Iftikhar Khan - Revision history

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	==Ayub Khans statement on Iftikhars death==		==Ayub Khans statement on Iftikhars death==
	In [[Ayub Khan]]'s book, "Friends, not masters", he says "the British were backing Major General Iftikhar and that he was short tempered and difficult to get on with.". This is also mentioned in * {{citation \|last=Abbas \|first=Hassan \|title=Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3GsBwAAQBAJ \|date=2015 \|publisher=Taylor & Francis \|isbn=978-1-317-46327-6 \|ref={{sfnref\|Abbas, Paksitan's Drift into Extremism\|~~2022~~}}}}		In [[Ayub Khan]]'s book, "Friends, not masters", he says "the British were backing Major General Iftikhar and that he was short tempered and difficult to get on with.". This is also mentioned in * {{citation \|last=Abbas \|first=Hassan \|title=Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3GsBwAAQBAJ \|date=2015 \|publisher=Taylor & Francis \|isbn=978-1-317-46327-6 \|ref={{sfnref\|Abbas, Paksitan's Drift into Extremism\|2015}}}}

	==References==		==References==
Line 63:		Line 63:

	==Bibliography==		==Bibliography==
	* {{citation \|last=Abbas \|first=Hassan \|title=Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3GsBwAAQBAJ \|date=2015 \|publisher=Taylor & Francis \|isbn=978-1-317-46327-6 \|ref={{sfnref\|Abbas, Paksitan's Drift into Extremism\|~~2022~~}}}}		* {{citation \|last=Abbas \|first=Hassan \|title=Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3GsBwAAQBAJ \|date=2015 \|publisher=Taylor & Francis \|isbn=978-1-317-46327-6 \|ref={{sfnref\|Abbas, Paksitan's Drift into Extremism\|2015}}}}
	* {{citation \|last=Jalal \|first=Ayesha \|author-link=Ayesha Jalal \|title=The Struggle for Pakistan: A Muslim Homeland and Global Politics \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=87VnBAAAQBAJ \|year=2014 \|publisher=Harvard University Press \|isbn=978-0-674-74499-8 \|ref={{sfnref\|Jalal, Struggle for Pakistan\|~~2022~~}}}}		* {{citation \|last=Jalal \|first=Ayesha \|author-link=Ayesha Jalal \|title=The Struggle for Pakistan: A Muslim Homeland and Global Politics \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=87VnBAAAQBAJ \|year=2014 \|publisher=Harvard University Press \|isbn=978-0-674-74499-8 \|ref={{sfnref\|Jalal, Struggle for Pakistan\|2014}}}}
	* {{citation \|last=Kapur \|first=Teg Bahadur \|title=Unknown Significant Facts from a Soldier's Diary \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aiBuAAAAMAAJ \|date=2004 \|publisher=Minerva Press \|isbn=978-81-7662-304-9 \|ref={{sfnref{{harvtxt\|Kapur, Unknown Sigificant Facts from a Soldier's Diary\|~~2022~~}}}}}}		* {{citation \|last=Kapur \|first=Teg Bahadur \|title=Unknown Significant Facts from a Soldier's Diary \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aiBuAAAAMAAJ \|date=2004 \|publisher=Minerva Press \|isbn=978-81-7662-304-9 \|ref={{sfnref{{harvtxt\|Kapur, Unknown Sigificant Facts from a Soldier's Diary\|2004}}}}}}
	* {{citation \|last=Singh \|first=V. K. \|title=Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cJDsk_g6tXUC&pg=PA160 \|year=2005 \|publisher=SAGE Publications \|isbn=978-0-7619-3322-9 \|page=160 \|ref={{sfnref\|V. K. Singh, Leadership in the Indian Army\|~~2022~~}}}}		* {{citation \|last=Singh \|first=V. K. \|title=Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cJDsk_g6tXUC&pg=PA160 \|year=2005 \|publisher=SAGE Publications \|isbn=978-0-7619-3322-9 \|page=160 \|ref={{sfnref\|V. K. Singh, Leadership in the Indian Army\|2005}}}}
	* {{citation \|last=Zaheer \|first=Hasan \|title=The Times and Trial of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy, 1951: The First Coup Attempt in Pakistan \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rjNuAAAAMAAJ \|year=1998 \|publisher=Oxford University Press \|isbn=978-0-19-577892-2 \|ref={{sfnref\|Zaheer, The Times and Trial of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy\|1998}}}}		* {{citation \|last=Zaheer \|first=Hasan \|title=The Times and Trial of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy, 1951: The First Coup Attempt in Pakistan \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rjNuAAAAMAAJ \|year=1998 \|publisher=Oxford University Press \|isbn=978-0-19-577892-2 \|ref={{sfnref\|Zaheer, The Times and Trial of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy\|1998}}}}

