->CreateUserName2: Updated Citizenship & added flags

2021-12-19T19:29:17Z

Updated Citizenship & added flags

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{{Distinguish|HMS Chaudiere}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Haji Mohammad Siddique Choudri
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Admiral.HMS.Choudri.jpg
| image_size =
| smallimage = 
| alt =
| caption = Admiral HMS Choudri (1912-2004)
| order = [[Chief of Naval Staff (Pakistan)|Navy Commander in Chief]]
| office =
| term_start = 31 January 1953
| term_end = 28 February 1959
| alongside = 
| monarch =
| president = [[Iskander Mirza]] {{small|(1956–59)}}
| governor_general = [[Khawaja Nazimuddin]] {{small|(1948–51)}} [[Malik Ghulam Muhammad]] {{small|(1951-55)}}
| primeminister =
| taoiseach =
| chancellor =
| governor =
| vicepresident =
| viceprimeminister =
| deputy =
| lieutenant =
| succeeding = 
| constituency =
| majority =
| predecessor = [[Rear Admiral|RAdm]] [[James Wilfred Jefford]]
| successor = [[Vice-Admiral|VAdm]] [[Afzal Rahman Khan]]
| prior_term =
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| viceprimeminister2 = 
| deputy2 = 
| lieutenant2 = 
| succeeding2 = 
| predecessor2 = 
| successor2 = 
| constituency2 = 
| majority2 = 
| pronunciation =
| birth_name = Mohammad Siddiq Choudri
| birth_date = 1912
| birth_place = [[Batala]], [[Gurdaspur district|Gurdaspur]], [[British Indian Empire]] (Present-day [[India]])<ref name="Aqil A. Jafri pg 925">Aqil A. Jafri, ''Pakistan Chronicle'', Virsa Publications, Karachi p.925.</ref>
| death_date = {{Death year and age|2004|1912}}
| death_place = [[Karachi]], Sindh, Pakistan
| resting_place = [[List of cemeteries in Karachi|Military Graveyard]]
| resting_place_coordinates =
| citizenship = {{flag icon|British India}}[[British India]] {{PAK}}
| nationality = [[British Subject]] {{small|(1921–1947)}} [[Pakistan]] {{small|(1947–2005)}}
| party =
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| height = 
| spouse =
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| children =
| parents = 
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| education =
| alma_mater = [[Rashtriya Indian Military College]] [[Britannia Royal Naval College]]
| occupation =
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| known_for =
| cabinet =
| committees =
| portfolio =
| religion = 
| awards = [[File:Order of Pakistan.png|25px]] [[Nishan-e-Pakistan|Hilal-e-Pakistan]]
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| signature =
| signature_alt =
| website = 
| nickname = HMS Choudhir Admiral Choudhri
| allegiance =
| branch = {{navy|British India}} {{small|(1930–1947)}} [[File:Naval Jack of Pakistan.svg|22px]] [[Pakistan Navy]] {{small|(1947–59)}}
| serviceyears = 1930–1959
| rank = [[File:14-Pakistan Navy-VADM.svg|15px]][[File:US-O9 insignia.svg|30px]] [[Vice-Admiral]] {{small|([[Service number|S/No.]] PN-001)}}
| unit = Navy Executive Branch
| commands = [[Pakistan Navy#Combatant commands|Commander Pakistan Fleet]] [[Deputy Chief of Naval Staff|Deputy C-in-C (Operations)]]
| battles = [[World War II]]
*[[Pacific War]]
[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]]
| mawards = [[File:Crescent of Excellence Hilal-e-Imtiaz.png|25px]][[Hilal-e-Imtiaz]] (military) [[File:Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.png|25px]][[Order of the British Empire]]
| military_blank1 =
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}}
'''Mohammad Siddiq Choudri''' ([[Urdu]]: حاجى محمد صديق چودھری; b. 1912—27 February 2004), {{small|[[Nishan-e-Pakistan|HPk]], [[Member of the Order of the British Empire|MBE]], [[Hilal-e-Imtiaz|HI(M)]]}}, popular as '''HMS Choudhri''', was a [[Three-star rank|three-star]] rank [[admiral]] in the [[Pakistan Navy]] who was the first native [[Chief of Naval Staff (Pakistan)|Commander in Chief]] of [[Pakistan Navy]].<ref name="The Nation, Captain S. Hussain">{{cite news |last1=Hussain |first1=Captain Shahid |title=A tryst with destiny |url=http://nation.com.pk/national/23-Mar-2012/a-tryst-with-destiny |accessdate=7 November 2016 |work=[[The Nation (Pakistani newspaper)|The Nation]] |date=23 March 2012}}</ref><ref name="Navy ISPR News">{{cite web |title=Navy News |url=http://www.paknavy.gov.pk/NAVY_NEWS/navynews-octeng.pdf |website=Pakistan Navy |accessdate=18 November 2016}}</ref> He was the cousin of Dr Raees M. Mushtaq's father who is a current Senior Advocate of Pakistan and is the owner of Indus Hotel Hyderabad.

