Akhtar Abdur Rahman

Pakistani Gunner Officer and intelligence Head (1924–1988)

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)

A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (October 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Akhtar Abdur Rahman" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

(Learn how and when to remove this message)

General

Akhtar Abdur Rahman

NI(M) HI(M) TI(M) SBt

5th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
In office
29 March 1987 – 17 August 1988
Preceded by| Rahimuddin Khan
Succeeded by| Iftikhar Ahmed Sirohey
7th Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence
In office
21 June 1979 – 29 March 1987
Preceded by| Muhammad Riaz Khan
Succeeded by| Hamid Gul
Adjutant general GHQ
In office
1977–1979
General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 12th Infantry Division
In office
1974–1977
Personal details
Born| 11 June 1924
Peshawar, British India[1](now in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)
Died| 17 August 1988(1988-08-17) (aged 64)
Bahawalpur, Pakistan
Cause of death| Plane crash
Spouse| Rashida Akhtar Khan (m. 1951 - 1988)
Children| Akbar Akhtar Khan, Humayun Akhtar Khan, Haroon Akhtar Khan, Ghazi Akhtar Khan
Alma mater| Government College University Faisalabad
Occupation| General, Army Officer, Soldier
Civilian awards| Sitara-e-Basalat
Military service
Allegiance|  Pakistan
Branch/service|  Pakistan Army
Years of service| 1947–1988[2]
Rank|  General
Unit| 45 Field Regiment Artillery (Fateh Qasar -i- Hind 1971)
Commands| 45 Field Regiment Artillery (Fateh Qasar -i- Hind 1971), Artillery Headquarters of 4 Corps, GOC 12th Army Division, Murree
DG Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
Battles/wars| Indo-Pakistan War of 1947
Indo-Pakistan War of 1965
Indo-Pakistan War of 1971
Soviet–Afghan War
Military awards| Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military)
Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military)
Sitara-e-Basalat
Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Military)

Akhtar Abdur Rahman[a] (11 June 1924 - 17 August 1988), was a Pakistan Army general who served as the 5th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1987 until his death in 1988. He previously served as the 7th Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence from 1979 to 1987. During both Indo Pak wars of 1965 and 1971, he oversaw action with his own unit 45 Field Regiment Artillery (Fateh Qasar-i- Hind 1971) in Sundra and Hussainiwala sectors respectively.

As the DG ISI, General Akhtar collaborated with the Central Intelligence Agency and masterminded the resistance network of the Afghan Mujahideen against the Soviet Union, eventually managing to force the Soviets out of Afghanistan. Due to his close friendship with President of Pakistan General Zia-ul-Haq, General Akhtar was widely considered to be the second most powerful man in the country during General Zia's eleven-year military dictatorship. He died in a plane crash which also killed General Zia and the US Ambassador to Pakistan, Arnold Lewis Raphel. After his death, his sons, Humayun Akhtar Khan and Haroon Akhtar Khan, became politicians and were eventually elected as the Members of Parliament and headed the key ministerial portfolios several times.[2][3]

## Early life and education

[edit]

Akhtar Abdur Rahman was born on 11 June 1924 in Peshawar, to a Kakazai Pashtun family.[4][2][5] Akhtar's father, Abdur Rahman Khan, was a doctor at a government hospital over here.[1] He lost his father at the tender age of four and was raised by his mother, after the family moved to East Punjab in British India. He studied at the Bishop Cotton School, Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, India,[6] before enrolling himself in the Government College University (Faisalabad) in 1941, subsequently earning a bachelor's degree in Science and Statistics[2] in 1945, followed by a Master of Science in Economics in 1947.[7]

## Military career

[edit]

### Rising through the ranks

[edit]

General Akhtar Abdur Rahman joined the British Indian Army in 1946, before becoming Captain in the Pakistan Army three years later.[7] After witnessing traumatic events during the partition, Abdur Rahman was appointed as an instructor at the Artillery School in Nowshera. Later, he was selected for an infantry training course with the British Army, and was sent on deputation to complete a course in the United Kingdom.[7] Upon returning to Pakistan, he was promoted to the rank of a major and posted as a military adviser to the East-Pakistan Army from April 1954 to October 1954.[7][8] He was later transferred back to General combatant headquarters (GHQ) as a staff officer, a position he held from April 1956 to February 1957.[7] He actively participated in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and was appointed at IV Corps as an operational field officer.[7] In the 1965 war, he gallantly defended the Lahore sector, which led to him being promoted to lieutenant-colonel, but he remained second-in-command of the artillery regiment in Lahore. After cease fire in September 1965, newly promoted Lt Colonel Akhtar commanded his unit 45 Field Regiment Artillery and moved it to Pakistani occupied territory of war in Sundra Sector where his unit 45 Field Artillery remained deployed till February 1966.[7] After the war, he was promoted to the rank of colonel, while being stationed with the IV Corps. Later, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier and transferred to the northern areas of the country, where he commanded an infantry brigade in Azad Kashmir.[7]