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{{Short description|Pakistan Army general (1907–1949)}}
{{Distinguish|Iftikhar Ali Khan (general)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| name = Muhammad Iftikhar Khan
| nickname = ''Ifti''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thefridaytimes.com/2019/12/27/a-1949-air-crash-that-may-have-changed-pakistans-history/ | title=A 1949 Air Crash that may have Changed Pakistan's History | date=27 December 2019 }}</ref>
| birth_place =
| death_place =
| image = Geniftikhar.jpg
| caption = Iftikhar Khan's official portrait
| allegiance = Pakistan
| branch = {{ubl|[[Pakistan Army]]|[[British Indian Army]]}}
| serviceyears = 1929–1949
| rank = [[Major General]]
| commands = {{ubl|[[7th Light Cavalry]] | 10th Division}}
| unit =
| battles = {{ubl|[[World War II]]|[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]]}}
| relations = {{ubl|[[Muhammed Akbar Khan]] (brother)| [[Muhammad Anwar Khan]] (brother)|[[Muhammed Zafar Khan]] (brother)| [[Masud Khan]] (brother)}}
| awards =
| laterwork =
}}

Major General '''Muhammed Iftikhar Khan''' (10 January 1907 – 13 December 1949) was an officer of the [[British Indian Army]] and later [[Pakistan Army]]. He was the strongest contender<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thefridaytimes.com/2019/12/27/a-1949-air-crash-that-may-have-changed-pakistans-history/ | title=A 1949 Air Crash that may have Changed Pakistan's History | date=27 December 2019 }}</ref> to succeed General [[Douglas Gracey]] as the Commander-in-Chief, but unfortunately was [[martyr]]ed in a plane crash before he took office.{{sfn|Jalal, Struggle for Pakistan|2014|p=79}}

== Early life ==
Iftikhar Khan belonged to the [[Minhas Rajput]] clan of Chakwal. His father [[Ressaidar]] Retd Raja Fazal Dad Khan was a [[Zamindar|Zamindar (landowner)]] and had served as a [[Viceroy's Commissioned Officer]] with a British Indian Army cavalry unit. Iftikhar had 9 brothers and 4 sisters. 6 (counting Iftikhar) were in the army including Major General [[Muhammed Akbar Khan]], Major General [[Muhammad Anwar Khan]], Brigadier Muhammad Afzal, Brigadier [[Muhammed Zafar Khan]], Brigadier Muhammad Yusuf Khan. The three other brothers Baqir Khan, Tahir Khan, and [[Masud Khan]] chose civilian careers.<ref>False Self: The Life of Masud Khan by Linda B. Hopkins</ref>

== Career ==
After attending the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]] Iftikhar Khan was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on the Unattached List for the Indian Army on 29 August 1929.<ref>London Gazette 30 August 1929 page 5646</ref> He then spent a year on attachment to the 2nd battalion of the Manchester Regiment.<ref>July 1930 Indian Army List</ref>

=== British Indian Army ===
He joined the Indian Army on 16 October 1930 and was posted to the [[7th Light Cavalry]].<ref>January 1931 Indian Army List</ref> He was promoted Lieutenant on 29 November 1931.<ref>April 1934 Indian Army List</ref>
He then transferred to the [[3rd Cavalry (India)|3rd Cavalry]] on 1 October 1932, a regiment which was then in the process of being Indianised.<ref>April 1934 Indian Army List</ref>
He was promoted Captain on 29 August 1938. He was appointed regimental Quartermaster from 1 August 1937 to 18 April 1938 then regimental Adjutant from 19 April 1938 to 5 August 1940.<ref>October 1937 Indian Army List</ref><ref>July 1940 Indian Army List</ref><ref>January 1941 Indian Army List</ref>

He was appointed Staff Captain on 7 August 1940.<ref>War services of British and Indian officer of the Indian Army 1941</ref><ref>January 1941 Indian Army List</ref><ref>July 1941 Indian Army List</ref>

From 17 December 1941 he was attached to the No. 2 Indian Armoured Corps Training Center.<ref>April 1942 Indian Army List</ref> By January 1943 he was a General Staff Officer Grade 2 on the staff of Headquarters Ceylon Army Command.<ref>January 1943 Indian Army List</ref>

By July 1943 he was a local Lieutenant Colonel and a General Staff Officer Grade 2 at the [[Pakistan Command and Staff College|Command and Staff College, Quetta]].<ref>July 1943 Indian Army List</ref> He was still in this role in April 1944.<ref>April 1944 Indian Army List</ref>