In 1953, he was appointed as second [[Commander in Chief (Pakistan Navy)|Commander-in-Chief]] after taking over the command from [[Royal Navy]]'s Rear Admiral [[James Wilfred Jefford|J.W. Jefford]], and served under two [[Governor-General of Pakistan|Governor-Generals]] from 1953–56, and then under [[President of Pakistan|President]] [[Iskander Mirza]] from 1956 until 1959.<ref name="Navy ISPR" /> He resigned from his command due to differences regarding the navy's plans of modernization and to end the [[interservice rivalry]] with [[GHQ (Pakistan Army)|Army GHQ]], [[Ministry of Defence (Pakistan)|Pakistan MoD]], and the [[Pakistani presidency|Presidency]] on 26 January 1959.<ref name="Navy ISPR">{{cite web |title=Pakistan Navy Chronology |url=http://www.paknavy.gov.pk/chron_history.html |website=Pakistan Navy |access-date=7 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029192738/http://www.paknavy.gov.pk/chron_history.html |archive-date=29 October 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> He was one of the only few military officials who resigned from their commission over the disagreement with the civilian government and was eventually succeeded by Vice-Admiral [[Afzal Rahman Khan|A. R. Khan]] on 28 February 1959.<ref name="M.A.H. Tiwana, Defence">{{cite web |last1=Tiwana |first1=Malik Ayaz Hussain |title=Pakistan: Security Concerns and the Navy|url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/april/navy.htm |website=Defence Journal |accessdate=7 November 2016}}</ref>

He died on 27 February 2004 and was buried in [[List of cemeteries in Karachi|military graveyard]] in Karachi with full military honors.<ref name="DAWN.COM">{{cite news |title=Karachi: HMS Choudri laid to rest |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/352533/karachi-hms-choudri-laid-to-rest |accessdate=7 November 2016 |newspaper=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |date=1 March 2004}}</ref>

==Biography==

===Early years and World War II===
Haji Mohammad Choudhri was born in [[Batala]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British Indian Empire|British India]] in 1912 in an [[Arain]] family<ref name="Aqil A. Jafri pg 925" /> He is the cousin of Dr Raees M Mushtaq’s Father. Very little is known about his early life which based on combined military history of [[Military history of India|India]] and [[Military history of Pakistan|Pakistan]]. As many of contemporaries in the [[British Indian Army|British Indian military]], he was educated at the [[Rashtriya Indian Military College]] and later joined the [[Britannia Royal Naval College]] in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name="Prabhat Prakashan, Katari"/>