In 1971 Indo Pak War, just before his promotion to a Major General, he again saw his own 45 Field Regiment Artillery in action at Hussainiwala Sector where 45 Field displayed tremendous valour in achieveing a bold victory over Qasar-i-Hind Citadel. His unit 45 Field Regiment Artillery was later awarded battle honor of 'Fateh Qasar -i- Hind 1971' by Army Headquarters, as he was instrumental in capturing the Indian fortress of Qaiser-e-Hind.[9] Later he was promoted to the two-star general rank of a major-general, and served as the general officer commanding (GOC) of the 12th Infantry Division stationed in Murree. As the GOC of the 12th Infantry Division, General Akhtar was considered very close to Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and personally received him whenever he visited the command office of the 12th Division.[10][11] He did not take part in the 1977 military coup and privately opposed the martial law to remove the Prime minister Bhutto. Six months after the military coup of 1977, he was appointed as the adjutant general at the General Headquarters, which would last two years.[7] During this time, General Akhtar became aware of a conspiracy in which Lieutenant-General Faiz Ali Chishti of X Corps, a close associate of General Zia-ul-Haq, secretly became rebellious and conspired to stage a military coup in the country.[7] As early as of 1979, Akhtar received a call from General Chishti and met him at his office in Chaklala Military District (CMD).[7] At this meeting, General Chishti informed him of the conspiracy that aimed to topple General Zia-ul-Haq and sought his assistance. According to the News International's intelligence unit, Chishti was under the impression that since Akhtar had not been promoted, he would accept this invitation; especially when he was promised that after the coup worked out successfully, he would not only be promoted but would also become one of the pillars of the new regime.[7] After returning to the GHQ, General Akhtar contacted General Zia-ul-Haq and foiled the plot against Zia.[7] In June 1979 after the counter-coup had been foiled, President General Zia-ul-Haq awarded General Akhtar a promotion to Lieutenant General and appointed him Director General of the ISI.[7]

### Soviet–Afghan War

[edit]

When the Soviet Union deployed its 40th Army in Afghanistan, Pakistan's top military base led by Akhtar, believed that Pakistan would be the Soviet Union's next target. They felt that because of Pakistan's strategic location and given the fact that it had warm water ports in the Arabian Sea, it was a prime target for future invasion. Considering the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan threatened Pakistan's national security, Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, the ISI, headed by General Akhtar, started providing financial, military, and strategic assistance to the Afghan Mujahideen. The ISI received billions of dollars in military assistance from the CIA and Saudi Arabia, to train and command the Afghan rebels in a bid to defeat the Soviets. This covert operation was known as Operation Cyclone, and was executed with the CIA, providing the money and weapons, the ISI training, commanding the Afghan Mujahideen groups, and the Mujahideen conducting guerrilla warfare, ultimately leading to the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. During this time, General Akhtar developed a highly effective working relationship with key figures in the United States including CIA Director William Casey and Congressman Charlie Wilson.

While he was still DG ISI, General Akhtar's influence on Pakistan's atomic weapons program grew and he worked tirelessly to collect colleagues around him who were equally dynamic and determined to make the ISI an organization that would influence the domestic and external policies of the country. It was under him that the ISI became recognized as one of the most powerful spy agencies in the world.[7] In 1987, at the pinnacle of his career after having achieved remarkable success in the Afghan war and protecting Pakistan's Nuclear Program, General Akhtar was promoted to the four-star rank and was appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the highest ranking four-star rank in the Pakistan Armed Forces.[7]

## Death and investigation

[edit]

