Aboobaker Osman Mitha - Revision history

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← Older revision		Revision as of 11:40, 5 November 2022
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	{{Short description\|Pakistani general (1923–1999)}}		{{Short description\|Pakistani general (1923–1999)}}
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	[[Major General]] '''Aboobaker Osman Mitha''' {{small\|[[Hilal-e-Jurat\|HJ]] [[Civil decorations of Pakistan\|SQA TPk]]}} ({{Lang-ur\|{{nq\|ابو بكر عثمان مِٹها}}}} ;–1923–1999), popularized as '''A.O. Mitha''', was a [[Pakistan Army]] general who is considered a legend in the [[Pakistan Army]], and a "stay behind" conceptual founder of [[Special Services Group]] (SSG).<ref name="Dawn Newspapers">{{cite news\|last1=Publisher\|title=The forgotten hero\|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/826674/the-forgotten-hero\|access-date=14 October 2016\|agency=Dawn Newspapers\|publisher=Dawn Newspapers\|date=2 August ~~2022~~}}</ref> With the help from the [[United States Army\|United States]]' [[Special Forces (United States Army)\|Special Forces]], he created the [[Special Forces\|special forces]] unit in [[Cherat]], [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] in 1956.<ref>{{cite book\|last1=Mitha\|first1=A.O.\|title=Unlikely beginnings : a soldier's life\|date=2003\|publisher=Oxford University Press\|location=Karachi\|isbn=978-0-19-579413-7}}</ref><ref name="Simon and Schuster">{{cite book\|last1=Ali\|first1=Tariq\|title=The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power\|date=11 December 2012\|publisher=Simon and Schuster\|isbn=9781471105883\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SELWCgBjYSwC&q=A+O+Mitha&pg=RA1-PA1948\|access-date=14 October 2016\|language=en}}</ref>		[[Major General]] '''Aboobaker Osman Mitha''' {{small\|[[Hilal-e-Jurat\|HJ]] [[Civil decorations of Pakistan\|SQA TPk]]}} ({{Lang-ur\|{{nq\|ابو بكر عثمان مِٹها}}}} ;–1923–1999), popularized as '''A.O. Mitha''', was a [[Pakistan Army]] general who is considered a legend in the [[Pakistan Army]], and a "stay behind" conceptual founder of [[Special Services Group]] (SSG).<ref name="Dawn Newspapers">{{cite news\|last1=Publisher\|title=The forgotten hero\|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/826674/the-forgotten-hero\|access-date=14 October 2016\|agency=Dawn Newspapers\|publisher=Dawn Newspapers\|date=2 August 2009}}</ref> With the help from the [[United States Army\|United States]]' [[Special Forces (United States Army)\|Special Forces]], he created the [[Special Forces\|special forces]] unit in [[Cherat]], [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] in 1956.<ref>{{cite book\|last1=Mitha\|first1=A.O.\|title=Unlikely beginnings : a soldier's life\|date=2003\|publisher=Oxford University Press\|location=Karachi\|isbn=978-0-19-579413-7}}</ref><ref name="Simon and Schuster">{{cite book\|last1=Ali\|first1=Tariq\|title=The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power\|date=11 December 2012\|publisher=Simon and Schuster\|isbn=9781471105883\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SELWCgBjYSwC&q=A+O+Mitha&pg=RA1-PA1948\|access-date=14 October 2016\|language=en}}</ref>

