Muhammad Azam Khan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Food and Agriculture of Pakistan | |
| In office 16 January 1960[1] – 15 April 1960[1] | |
| President | Ayub Khan |
| Preceded by | Md. Hafizur Rahman |
| Succeeded by | K. N. Sheikh |
| 5th Governor of East Pakistan | |
| In office 11 April 1960 – 11 May 1962 | |
| Preceded by | Zakir Husain |
| Succeeded by | Ghulam Faruque Khan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Muhammad Azam Khan 1 August 1908 Mathra, Peshawar, North West Frontier Province, British India |
| Died | September 1994 (86 years old) Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Relations | Fakhar E Alam (brother) |
| Nickname(s) | Azam Khan, Governor Azam Khan |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  British Raj Pakistan |
| Branch/service |  British Indian Army (1929–1947)  Pakistan Army (1947–1962) |
| Years of service | 1929 – 1962 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General |
| Commands | 25th Infantry Brigade 10th Infantry Division 14th Infantry Division I Corps |
| Battles/wars | World War II (served in Burma Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 Lahore Operation |
Muhammad Azam Khan (1908–1994) was a senior general of the Pakistan army who was a minister under Field Marshal Ayub Khan, the first military ruler of Pakistan. Azam was the first commander of the Pakistan Army's I Corps, and was Governor of East Pakistan.[2][3]
Early life and education
Azam Khan was born on 1 August 1908 in Mathra, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, British India[4] into the family of Khan Bahadur Akram Khan, a soldier who had served in the British army and fought against the Germans in France in World War I. Azam Khan attended the Rashtriya Indian Military College then the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned a second lieutenant on the Unattached List for the Indian Army on 29 August 1929.[5][6][7][4]
Military career
Azam Khan started his career being attached to the Rifle Brigade for a year. Then he joined the British Indian Army on 1 November 1930 and was posted to the 4th battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment. He was promoted to Captain on 1 August 1938 and appointed Adjutant on 6 December 1939.[4][6] By October 1942, he was serving with 6th battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment and had attended a war time staff course.[4][8] By April 1944, he was a war substantive Major attached to the 10th Baluch Regiment.[9] He was appointed temporary Lt-Col and was the commanding officer of 9th battalion 10th Baluch Regiment from May 1945 to April 1946.[10] He was promoted to Major on 29 August 1946.[11]
He fought in Arakan, Burma in World War Two.[4] By 1947, he was an Assistant Quarter Master General. On partition in 1947 and the creation of Pakistan, he opted for the Pakistan Army.[7]
On 1 January 1948, he was appointed Brigadier and commander of the 25th Brigade.[4][12] In January 1950, he was promoted to Major General and given command of the 10th Division at Lahore, Pakistan.[4][13] Four years later he was promoted to lieutenant general.[5]
As the General officer commanding (GOC) of Lahore Garrison, he was appointed Martial law administrator in 1953 following cabinet's decision to declare martial law and request military aid to civil power following the provincial authorities loss of control as a result of the anti-Ahmadiyya 'Punjab Disturbances'.[5][14] As the GOC, he oversaw the defense of the walled old city during the Lahore riots of 1953. He quickly restored law and order in Lahore city using ruthless efficiency and determination.[15][7][14] Hailed as the 'Saviour of Lahore', he adopted very broad powers, and it is believed that the experience whetted both his conviction, and the Army's more generally, that they were better candidates to oversee administration than civilian politicians.
