Habib ur Rahman (Indian National Army officer): Difference between revisions

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'''Habib ur Rahman''' (1913–1978) was an [[Indian independence movement|Indian nationalist]] during British colonial rule of India, and an officer in the [[Indian National Army]] (INA) who was charged with "waging war against His Majesty the King Emperor". He served as [[Subhas Chandra Bose]]'s chief of staff in Singapore, and accompanied Bose on his last fatal flight from Taipei to Tokyo, sharing the last moments of his life.{{sfn|Bose, His Majesty's Opponent|2011|pp=302–303}}  

Rahman also played an important role in the [[First Kashmir War]]. Convinced that Maharaja [[Hari Singh]] was out to exterminate the Muslims of [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], he joined Major General [[Zaman Kiani]], in launching a rebellion against the Maharaja from [[Gujrat City|Gujrat]] in [[Punjab, Pakistan|Pakistani Punjab]].{{sfn|Bose, His Majesty's Opponent|2011|pp=324}}<ref>{{harvnb|Zaheer, The Times and Trial of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy|1998|p=113}}; {{harvnb|Zaheer, The Times and Trial of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy|2007|pp=145–146}}: "GHQ Azad, originally called the Planning Cell, was created in October [1947] and located in Rampiari Palace, Gujrat. It was headed by Major General M. Z. Kiani, who was designated C-in-C Azad Kashmir Forces, and manned by Brigadier Habibur Rehman as the Chief of Staff, and other senior officers."</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Suharwardy, Tragedy in Kashmir|1983|pp=140–141}}: "Habibur Rehman was already apprehensive of the dark designs of the Dogras and wanted to do something. He was in possession of reliable information from a relative, Captain Afzal, that the Dogra Commander of the Brigade at Nowshera had received secret instructions from the Maharaja to clear the border belt of Muslims.... Yet he did not lose courage and collected a band of dedicated men from Bhiring village of Bhimber tehsil and other areas inhabited by ex-servicemen.... armed with Frontier-made rifles, Habibur Rehman wanted to push out the Dogra garrison at Bhimber town..."</ref> Rehman and his volunteer force launched an attack on the [[Bhimber]] town.<ref>Nazir Salehria, retired Pakistani Army officer, in {{harvnb|ISPR, Defence and Media|1991|p=127}}: "Brigadier Habib ur Rehman organised us into a regular force and 15 Azad Kashmir battalion was raised. Unfortunately this battalion has not been mentioned anywhere."</ref> But, the records of the [[11th Cavalry (Frontier Force)|11th Cavalry]] of the Pakistan Army indicate that their efforts did not succeed, and eventually the Cavalry was responsible for conquering Bhimber.{{sfn|Effendi, Punjab Cavalry|2007|p=156}}

Habib ur Rahman, son of Raja Manzoor Ahmad Khan was born in the village of [[Panjeri]], [[Bhimber]] district in [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] on 22 December 1913.<ref>July 1938 Indian Army List</ref> He was educated in schools in Panjeri and went to obtain graduation in [[Jammu]]. Afterwards, Rahman was enrolled at the [[Rashtriya Indian Military College|Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College]], [[Dehradun]] and subsequently the [[Indian Military Academy]].{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

Khan was the only Indian accompanying [[Subhas Chandra Bose]] and thus the only Indian witness at the time of his [[Death of Subhas Chandra Bose | death]] in a plane crash in [[Taihoku]] on 18 August 1945. Khan was taken prisoner by Allied forces and at the end repatriated to India. Several committees have been set up by the Government of India to probe into this matter.

In 1956, the government constituted a committee to look into the circumstances around [[Subhas Chandra Bose]]'s death. Major General, Shah Nawaz Khan, headed the committee, whose members included [[Suresh Chandra Bose]]. The Committee began its work in April 1956 and concluded four months later when two members of the Committee, Shah Nawaz Khan and S. N. Maitra said that Netaji had indeed died in the air crash at Taihoku (Japanese for Taipei) in Formosa (now Taiwan), on 18 August 1945. They stated that his ashes were kept in Japan's [[Renkoji Temple]] and should be reinstated to India. The third member, Suresh Chandra Bose, submitted a separate report of dissent, saying that there was no air crash at all. The Government of India accepted the majority decision.

A ''GHQ Azad'' (General Headquarters of Azad Kashmir) was formed in [[Gujrat, Pakistan|Gujrat]], Pakistan, with General [[Zaman Kiani]] as the commander-in-chief and Habib ur Rahman as the chief of staff.{{sfnp|Zaheer, The Times and Trial of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy|2007|pp=145–146}}

Following the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]], Rahman joined the [[Central Superior Services of Pakistan]]. He worked in several positions such as the Deputy Commissioner of [[Bannu]], Chief Administrator of [[Northern Areas]] (Gilgit-Baltistan), Additional Defence Secretary in the [[Government of Pakistan]], and as a member of the [[Azad Kashmir]] Council.

In recognition of his contribution to the "independence movement" the [[Azad Jammu and Kashmir]] Government awarded Rahman the following honours:

* {{citation |last=Bose |first=Sugata |title=His Majesty’s Opponent |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g-pfHRAD03AC&pg=PA324 |year=2011 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-04754-9 |ref={{sfnref|Bose, His Majesty's Opponent|2011}}}}

* {{citation |last=Effendi |first=Col. M. Y. |title=Punjab Cavalry: Evolution, Role, Organisation and Tactical Doctrine 11 Cavalry, Frontier Force, 1849-1971 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MeXeAAAAMAAJ |year=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Karachi |ISBN=978-0-19-547203-5 |ref={{sfnref|Effendi, Punjab Cavalry|2007}}}}

* {{citation |last=Zaheer |first=Hasan |title=The Times and Trial of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy, 1951: The First Coup Attempt in Pakistan |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |ISBN=978-0-19-577892-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rjNuAAAAMAAJ |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 |year=2007 |publisher=Sang-e-Meel Publishers |orig-year=first published by Oxford University Press Pakistan in 1998 |ISBN=969-35-1992-2 |ref={{sfnref|Zaheer, The Times and Trial of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy|2007}}}}

[[Category:History of Azad Kashmir]]