	==Background==		==Background==
	Aboobaker Osman Mitha was born on 1 June 1923 at his family residence in the extremely posh [[Malabar Hill]] neighbourhood of [[Mumbai\|Bombay, British India]]. He was born into an affluent and wealthy business family belonging to the [[Memon people\|Memon community]].{{rp\|1}}<ref name="Oxford University Press, Mitha (bio), 2003">{{cite book\|last1=Mitha\|first1=Aboobaker Osman\|title=Unlikely Beginnings: A Soldier's Life\|date=2003\|publisher=Oxford University Press\|location=Karachi, Pakistan\|isbn=9780195794137\|pages=443\|edition=1st\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqfeAAAAMAAJ&q=born\|access-date=27 September 2013\|format=Digitized\|quote=He said that as a Memon he felt very proud when he heard that not only had I become a brigadier, but also had raised and commanded the only commando unit in the Pakistan army.}}</ref><ref>August 1947 Indian Army List gives DoB</ref> He grew up in a traditional Indian joint family environment, presided over by an imperious grandfather and powerful grandmother. His entire childhood and early youth was spent in tony south Bombay, he attended the elite schools and colleges there and was attended on by a retinue of servants.{{citation needed\|date=November ~~2022~~}}		Aboobaker Osman Mitha was born on 1 June 1923 at his family residence in the extremely posh [[Malabar Hill]] neighbourhood of [[Mumbai\|Bombay, British India]]. He was born into an affluent and wealthy business family belonging to the [[Memon people\|Memon community]].{{rp\|1}}<ref name="Oxford University Press, Mitha (bio), 2003">{{cite book\|last1=Mitha\|first1=Aboobaker Osman\|title=Unlikely Beginnings: A Soldier's Life\|date=2003\|publisher=Oxford University Press\|location=Karachi, Pakistan\|isbn=9780195794137\|pages=443\|edition=1st\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqfeAAAAMAAJ&q=born\|access-date=27 September 2013\|format=Digitized\|quote=He said that as a Memon he felt very proud when he heard that not only had I become a brigadier, but also had raised and commanded the only commando unit in the Pakistan army.}}</ref><ref>August 1947 Indian Army List gives DoB</ref> He grew up in a traditional Indian joint family environment, presided over by an imperious grandfather and powerful grandmother. His entire childhood and early youth was spent in tony south Bombay, he attended the elite schools and colleges there and was attended on by a retinue of servants.{{citation needed\|date=November 2020}}

	== Career ==		== Career ==

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{{Short description|Pakistani general (1923–1999)}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=May 2022}}
{{citation style|date=May 2022}}
}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
| name = Abubakar Osman Mitha
| honorific_suffix = [[Hilal-e-Jurat]]<br />[[Hilal-e-Jurat|HJ]]&ensp;&ensp;[[Civil decorations of Pakistan|SQA]]&ensp;&ensp;[[Civil decorations of Pakistan|TPk]]
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| birth_name =
| other_name =
| nickname = A.O. Mitha
| birth_date = {{birth year|1923}}
| birth_place = [[Bombay, Maharashtra]], [[British India|British Indian Empire]] (Present-day India)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1999|12|01|1923|06|01}}
| death_place = [[Islamabad]], Pakistan
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial_coordinates = 
| allegiance = {{ubl|[[British Subject]] (1923–1947)|Pakistan (1947–1999)}}
| branch = {{ubl|[[British Indian Army]] (1942–1947)|[[Pakistan Army]] (1947–1972)}}
| serviceyears = 1942–1972
| serviceyears_label =
| rank = [[Major General]]
| rank_label =
| servicenumber = 
| unit = [[Parachute Regiment (India)|Parachute Regiment]]
| commands = {{ubl|[[Special Services Group]]|[[Quartermaster general|Quartermaster General]] [[GHQ (Pakistan Army)|GHQ]]|[[Pakistan Military Academy]]}}
| battles_label =
| battles = {{ubl|[[World War II]]
*[[Burma Campaign]]
[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]|[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]|[[Bangladesh Liberation War]]}}
| awards = {{ubl|[[Hilal-e-Jurat]] '''(Withdrawn)'''| [[Civil decorations of Pakistan|Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam]]|[[Civil decorations of Pakistan|Tamgha-e-Pakistan]]| [[1939-1945 Star]]| [[Burma Star]]| [[War Medal 1939-1945]]}}
| memorials =
| spouse = 
| relations =
| laterwork =
| signature =
| signature_size =
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| module =
}}