He was among the first [[Indian people|Indians]] and first [[Indian Muslim]] to be [[Commissioned officer|commissioned]] a [[midshipman]] in the [[Royal Indian Navy]]'s Executive Branch in 1931.<ref name="Prabhat Prakashan, Katari">{{cite book |last1=Katari |first1=Admiral R. D. |title=A Sailor Remembers |date=8 May 2014 |publisher=Prabhat Prakashan |isbn=978-9-3504-8778-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=68PfDAAAQBAJ&q=Haji+Muhammad+Siddique+Chaudhri&pg=PT17 |accessdate=3 November 2016 |language=en}}</ref> On 1 September 1933, he was promoted to sub-lieutenant,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33978|supp=|page=6018|date=15 September 1933}}</ref> receiving promotion to lieutenant on 1 September 1936.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34332|supp=|page=6614|date=16 October 1936}}</ref> On 24 May 1938, he was assigned to the escort vessel HMIS ''Lawrence'' as its first lieutenant and was serving in this position at the outbreak of war in 1939; the future Indian Navy CNS [[Sourendra Nath Kohli]] served under him as a sub-lieutenant.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Navy List |publisher=HM Government |date=September 1939 |page=624 |chapter=The Royal Indian Navy - Establishments}}</ref>

He was trained as [[torpedo]] and [[Anti-submarine warfare|anti-submarine]] specialist and held various [[Military officer|officer]]'s appointments both at sea and with [[Royal Marines|land-based naval]] formations before and after the [[World War II]].<ref name="DAWN.OBITUARY WASAY">{{cite news |last1=Wasay |first1=Rear Admiral Khalid |title=Vice-Admiral Choudri |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1065704/dawn-letters-09-march-2004 |accessdate=3 November 2016 |newspaper=Dawn |date=9 March 2004}}</ref><ref name="Dawn Obituary, Askari">{{cite news |last1=Askari |first1=M. H. |title=HMS Choudri: crusader for peace |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1065671/dawn-features-29-february-2004#2 |accessdate=3 November 2016 |newspaper=Dawn |date=29 February 2004}}</ref> At the outset of the war, he saw action against the Italian ''Regia Marina'' in the Red Sea and off the Somali coasts. In 1942, he was sent to Britain where he qualified as a specialist officer in the Torpedo Branch. He then went to the United States in 1943, delivering lectures on the role of the Royal Indian Navy.<ref name="higher_rank">{{cite web |title=Higher Ranks for Indian Officers of the R.I.N. |url=http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1947-JULY-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1947-07-21_321.pdf |website=Press Information Bureau of India - Archive |date=21 July 1947 |accessdate=5 April 2020}}</ref>

On 25 March 1944, Choudhri was promoted to acting lieutenant-commander and given command of the minesweeper HMIS ''Rohilkand''.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Navy List |publisher=HM Government |date=October 1944 |page=3239 |chapter=The Royal Indian Navy - Establishments}}</ref> On 1 September 1944, he was promoted to substantive [[lieutenant-commander]], the first Indian to become a substantive senior line officer in the RIN.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37076|supp=|page=2492|date=11 May 1945}}</ref> He participated in the [[Pacific War|Pacific theatre]] against the [[Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II|Imperial Japanese Navy]].<ref name="Dawn Obituary, Askari"/> On 10 February 1945, he was promoted to acting commander and assigned to the sloop HMIS ''Godavari'' as its executive officer.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Navy List |publisher=HM Government |date=July 1945 |page=3436 |chapter=The Royal Indian Navy - Establishments}}</ref> In the 1945 Birthday Honours List, he was appointed a Member of the [[Order of the British Empire]], Military Division (MBE).<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37119|supp=y|page=2941|date=8 June 1945}}</ref> He witnessed the [[Japanese Instrument of Surrender|Japanese surrender]] in 1945 and commanded a [[Division (naval)|naval division]] that consisted of the two-ship formation that represented the Royal Indian Navy.<ref name="Dawn Obituary, Askari"/> After the war, Choudhri served on the Armed Forces Nationalisation Committee, and was promoted to acting captain in July 1947.<ref name="higher_rank"/>