On 17 August 1988, General Akhtar Abdur Rahman died in a plane crash along with several other high-profile generals including Zia-ul-Haq, the sixth and current president of Pakistan at the time, and the US Ambassador to Pakistan, Arnold Lewis Raphel. General Akhtar had accompanied Zia to Bahawalpur in his C-130B Hercules presidential aircraft jet, to witness a US M1 Abrams tank demonstration. After the generals witnessed the demonstration, it was time to leave. The aircraft departed from Bahawalpur Airport and was expected to reach Islamabad International Airport after a few hours. Takeoff was smooth, but shortly after, about 2+1⁄2 minutes into the flight, the control tower lost contact with the aircraft. Witnesses who saw the plane in the air claimed that it was flying erratically and that it nosedived and exploded on impact, killing all 31 passengers on board. Shortly after the plane crash, the senate chairman, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, became president and announced General Zia's death on radio and TV. [113] There is speculation that various state intelligence agencies including the American CIA, the Soviet KGB, the Indian RAW, the Israeli MOSSAD and the Afghan KHAD (in retaliation of Pakistani support for the Mujahideen in Afghanistan), or an alliance of the four intelligence agencies along with the dissident groups in the Pakistan Army, were involved in the incident.

Not long after, a board of inquiry was set up to investigate. It concluded 'the most probable cause of the crash was a criminal act of sabotage perpetrated in the aircraft'. It also suggested that poisonous gases were released that incapacitated the passengers and crew, which explains why no Mayday signal was given.[116] There was also speculations about other facts involving the details of the investigation. Although a flight recorder (black box) was installed in the aircraft, it was not located after the crash. To this day, the cause of the plane crash remains unknown and has given a rise to many conspiracy theories.

## Personal life

[edit]

General Akhtar married Rashida Akhtar Khan in 1951 and had four children: Akbar Akhtar Khan (born 1953), Humayun Akhtar Khan (born 1955), Haroon Akhtar Khan (born 1957), and Ghazi Akhtar Khan (born 1959).

## Controversies

[edit]

### Corruption charges

[edit]

In one of the New York Times investigations,[12] General Akhtar Abdur Rahman, as the head of Pakistani intelligence agency, helped funnel billions of dollars in cash and other aid from the United States and other countries for the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan, to support their fight against the Soviet Union. The same report mentioned that a Credit Suisse account was opened in 1985, in the name of three of General Abdur Rahman's sons. Years later, the account would grow to hold $3.7 million, as what the leaked records show. According to the paper, two of the general's sons, Akbar Akhtar Khan, the oldest of General Akhtar's children, and Haroon Akhtar Khan, did not respond to the requests for comment on the reporting project. In a text message, Ghazi Akhtar Khan, the youngest of the Akhtar brothers, said the information about the accounts was "not correct," adding, "The content is conjectural." The claims remain unproven.

## Awards and decorations

[edit]

|  |  |
|  |  |
|  |  |
Nishan-e-Imtiaz

(Military)

(Order of Excellence)

Hilal-e-Imtiaz

(Military)

(Crescent of Excellence)

| Sitara-e-Basalat

(Star of Good Conduct)

| Tamgha-e-Imtiaz

(Military)

(Medal of Excellence)

| Tamgha-e-Diffa

(General Service Medal)

Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War

(War Star 1965)

| Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War

(War Star 1971)

| Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War

(War Medal 1965)

| Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War

(War Medal 1971)

Pakistan Tamgha

(Pakistan Medal) 1947

| Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-

Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam

(100th Birth Anniversary of

Muhammad Ali Jinnah)

| Tamgha-e-Jamhuria

(Republic Commemoration Medal)

1956

| Hijri Tamgha

(Hijri Medal)

1979

## Books mentioning General Akhtar

[edit]

* Fateh by Haroon-ur-Rasheed
* Silent soldier by Mohammad Yousaf
* The Bear Trap by Mohammad Yousaf and Mark Adkin
* Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile
* Ghost Wars by Steve Coll
* A Case of Exploding Mango's Mohammad Hanif
* Profiles of Intelligence by Brigadier Syed A. I. Tirmizi

## See also

[edit]

* Biography portal

* History of the Soviet Union (1985–1991)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Urdu: اختر عبد الرحمن