[[Major General]] '''Aboobaker Osman Mitha''' {{small|[[Hilal-e-Jurat|HJ]] [[Civil decorations of Pakistan|SQA TPk]]}} ({{Lang-ur|{{nq|ابو بكر عثمان مِٹها}}}} ;–1923–1999), popularized as '''A.O. Mitha''', was a [[Pakistan Army]] general who is considered a legend in the [[Pakistan Army]], and a "stay behind" conceptual founder of [[Special Services Group]] (SSG).<ref name="Dawn Newspapers">{{cite news|last1=Publisher|title=The forgotten hero|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/826674/the-forgotten-hero|access-date=14 October 2016|agency=Dawn Newspapers|publisher=Dawn Newspapers|date=2 August 2022}}</ref> With the help from the [[United States Army|United States]]' [[Special Forces (United States Army)|Special Forces]], he created the [[Special Forces|special forces]] unit in [[Cherat]], [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] in 1956.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mitha|first1=A.O.|title=Unlikely beginnings : a soldier's life|date=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Karachi|isbn=978-0-19-579413-7}}</ref><ref name="Simon and Schuster">{{cite book|last1=Ali|first1=Tariq|title=The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power|date=11 December 2012|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9781471105883|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SELWCgBjYSwC&q=A+O+Mitha&pg=RA1-PA1948|access-date=14 October 2016|language=en}}</ref>

==Background==
Aboobaker Osman Mitha was born on 1 June 1923 at his family residence in the extremely posh [[Malabar Hill]] neighbourhood of [[Mumbai|Bombay, British India]]. He was born into an affluent and wealthy business family belonging to the [[Memon people|Memon community]].{{rp|1}}<ref name="Oxford University Press, Mitha (bio), 2003">{{cite book|last1=Mitha|first1=Aboobaker Osman|title=Unlikely Beginnings: A Soldier's Life|date=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Karachi, Pakistan|isbn=9780195794137|pages=443|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqfeAAAAMAAJ&q=born|access-date=27 September 2013|format=Digitized|quote=He said that as a Memon he felt very proud when he heard that not only had I become a brigadier, but also had raised and commanded the only commando unit in the Pakistan army.}}</ref><ref>August 1947 Indian Army List gives DoB</ref> He grew up in a traditional Indian joint family environment, presided over by an imperious grandfather and powerful grandmother. His entire childhood and early youth was spent in tony south Bombay, he attended the elite schools and colleges there and was attended on by a retinue of servants.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

== Career ==
===British Indian Army===
As a young man, Mitha rejected both a career in business and the bride chosen for him by his grandfather, deciding instead to embark upon a career in the army. After finishing high school he joined a pre-cadet academy, and was selected for a commission in the [[British Indian Army]]. He passed out of the [[Indian Military Academy]], [[Dehradun]], on 21 June 1942. He was granted an emergency commission in the Indian Army and appointed to the 2nd battalion [[4th Bombay Grenadiers]].<ref>October 1942 Indian Army List Most Secret edition</ref> After volunteering for the [[Indian Parachute Regiment]], he served in [[Burma]] during [[World War II]] and was dropped behind Japanese lines for high-risk operations. He was promoted war substantive Lieutenant 21 December 1942. He was granted a regular Indian Army commission on 25 May 1946 with an initial commission date of 1 June 1944 and to rank of Lieutenant from 1 December 1945.<ref>October 1946 and August 1947 Indian Army Lists</ref>

Mitha refers to the blatant racism that British officers practised against their Indian colleagues in his posthumously published book, ''Unlikely Beginnings''. He wrote, "If there were ten officers in a mess, two of them British, they would see to it that they had little, if anything, to do with their Indian counterparts".

=== Pakistani Army ===
When British India divided into the [[Republic of India]] and the [[Dominion of Pakistan]] in August 1947, Mitha opted for Pakistan. He qualified for the [[Staff College]], [[Quetta]] and served as GSO 1 in GHQ Pakistan. He describes the GHQ in [[Rawalpindi]] of the early days of Pakistan in graphic detail, with junior officers using wooden packing cases for desks and chairs and bringing their own pencils to work. Toilet paper, called "bog paper" by the British, was used to write on, as ordinary paper was just not available.

Lt Col (later Maj Gen) Aboobaker Osman Mitha held several important positions as an army officer. He was extremely hands on and leading from the front type of an officer. This made him a legend not only in the Army, but also with the [[Pakistan Navy|Navy]] and [[Pakistan Air Force|Air Force]].