In 1947, Choudhri served on the committee that was involved in the division of the RIN's assets between India and Pakistan.{{rp|54}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Roy">{{cite book |last1=Roy |first1=Vice Admiral Mihir K. |title=War in the Indian Ocean |date=1995 |publisher=Lancer Publishers, Roy |location=New Delhi |isbn=1897829116 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tqr8r7EB18wC&q=hms+choudhri++Pakistan+Merchant+Navy&pg=PA54 |accessdate=7 November 2016}}</ref>{{rp|474}}<ref name="W. W. Norton & Company"/> At the time of the [[Partition of India|partition]] of [[British Indian Empire|British India]], [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] Choudhri was the senior-most Indian naval officer. He decided to [[Pakistani citizenship|opt]] for [[Pakistan]] in [[1947 in Pakistan|1947]].<ref name="Dawn Obituary, Askari"/> He was among the first twenty naval officers who joined the [[Royal Pakistan Navy]] (RPN) as a [[Captain (naval)|captain]] with a [[service number]] PN. 0001.<ref name="Dr. KGN Kazi archives of 1950s">{{cite web |last1=Kazi |first1=KGN |title=The first few executive officers transferred to the Pakistan Navy on Partition |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/pimu/5346639918/ |website=Flickr |accessdate=2 November 2016}}</ref> He was the first most senior and the only [[Captain (naval)|captain]] in the navy in terms of seniority list provided by the [[Royal Indian Navy]] to the [[Ministry of Defense (Pakistan)|Ministry of Defense]] (MoD) in 1947.<ref name="Dr. KGN Kazi archives of 1950s" /> He did not actively participated in [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947|first war]] with [[India]] in 1947, instead he commanded a destroyer from [[Karachi]] to [[Mumbai]] to oversee the evacuation of [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|Indian emigrants]] to Pakistan.{{rp|474}}<ref name="W. W. Norton & Company">{{cite book |last1=Read |first1=Anthony |last2=Fisher |first2=David |title=The Proudest Day: India's Long Road to Independence |date=July 1999 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-3933-1898-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q9ebuSG64dkC&q=HMS+choudhri&pg=PA474 |accessdate=3 November 2016 |language=en}}</ref> In 1950, he was promoted to [[One-star rank|one-star]] rank, [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]], and appointed to serve as [[Deputy Commander-in-Chief|deputy commander in chief]] under [[Rear-Admiral]] [[James Wilfred Jefford|J.W. Jefford]].{{rp|51–52}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick">{{cite book |last1=Goldrick |first1=James |title=No Easy Answers: The Development of the Navies of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, 1945–1996 |year=1997 |publisher=Lancer Publishers |isbn=978-1-8978-2902-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6XW7kKHQeQoC&q=M.+S.+choudri+&pg=PA66 |accessdate=3 November 2016 |language=en}}</ref> Admiral [[Rear-Admiral]] [[James Wilfred Jefford|J.W. Jefford]]'s retirement was due in 1951 and favoured continuously appointing the British officers in the armed forces.{{rp|51}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/>

===Commander-in-Chief and resignation===
The [[Government of Pakistan|Pakistan government]] called for appointing a native commanders-in-chief of [[Pakistan Army|army]], [[Pakistan Air Force|air force]] and [[Pakistan Navy|navy]] and dismissed deputation appointments from the [[British military]].{{rp|82}}<ref name="Springer, Reimer">{{cite book |last1=Cheema |first1=Pervaiz I. |last2=Riemer |first2=Manuel |title=Pakistan's Defence Policy 1947–58 |date=22 August 1990 |publisher=Springer, Reimer |isbn=978-1-3492-0942-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CX6xCwAAQBAJ&q=Admiral+Choudhri&pg=PA82 |accessdate=3 November 2016 |language=en}}</ref> In terms of seniority, he was the most senior officer to be appointed as an admiral in the navy but the [[British Admiralty]] and Commodore Choudhri himself was in doubt to be appointed as commander of navy mainly because of his youth and lack of experience in [[military staff]]ing.{{rp|52}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/> [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Liaquat Ali Khan]] approved his nomination papers as navy's [[Commander in Chief (Pakistan Navy)|commander in chief]] on the condition that he would spend a year in commanding a [[Squadron (naval)|squadron]] in sea, and then attend the [[Imperial Defence College]].{{rp|53}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/> Upon returning to Pakistan in 1952 after he gained [[staff officer]] degree, he was appointed as [[Deputy Chief of Naval Staff|Deputy Commander-in-Chief]] at the [[NHQ (Pakistan Navy)|NHQ]] where he established staff corps and [[Military administration|administration]].{{rp|53}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/>