He later served as the 14th Division commander in East Pakistan before joining Ayub Khan's military regime. On 8 October 1958, President of Pakistan Iskander Mirza and the then Pakistan Army chief General Ayub Khan abrogated the 1956 Constitution of Pakistan and declared a nationwide Martial Law.[7] Azam Khan took command of Pakistan Army's first field corps, the 1 Corps, then based in Abbottabad and was subsequently promoted to lieutenant general.[5][4]
Political career
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He supported Ayub Khan's coup d'état in 1958 first against the elected civilian government, and then against President Iskander Mirza, an army officer. Within a few days, Ayub Khan decided that Iskander Mirza should not remain as President of Pakistan, it was Azam Khan who confronted President Iskander Mirza late at night on 26 October 1958 to convince him to resign from his office.[7] On 28 October 1958, he was made a senior Minister for Refugees Rehabilitation in Ayub Khan's administration.[1]
Rivalry against Ayub Khan
In this minister's position, he implemented a housing development in Korangi, Karachi, later named 'Azam Basti', to resettle many thousands of refugees in nearly 50,000 houses that were living in a temporary slum in Karachi. This housing project was completed in a period of 6 months on a small budget of Rupees 15 million. This successful project also endeared Azam Khan to the refugees which made Ayub Khan jealous and nervous. So Azam Khan was retired from the Pakistan Army at the age of 51, two years before the mandatory age of retirement.[14][7]
He was appointed as the Governor of East Pakistan province on 14 April 1960[4] and served in that position until May 1962.[14]
According to the Bangladeshi newspaper 'The Daily Star':
"There was more than one account as to the reasons for his appointment. The best known version was that the then President Ayub Khan had wanted the most dynamic and effective person for the job, and Azam Khan had the well-deserved reputation of getting things done".[14]
Another version for this appointment was simpler; Ayub Khan wanted Azam Khan some distance away from the seat of government in Karachi at that time, and perceived him as his own rival for power.[14]
He was a well-liked governor in East Pakistan. "Azam Khan acquired the love and respect of the people of East Pakistan by his personal behaviour and free mixing with all classes of people."[5][14]
There were reported rumors back then that president Ayub Khan was upset by the great popularity of the governor and felt threatened by it. Ayub Khan saw him as his potential rival of the future.[2][14]
Azam Khan, as governor in East Pakistan, adopted a policy of reconciliation and confidence-building with the local politicians and student leaders. He even went to the extent of releasing Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, a major political opponent of the Ayub regime.[7] President Ayub Khan retaliated against Governor Azam Khan by recalling the East Pakistan chief secretary Syed Hashim Raza against the wishes of the governor. When it was clear that Azam Khan no longer enjoyed the confidence of President Ayub Khan, Azam Khan resigned the governorship in April 1962. He then came back to West Pakistan to settle down in Lahore and also started taking interest in opposition politics.[7]
He established the Graphic Arts Institute in Dacca in 1957.[16][4]
During the 1965 Pakistani presidential election, Azam Khan "supported the presidential candidacy of Fatima Jinnah" and continued to work strongly against Ayub Khan until after the latter's ouster. Azam Khan had vigorously campaigned for Fatima Jinnah before the election, but after her defeat, he felt dejected and withdrew from public life and active politics.[7][17]
In 1975, under Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's regime, Bangladesh and Pakistan decided to somewhat normalize their relations and exchange ambassadors. Azam Khan was offered the ambassadorship to Dacca by the Bhutto regime which he declined.[14]
President of Pakistan Olympic Association
Lieutenant General Azam Khan served as the President, Pakistan Olympic Association from 16 November 1958 to 22 September 1963.[18]
Death and legacy
He died in Lahore, Pakistan in September 1994 at age 86.[5][7][4]
Azam Khan, as many people often said that knew him, was above all a soldier that tried to serve his country the best he could.[14] Azam Khan served as a governor a brief period of two years, in which he made frequent visits to far flung towns and villages of East Pakistan and won the hearts and minds of the people there through his loving nature. He reportedly interacted with the common man to understand his problems.[4]
References
- ^ a b c "Presidential Cabinet of General Mohammad Ayub Khan (1958-1960)" (PDF). Government of Pakistan website. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ^ a b Khalid Chaudhry (17 May 2012). "Learning from Gen Azam's example (Popularity of General Azam Khan in East Pakistan in the 1960s)". Dawn newspaper. Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ "Bangabhaban - The President's House of Bangladesh - Pakistan Period Governors". Bhangabhabhan - Government of Bangladesh website. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Hassan Javaid (April 2001). "Azam Khan of East Pakistan (profile)" (PDF). Army Institute of Military History website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "Khan, Lt. General Mohammad Azam profile". Banglapedia website. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ^ a b April 1940 Indian Army List
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Yusuf Zaman (18 May 2022). "Lt General Azam Khan As People's Governor". The Friday Times newspaper. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ October 1942 Most secret edition Indian Army List
- ^ April 1944 Indian Army List
- ^ History of The Baloch Regiment 1939-1946 by Major-General Rafiuudin Ahmed, p256
- ^ April 1947 Army List
- ^ The Pakistan Army 1947-49 by Major-General Shaukat Riza, p179
- ^ The Pakistan Army 1947-49 by Major-General Shaukat Riza, p183
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Remembering Lt. Gen. Azam Khan". The Daily Star newspaper of Bangladesh. 7 October 2010. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
- ^ "General Azam Khan's role in 1953 Lahore riots". Dawn newspaper. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ "Graphic Arts Institute". Banglapedia. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- ^ Baxter, Craig; Syedur Rahman; Syedur Rahman (2003). Historical dictionary of Bangladesh. Scarecrow Press. p. 49. ISBN 9780810848634.
- ^ "Gen Arif elected POA (Pakistan Olympic Association) president unopposed (scroll down to BOTTOM to read List of Presidents)". Dawn newspaper. 12 March 2004. Archived from the original on 18 October 2006. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
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