In 1954, Mitha was selected to raise an elite commando unit for Pakistan Army, the '''Special Service Group (SSG).''' [[Cherat]], a hill station near [[Peshawar]], was chosen as the highly restricted site where the commandos were to be trained and based. Mitha's sole instruction to his handpicked Pakistani officers was, "Be proud of your poverty." He became a legend within the SSG, a fact attested to by SSG officers who came after he had moved on from the SSG.

He remained head of the SSG for 6 years, from 1954 to 1960. So well-received were his training and personality development skills that in 1966, he was appointed commandant of the Pakistan Military Academy. He left his mark on hundreds of young cadets when he commanded the Pakistan Military Academy from 1966 to 1968. He then commanded the 1 Armoured Division from 1968 to 1970. Then he was moved to East Pakistan.

===In East Pakistan===
In 1951, Mitha had married a Bengali Christian girl of Brahmin heritage, and this gave him a connect with East Pakistan. In 1965 he commanded an Infantry Brigade in [[East Pakistan]] and was also active there in early 1971 as Deputy Corps Commander. He was particularly active in [[East Pakistan]] in the days preceding the military action of 25 March 1971. Other generals were present in [[Dhaka]] along with [[Yahya Khan]]. They secretly departed on the evening of 25 March 1971, that fateful day after fixing the deadline for the military action. Mitha is said to have remained behind. Lt Gen [[Tikka Khan]], Maj Gen [[Rao Farman Ali]] and Maj Gen Khadim Hussain Raja were associated with the planning of the military action. Eventually their action bloodied the capital city [[Dhaka]] with the blood of thousands of residents including students, military and police personnel, politician and the general mass. Later documents regarding their action on the early hours of 26 March 1971 known as [[Operation Searchlight]] was revealed to the world.

===Betrayal by Lt Gen Gul Hassan===
Mitha was Quartermaster General at the [[General Headquarters (Pakistan Army)|GHQ]] when he was prematurely retired by the civilian Chief Martial Law Administrator, [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]], in December 1971. He was just over 48 years old at the time. Lt General [[Gul Hasan]] added Mithas name to a list of officers whose retirements were announced by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in his first speech as president on 20 December 1971, four days after the end of the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]. His sacking came as a surprise to Mitha as he had no hand in the ''Officer's Revolt'' at [[Gujranwala]] or the hooting down of General [[Abdul Hamid Khan (general)|Abdul Hamid Khan]] (Chief of Staff) at a GHQ meeting.

Perhaps the fact that Mitha's wife was a Bengali Christian woman worked to his disadvantage.

According to Mitha, the same Gul Hasan who got him sacked had saved then-Brigadier [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq]] from being sacked. Brigadier Zia was in [[Jordan]] and the year was 1971. Gen Yahya Khan received a signal from Maj Gen Nawazish, the head of the Pakistan military mission in [[Amman]], asking that Zia be court martialled for disobeying GHQ orders by commanding a Jordanian armoured division against the [[Palestinians]], as part of actions in which thousands were killed. That ignominious event is known as [[Black September in Jordan|Operation Black September]]. It was [[Gul Hasan]] who interceded for Zia and Yahya Khan let Zia off the hook.

===Honors, dishonors and death===
In the course of his military career, he was awarded the [[Hilal-i-Jur'at]], Sitara-i-Pakistan, and Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam. After retirement he was stripped of his medals and pensions without due cause, and that was quite a surprise to the public as he was never [[court-martial]]ed. But Mitha gained more popularity by this due to which he was kept under surveillance by the Bhutto Administration as he was also a hero for his juniors in the SSG. He remained under surveillance throughout the Bhutto years.

After being sacked from the Pakistani army, Mitha had a hard time finding any kind of employment. Had it not been for the generosity of a friend living in Britain, who asked Mitha to manage his farm for him in Pakistan, he would have been on the street. Mitha died in December 1999, twenty-eight years into his enforced retirement. Upon his death, one of his friends wrote to his wife:
:''At the end of a tumultuous life, all he wanted was a room to sleep in, one to write and eat in – a space to walk, reflect and gaze across the fields to the distant hills.''