1. ^ a b "Gen Akhtar Abdul Rahman, the man behind the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan". 17 August 2019.
2. ^ a b c d Staff report (17 August 2010). "General Akhtar Abdul Rehman (Shaheed)". The Nation. Archived from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
3. ^ Adamec, Ludwig W. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan (4th Revised ed.). Scarecrow. p. 41\. ISBN 978-0-8108-7815-0.
4. ^ Rahi, Arwin (25 February 2020). "Why Afghanistan should leave Pakistani Pashtuns alone". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
5. ^ Shah, Mariam (12 August 2012). "An Unsung Hero of Modern History: Gen Akhtar Abdur Rehman". PKKH. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
6. ^ Ghuman, Jagmeet Y. (7 October 2009). "Bishop Cotton School Celebrates Sesquicentennial Amidst Much Fanfare". Hill Post. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Khan, Salman (17 August 2012). "General Akhtar Abdul Rahman Shaheed (1924–1988)". The News International. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
8. ^ "Humayun Akhtar Khan General Akhtar Abdur Rehman in 1955 in East Pakistan". 11 August 2010.
9. ^ The Battle of Hussainiwala and Qaiser-I-Hind: The 1971 ….
10. ^ By Humayun Akhtar Khan (9 January 2006). "Major General Akhtar Abdur Rehman with Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in Murree in 1975".
11. ^ By Humayun Akhtar Khan (9 January 2006). "General Zia – ul – Haq and Major General Akhtar Abdur Rehman with Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in Murree, 1976".
12. ^ Jesse Drucker, Ben Hubbard (20 February 2022). "Vast Leak Exposes How Credit Suisse Served Strongmen and Spies". The New York Times. NY. Retrieved 20 February 2022.

Military offices

Preceded by

Muhammad Riaz Khan

|  Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence
1979–1987  | Succeeded by

Hamid Gul

Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Pakistan

* Shariff
* Shariff
* I. Khan
* R. Khan
* Rahman
* Sirohey
* Alam
* Feroze
* Karamat
* Musharraf
* A. Khan
* Haq
* Majid
* Wynne
* Kayani
* Mahmood
* Hayat
* Raza
* Mirza

* v
* t
* e

Presidency of General Zia-ul-Haq

* 6th President of Pakistan (1978–1988)
* Chief of Army Staff (1977–1988)

Administration|

* Conservatism in Pakistan:
* Doctrine of necessity
* Provisional Constitutional Order
* Ascent by coup
* 1980 counter-coup attempt
* Islamization
* 1984 Referendum
* Islamic economics in Pakistan
* Women's rights
* Pakistan Penal Code
* Mass media industry
* Oppression
* Trial of elected Prime minister
* 1980s economic boom
* General Rahimuddin's Balochistan Governorship
* Corporatization
* 8th Amendment
* Consolidation of nuclear development
* Council of Islamic Ideology
* Anti-communism policies
* Saqi trial
* 1985 non-partisan elections
* Ojhri Cantonment disaster
* Assassination of General Zia
* 1988 parliamentary elections
* Black projects initiation
* Introduction of rock music industry
* Pakistan film industry
* Efforts against communist terrorism
* 1981 PIA hijacking
* Airports Security Force
* Anti-Narcotics Force
* Federal Investigation Agency
* DGII
* Elite Police

Personnel and Staffers|

* Gang of Four
* Muhammad Khan Junejo
* Ghulam Ishaq Khan
* Mirza Aslam Baig
* Akhtar Abdur Rahman
* Hamid Gul
* Sahabzada Yaqub Khan
* Mohammad Shariff
* Khalid Mahmud Arif
* Ghulam Jilani Khan
* Sharifuddin Pirzada
* Joanne Herring
* Munir Ahmad Khan
* Agha Shahi
* Nawaz Sharif
* Roedad Khan
* Arnold Lewis Raphel
* Mahbub-ul-Haq
* Aftab Ghulam Nabi Kazi
* Anwar Shamim
* Tariq Kamal
* Iftikhar Ahmad Sirohey
* Imtiaz Ahmad
* Rahimuddin Khan
* Zahid Ali Akbar
* Fazle Haq
* Karamat Rahman Niazi
* Charlie Wilson

National
parties|

| Allies|

* Pakistan Muslim League (Pakistan Muslim League (N))
* Jamaat-e-Islami
* Mohajir Qaumi Movement

|

Opposition|

* Pakistan Peoples Party
* Communist Party of Pakistan
* Movement for Restoration of Democracy
* Al-Zulfiqar
* Awami National Party
* Mazdoor Kisan Party
* Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)

Platform
successors|

* Pakistan Muslim League (N)
* A
* F
* J
* N
* Q
* Z
* Islamic Democracy Alliance (now defunct)

Foreign
front|

| Involvement
in events|

* Refusal to sign Non-Proliferation Treaty
* USSR's war in Afghanistan
* Subsidization of Mujahideen
* Operation Cyclone
* Divergence with Libya
* Siachen war
* Operation Tupac
* Indian allegations of aiding Khalistan movement
* Operation Samba
* Operation Brasstacks
* Co-founding SAARC
* Support for Iran during Iran–Iraq War
* Geneva Accords signing
* Theories of external involvement in Zia crash

|

Opposition|

* Pakistan Peoples Party
* Communist Party of Pakistan
* Al-Zulfiqar
* Movement for the Restoration of Democracy