Although, the [[Pakistani government]] announced the appointment of navy's first native [[Chief of Naval Staff (Pakistan)|commander in chief]] in 1951 and Commodore Choudhri's nomination papers being approved by Prime Minister [[Liaquat Ali Khan|Ali Khan]] also in 1951, his appointment as navy's first native commander-in-chief came only in effect in 1953 with the crucial help provided from the army's [[Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army|Commander-in-Chief]] General [[Ayub Khan (general)|Ayub Khan]].{{rp|82}}<ref name="Springer, Reimer"/>{{rp|93–94}}<ref name="NYU Press, Cheema">{{cite book |last1=Cheema |first1=Pervaiz Iqbal |title=The Armed Forces of Pakistan |year=2002 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=978-0-8147-1633-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cw_gduyRv5oC&q=Vice+Admiral+choudri+1953&pg=PA93|accessdate=3 November 2016|language=en}}</ref> He was promoted as [[rear admiral]] and assumed the command of the navy with an objective of expanding navy's resources and infrastructure.{{rp|54}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/>

In 1951, Admiral Choudri decided to built the submarines and warships at the [[Karachi Shipyard|Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works]], relaying his plans to the [[Ministry of Defence (Pakistan)|Ministry of Defence]] and [[Ministry of Finance (Pakistan)|Ministry of Finance]], but was told by the civilian planners that the "[[Used good|second-hand]] ships from the [[United Kingdom]] would be better off for Pakistan", that eventually led the Navy to rely on the obsolete vessels that had to be acquire from the [[United Kingdom]].{{rp|155–156}}<ref name="Oxford University Press, Arnett, 2">{{cite book |last1=Arnett|first1=Eric H. |title=Military Capacity and the Risk of War: China, India, Pakistan, and Iran |date=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0-1982-9281-4 |page=347 |edition=1st |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eOgj3HHDnJkC&q=mansurul+haq+joined&pg=PA155 |accessdate=21 August 2017 |language=en |chapter=Arms Procurement in Pakistan}}</ref>

From 1953–56, he bitterly negotiated with the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] and [[Royal Navy]] over the acquisition of [[War ship|warship]] and made several unsuccessful attempts for the procurement of submarines imported from the [[United States]].{{rp|155}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/><ref name="Oxford University Press, Arnett">{{cite book |last1=Arnett |first1=Eric |title=Military Capacity and the Risk of War |date=1997|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0198292813|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eOgj3HHDnJkC&q=admiral+chaudhry+pakistan&pg=PA155|accessdate=7 November 2016}}</ref>{{rp|56}} In 1954, he convinced the [[United States government|U.S. government]] to provide monetary support for modernization of aging [[O and P-class destroyer|O–class]] destroyers and minesweepers, while commissioning the [[C-class destroyer (1943)|Ch–class]] destroyers from [[Royal Navy|British Navy]].{{rp|54}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/>

In 1955, Admiral Choudhri cancelled and disbanded the [[United Kingdom Armed Forces|British military]] tradition in the [[Pakistan Navy|navy]] when the [[American Navy|U.S. Navy]]'s [[Military Assistance Advisory Group|advisers]] were dispatched to the [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistani military]].<ref name="Hamid Hussain, Defence Journal of Pakistan">{{cite web |first=Hamid |last=Hussain |title=Tale of a love affair that never was: United States-Pakistan Defence Relations |url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/june/loveaffair.htm |date=June 2002 |work=Defence Journal of Pakistan |accessdate=12 February 2012}}</ref> British military tradition were only kept in the [[Pakistan Air Force|air force]] due to being under its [[Arthur McDonald|British commander]] and major staff consisting of [[Royal Air Force]] officers.<ref name="Hamid Hussain, Defence Journal of Pakistan"/> Despite initiatives, the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]]'s influence slowly vanished from the navy until the native officers were educated and promoted to flag ranks to replace the [[British Navy|Royal Navy]]'s officers<ref name="Hamid Hussain, Defence Journal of Pakistan"/>