In early 1945 he was a temporary Major and second in command of the 45th Cavalry, a war raised armoured unit then serving in Burma, later posted to the 7th Light Cavalry as temporary Major and second in command.<ref>October 1945 Indian Army List</ref>

He was promoted to Major on 29 August 1946. He commanded the [[7th Light Cavalry]] in Japan as part of the [[Occupation of Japan|occupation forces]] from September to December 1946.<ref>We Lead. 7th Light Cavalry 1784-1990 Edited by Lt-Col C. L. Proudfoot</ref>

=== Pakistani Army ===
On the [[Partition of India|independence]] of Pakistan in 1947, he opted to join the [[Pakistan Army]]. He was quickly promoted to Major General and on 1 January 1948, assumed the command of the 10th Division.<ref>Riza, Shaukat. ''The Pakistan Army 1947-49''</ref>

He had been nominated to become the first local Commander in Chief (C-in-C) of the Pakistan Army after General [[Douglas David Gracey]]'s retirement.<ref>see page 183, The history of Pakistan Army 1947-49 by Maj-Gen Shaukat Riza</ref> He was senior to later Commander-in-Chief and dictator [[Ayub Khan (President of Pakistan)|Ayub Khan]].<ref>Shaukat Hyat Khan ''Memoirs'' Lahore, 1993, np</ref>

==Death==
Unfortunately before he could assume the post, on 13 December 1949 at 10pm PST<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/979229-air-tragedies-that-struck-armed-forces | title=Air tragedies that struck Pakistan's armed forces }}</ref> he was [[martyr]]ed along with Brigadier Sher Khan and 24 others in a [[Pakistan Airways]] [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|Dakota]] [[Aviation accidents and incidents|plane crash]].

The plane was flying from Lahore to Karachi when it crashed in Karo Jabal, near Malmari Jalalji Village, Thatta (102 Kilometers from Karachi) and several miles away from the nearest rescue base in [[Jungshahi]].

He was en route to Karachi to proceed to England for a course at the [[Royal College of Defence Studies|Imperial Defence College (IDC)]].<ref>Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 14 December 1949</ref>

==Ayub Khans statement on Iftikhars death==
In [[Ayub Khan]]'s book, "Friends, not masters", he says "the British were backing Major General Iftikhar and that he was short tempered and difficult to get on with.". This is also mentioned in * {{citation |last=Abbas |first=Hassan |title=Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3GsBwAAQBAJ |date=2015 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-46327-6 |ref={{sfnref|Abbas, Paksitan's Drift into Extremism|2022}}}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{citation |last=Abbas |first=Hassan |title=Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3GsBwAAQBAJ |date=2015 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-46327-6 |ref={{sfnref|Abbas, Paksitan's Drift into Extremism|2022}}}}
* {{citation |last=Jalal |first=Ayesha |author-link=Ayesha Jalal |title=The Struggle for Pakistan: A Muslim Homeland and Global Politics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=87VnBAAAQBAJ |year=2014 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-74499-8 |ref={{sfnref|Jalal, Struggle for Pakistan|2022}}}}
* {{citation |last=Kapur |first=Teg Bahadur |title=Unknown Significant Facts from a Soldier's Diary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aiBuAAAAMAAJ |date=2004 |publisher=Minerva Press |isbn=978-81-7662-304-9 |ref={{sfnref{{harvtxt|Kapur, Unknown Sigificant Facts from a Soldier's Diary|2022}}}}}}
* {{citation |last=Singh |first=V. K. |title=Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cJDsk_g6tXUC&pg=PA160 |year=2005 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-0-7619-3322-9 |page=160 |ref={{sfnref|V. K. Singh, Leadership in the Indian Army|2022}}}}
* {{citation |last=Zaheer |first=Hasan |title=The Times and Trial of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy, 1951: The First Coup Attempt in Pakistan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rjNuAAAAMAAJ |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-577892-2 |ref={{sfnref|Zaheer, The Times and Trial of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy|1998}}}}

== Further reading ==
* Barua, Pradeep. ''The Army Officer Corps and Military Modernisation in Later Colonial India''
* Sharma, Gautam. ''Nationalisation of the Indian Army''

==External links==
* [http://pakistanlink.org/Opinion/2005/July05/08/01.HTM The Quaid: Pakistan’s Tom Paine or Thomas Jefferson? By Mohammad Ashraf Chaudhry]

{{Pakistan Army template}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Iftikhar}}
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1949 deaths]]
[[Category:Pakistani generals]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:Indian Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:People from Chakwal District]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1949]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Pakistan]]