== Books ==
*'''Fallacies & realities : an analysis of Lt. Gen. [[Gul Hassan Khan|Gul Hassan]]'s "Memoirs"'''
*'''Unlikely beginnings : a soldier's life'''

==Personal life==
While he was serving in the British Indian army (pre-partition), Mitha fell in love with [[Indu Mitha|Indu Chatterji]], daughter of Prof. Gyanesh C. Chatterji of Lahore [[Government College University, Lahore|Government College]]. Indu belonged to a Bengali Christian family; they were originally Bengali Brahmins but had converted to Christianity at some point. She had grown up in [[Lahore]], but the family had moved to [[Delhi]] at the time of [[Partition of India|partition]]. Her family (as also Mitha's) were strongly opposed to the marriage on grounds of culture: there were differences of religion, language, food habits and even other elements of their basic value syatems. For instance, Indu was trained in the south Indian classical dance form [[Bharatanatyam]], and after marriage, she had to give up dancing in public, because this was frowned upon in Pakistan, especially when the dancer was the wife of an army officer. Also, Indu had filmi connections - her elder sister [[Uma Anand]] was already the wife of Indian (and Hindu) film-maker [[Chetan Anand (director)|Chetan Anand]], and later in 1954, her cousin [[Kalpana Kartik]], herself an actress, would marry Chetan's brother, the famous Indian hero and heart-throb, [[Dev Anand]].

Despite all these very obvious differences, Mitha persisted in a long-distance courtship, and Indu reciprocated. That Mitha's feelings were not just puppy love but something more lasting was proved by his sheer perseverance, and four years after the young lovers' separation, Indu, much against the wishes of her family, came over to [[Karachi]] and married Mitha. This happened in 1951, and the couple had a very happy, harmonious life together. They became the parents of three daughters, two of whom turned out to be very talented classical [[Bharatanatyam]] dancers.

== Awards and decorations ==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Hilal-e-Jurat.png|width=130}}
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam (1957-76).png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Pakistan (1957-86).png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Diffa.png|width=130}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War Ribbon.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award‐star|ribbon=Pakistan Independence Medal 1947.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Republic Medal 1956 (Pakistan).png|width=130}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=1939–1945 Star.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Burma Star BAR.svg|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Ribbon - War Medal.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=QE II Coronation Medal 1953.png|width=130}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|'''[[Hilal-i-Jur'at|Hilal-e-Jurat]]'''
''(Crescent of Courage)''

'''[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|1971 War]]'''

<u>'''WITHDRAWN'''</u>
|'''[[Civil decorations of Pakistan|Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam]]'''
''(Star of the Great Leader)''

''(SQA)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Commemorative medals|Tamgha-e-Pakistan]]'''
''(Medal of Pakistan)''

''(TPk)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Tamgha-e-Diffa]]'''
''(General Service Medal)''

'''[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|1965 War]] Clasp'''
|-
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War]]'''
''(War Star 1965)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War]]'''
''(War Medal 1965)''
|'''[[Pakistan Medal|Pakistan Tamgha]]'''
''([[Pakistan Medal]])''

'''1947'''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Commemorative medals|Tamgha-e-Jamhuria]]'''
''(Republic Commemoration Medal)''

'''1956'''
|-
|'''[[1939-1945 Star]]'''
|'''[[Burma Star]]'''
|'''[[War Medal 1939-1945|War Medal]]'''
'''[[War Medal 1939-1945|1939-1945]]'''
|'''[[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal|Queen Elizabeth II]]'''
'''[[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal|Coronation Medal]]'''

'''(1953)'''
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081029150607/http://www.ndu.edu/nesa/docs/Gill%20Atlas%20Final%20Version.pdf An Atlas of the 1971 India – Pakistan War: The Creation of Bangladesh by John H. Gill]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitha, Aboobaker Osman}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:Pakistani people of Gujarati descent]]
[[Category:Memon people]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Mumbai]]
[[Category:People from Islamabad]]
[[Category:Indian Military Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Indian Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Pakistan Military Academy faculty]]
[[Category:Pakistani generals]]
[[Category:Generals of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]
[[Category:Generals of the Bangladesh Liberation War]]
[[Category:Pakistani military writers]]
[[Category:Special Services Group officers]]
[[Category:Recipients of Hilal-i-Jur'at]]
[[Category:Baloch Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Pakistani memoirists]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:20th-century memoirists]]