In 1956, Admiral Choudhri sent recommendations for the construction of the seaport in [[Ormara]] and a [[Jinnah Naval Base|naval base]] that would linked the [[Sonmiani]] but it was bypassed [[Ministry of Maritime Affairs (Pakistan)|Ministry of Shipping]] that cited financial constraints.<ref name="Lt. Cdr. TA Arbab Defence">{{cite web |last1=Arbab |first1=Lt.Cdr. Tufail Akhtar |title=Pakistan Navy at the helm of new millennium |url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2000/oct/millennium.htm |website=Defence Journal |accessdate=7 November 2016}}</ref>

In 1957, he finalize the sale of [[HMS Diadem (84)|cruiser]] warship from the United Kingdom, and used the government's own fund to induct the warship that caused a great ire against Admiral Choudhri by the [[Ministry of Finance (Pakistan)|Finance ministry]] in the country.{{rp|55}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/> In 1958, he made an unsuccessful attempt induct the [[Neptun-class submarine|imported submarines]] from [[Sweden]] using the American funds that was halted by the [[United States]] and the Pakistan's own [[Ministry of Finance (Pakistan)|Finance ministry]] despite he had support from [[Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army]] [[Ayub Khan (Field Marshal)|General Ayub]].{{rp|57}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/>

In 1958, his [[NHQ (Pakistan Navy)|Navy NHQ]] staff began fighting with the [[GHQ (Pakistan Army)|Army GHQ]] staff and the [[Ministry of Defence (Pakistan)|Ministry of Defence]] (MoD) over the plans regarding the modernization of the navy.{{rp|57}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/> He was in bitter conflict with General Ayub who saw the purchase of [[HMS Diadem (84)|''PNS Baber'']] and his submarine procurement approaches had jeopardized the foreign [[Pakistan-United States military relations|military relations]] with the United States.{{rp|57}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/> The [[Ministry of Defence (Pakistan)|MoD]] did sanctioned to pay off the costly [[HMS Diadem (84)|''PNS Baber'']] but halted the crucial funds for the operations of the navy which had been assembled since 1956.{{rp|57}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/>

In another [[Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|Joint Chiefs of Staff]] meeting chaired by [[Ayub Khan (President of Pakistan)|General Ayub]] in 1958, he became involved with heated debate over the financial costs for the naval operations in deep sea.<ref name="defencejournal.com">{{cite web |last1=Hussain |first1=Hamid |title=National Security Decision Making Process |url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/march/process.htm |date=March 2002 |website=Defence Journal |accessdate=3 November 2016}}</ref> General Ayub reportedly reached out to the [[President of Pakistan|President]] [[Iskander Mirza]] and lodged a complained against Admiral Choudhri by noting the Admiral of "neither having the brain, imagination or depth of thought to understand such (defence) problems nor the vision or the ability to make any contribution."<ref name="Dawn newspapers, Ghani">{{cite news |last1=Ghani |first1=Nadia |title=Non-Fiction: The Narcissist |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/826646 |newspaper=Dawn |date=11 July 2010 |accessdate=3 November 2016}}</ref> Admiral Choudhri then was called to meet with [[Iskander Mirza|President Mirza]] to resolve the [[interservice rivalry]] between the [[Pakistan Army|army]] and [[Pakistan Navy|navy]] but it was ended with "stormy interview" with the President.{{rp|57}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/>