Aligned entities|

* United States
* Carter administration
* Reagan Administration
* Central Intelligence Agency

* United Kingdom
* Thatcher government
* Saudi Arabia
* People's Republic of China
* Afghan mujahideen
* Iran

Opposed entities|

* Soviet Union
* KGB
* East Germany
* Stasi
* Afghanistan
* KHAD
* India
* Desai administration
* Indira Gandhi administration
* Rajiv Gandhi administration

* Category
* Portal:Pakistan

* v
* t
* e

Pakistan Army

Leadership|

* Commander-in-Chief
* President of Pakistan
* Chief Executive
* Prime Minister of Pakistan
* Parliament
* Senate Committee on Defence
* National Assembly Committee on Defence
* Cabinet Committee on National Security

| Ministries|

* Defence
* Secretary
* Defence Production

|

General Headquarters|

* Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
* Chief of Army Staff
* Chief of General Staff
* Surgeon-General
* Master-General of Ordnance
* Adjutant-General
* Engineer-in-Chief
* Surveyor-General
* Accountant-General
* Judge Advocate General
* Comptroller-General
* Quartermaster-General
* Serving Generals

Combat commands|

| Field corps|

* I Corps
* II Corps
* IV Corps
* V Corps
* X Corps
* XI Corps
* XII Corps
* XXX Corps
* XXXI Corps

|

Corps-level formations|

* Air Defence
* Strategic Forces
* Southern
* Northern
* Eastern (historical)

Special Forces|

* Army Special Services Group (SSG)
* Light Commando Battalion (LCB)
* Special Security Division (SSD)

Reserves|

* Pakistan Army Reserve
* North
* South

Administrative arms|

| Infantry regiments|

* Azad Kashmir
* Baloch
* Frontier Force
* Northern Light Infantry
* Punjab
* Sindh

|

Administrative corps|

* Armoured
* Artillery
* Air Defence
* Chaplains
* Aviation
* Dental
* Education
* Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
* Engineers
* Medical
* Military Intelligence
* Military Police
* Nursing
* Ordnance
* Remount, Veterinary and Farms
* Service Corps
* Signals

Paramilitary|

* Civil Armed Forces
* National Guard

Affiliated
organisations|

* Army Welfare Trust
* CSD Pakistan
* Frontier Works Organization
* National Logistics Cell
* Special Communications Organization

| Defence Housing Authority|

* DHA Karachi
* DHA Islamabad
* DHA Lahore

|

Fauji Foundation|

* Fauji Foods
* Askari Bank
* Fauji Fertilizer Company
* Mari Petroleum

Sports|

* Army Basketball
* Army F.C.

Education
and
Training|

| Service training|

* Pakistan Military Academy
* Parachute Training School

|

Foundation University Islamabad|

* Foundation University Medical College

National Defence University|

* Command and Staff College

National University of
Medical Sciences|

* Army Medical College
* Armed Forces Post Graduate Medical Institute
* CMH Lahore Medical And Dental College
* Wah Medical College

National University of
Sciences and Technology|

* College of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering
* Military College of Engineering
* Military College of Signals
* Pakistan Navy Engineering College
* College of Aeronautical Engineering

Other universities|

* DHA Suffa University
* HITEC University
* Lahore Garrison University
* National University of Modern Languages
* National University of Technology
* Northern University
* University of Wah
* Army Public College of Management Sciences

Preparatory colleges|

* Army Burn Hall College
* Army Public Schools and Colleges
* Cadet Colleges
* Military College Jhelum
* Military College Murree
* Military College Sui

Literature and culture|

| Books|

* A Case of Exploding Mangoes
* Crossed Swords
* The Battle for Pakistan
* Military Inc.

|

Dramatization|

* Alpha Bravo Charlie
* Burning Valley
* Private Maqbool Hussain
* Ehd-e-Wafa
* Sinf-e-Aahan

Films|

* The Glorious Resolve
* Waar
* Waar-II
* Independence
* Delta Echo Foxtrot
* Wilco

Related|

* Army Museum
* Army Institute of Military History
* Equipment
* Awards and decorations
* Women in the Pakistan Armed Forces
* Criticism of the Pakistan Armed Forces
* Defence Industry
* Cantonments
* The Establishment (Pakistan)

Category:Pakistan Army

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template