Pakistan Rangers (Punjab)". Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  5. "Lt Gen Farrukh Khan passed away toda". www.facebook.com. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  6. Musharraf, Pervez (2008). In the Line of Fire. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781847395962. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  7. Jane's Defence Weekly. Jane's Publishing Company. 1991.
  8. Sehgal, Ikram. "Integrated defence command". www.sehgalfamily.com. Sehgal publications,1994. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  9. Sethi, Najam. "A true son of the soil". www.najamsethi.com. Najam Sehti, 1994. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  10. 'The News' Islamabad, Sunday, 26th June, page 3 Obituary; 'The Rawalpindi Evening Post', June 25th 2016; several news channels in Pakistan
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