Upon returning to NHQ, Admiral Choudhry decided to tender his resignation to broke the [[Interservice rivalry|interservice impasse]] in protest as result of having differences with [[Pakistan Navy|Navy]]'s plans of expansion and modernization.{{rp|381}}<ref name="NYU Press, Cheema"/><ref name="Lancer Publishers, Singh">{{cite book|last1=Singh|first1=Ravi Shekhar Narain Singh|title=The Military Factor in Pakistan|year=2008|publisher=Lancer Publishers |isbn=978-0-9815-3789-4-|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wCm2DFZblOYC&q=Admiral+Choudhri&pg=PA382 |accessdate=3 November 2016|language=en}}</ref>{{rp|94}} He resigned from the [[Chief of Naval Staff (Pakistan)|command of navy]] on 26 January 1959 and cited to President: "major decision [which] have been taken with disagreement with the technical advice I have consistently tendered.... concerning the concept of our defence, the appointment of our available budget, and the size and shape of our Navy."{{rp|57}}<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Goldrick"/>

In 1958, [[Vice-Admiral]] [[Afzal Rahman Khan]], who was known to be confident of General Ayub Khan, was appointed as [[Chief of Naval Staff (Pakistan)|naval chief]] by President Mirza.{{rp|104}}<ref name="Springer, Rizvi">{{cite book |last1=Rizvi|first1=H. |title=Military, State and Society in Pakistan |date=15 May 2000 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-2305-9904-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZwGIDAAAQBAJ&q=Afzal+Rahman+Khan+admiral&pg=PA104 |accessdate=1 November 2016|language=en}}</ref>

==Post-retirement and death==

After retiring from Navy, he went on to establish [[Pakistan Merchant Navy|Merchant Navy]] and promoted civilian [[Shipping merchant|shipping trade]] throughout his life.<ref name="DAWN.COM" /> After retiring from Navy in 1959, he founded and became [[Director (business)|director]] of Pakistan Institute of Maritime Affairs (PIMA) which he remained associated with until his death in 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/spedition/2004%20year%20supp/p4.htm |title=Those who left us during 2004: HMS Choudri |work=Jang.com |access-date=18 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100520040739/http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/spedition/2004%20year%20supp/p4.htm |archive-date=20 May 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Dawn Newspapers, Cowasjee">{{cite news |last1=Cowasjee |first1=Ardeshir |title=Admiral of the Chinese fleet |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1073050 |accessdate=13 November 2016 |newspaper=Dawn |date=4 September 2005}}</ref>

He avoided [[Politics of Pakistan|politics]] and provided no commentaries on [[Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts|conflicts and wars]] with neighboring [[India]] in successive years of [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|1965]], [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|1971]], and [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1999|1999]].<ref name="DAWN.COM" /> He died of old age on 27 February 2004 and was buried in a [[List of cemeteries in Karachi|military graveyard]] in [[Karachi]].<ref name="DAWN.COM" />

In his honor, the government established the "HMS Choudhri Memorial Hall" at the [[National Defence University, Pakistan|National Defence University]] in Islamabad in 2005.<ref name="The News">{{cite news |title='Religion and state should not interfere in each other's functioning' |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/145929-Altaf-is-Indian-facilitator-Khursheed-Fazl-seeks-treason-trial-of-MQM-chief |accessdate=7 November 2016 |work=[[The News International]] |date=16 November 2008}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://forum.pakistanidefence.com/lofiversion/index.php/t27084.html Pakistani Defence Forum]
*[http://www.paknavy.gov.pk/ Official website of Pakistan Navy]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[James Wilfred Jefford]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief of Naval Staff (Pakistan)|Commander-in-Chief, Pakistan Navy]]|years=1953–1959}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Afzal Rahman Khan]]}}
{{end}}

{{Pakistan Navy Staff Chief}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Choudri, Hms}}
[[Category:1912 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:Punjabi people]]
[[Category:People from Gurdaspur district]]
[[Category:Rashtriya Indian Military College alumni]]
[[Category:Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College]]
[[Category:Royal Indian Navy officers]]
[[Category:Indian people of World War II]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies]]
[[Category:People of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]]
[[Category:Pakistan Navy admirals]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Naval Staff (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz]]
[[Category:Pakistan Merchant Navy]]

HMS Choudri - Revision history

Bot at 01:57, 25 December 2022

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->CreateUserName2: Updated Citizenship & added flags