General Muhammad Musa Khan Hazara

General Muhammad Musa Khan Hazara  (1908–1991), was the fourth Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army (1958–1966). He succeeded Field Marshal Ayub Khan, who took over the Presidency of Pakistan in the 1958 Pakistani coup d'état. After retirement from the Pakistan Army, he served as fourth Governor of the erstwhile West Pakistan Province (1966 to 1969) and the tenth Governor of Balochistan Province (1985 to 1991). He died in office as Governor of Balochistan in 1991.

Early life and military career

He was the eldest son of Sardar Yazdan Khan, born in a Muslim, Hazara family hailing from Quetta, Pakistan. Khan was from the Sardar family of the Hazara tribe. Musa Khan was initially recruited to the British Indian Army as a 'Jawan' or Sepoy at the age of 18 in 1926. He was a "Naik" (junior non-commissioned officer) in the 4th Hazara Pioneers when he was selected to train at the Indian Military Academy in Dehra Dun as a cadet in October 1932. He was commissioned with the first batch of the cadets as a Second Lieutenant (Indian Commissioned Officer) on 1 February 1935. He was posted to the 6th Royal Battalion of the 13th Frontier Force Rifles as a Platoon Commander in 1936. He took part in the Waziristan Operations in 1936–1938 and in World War II. He was assigned to lead the 'D' Company. He was mentioned in dispatches for "distinguished services in the Middle East during the period February to July 1941" in the London Gazette 30 December 1941 as a Lieutenant & acting Major. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (Military division) in the London Gazette 16 April 1942 for "gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East during the period July to October 1941". He was then serving as a Captain and temporary Major. He was serving with the Machine Gun battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles by October 1942. Following the partition of India, he opted for the Pakistan Army in 1947.

Senior appointments

He served with distinction in the Pakistani Army and rose to the rank of the commander in chief of Pakistani Armed Forces during President Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan's regime (1958–1969). His promotion to commander-in-chief (he succeeded Field Marshal Ayub Khan) saw suppression of seniors: Major General Sher Ali Khan Pataudi, Major General Latif Khan and Major General Adam, all Sandhurst graduates of 1933.

Political career

After General Musa retired from the army, President Ayub Khan appointed him as the Governor of West Pakistan from 1967 to 1969. After serving for a few years, he retired and settled in Karachi. In 1985, appointed as the Governor of Balochistan by the then President General Zia-ul-Haq. In 1988 Governor General Musa dissolved the provincial assembly on the then Chief Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali's advice. However, the Balochistan High Court restored the assembly amid public condemnation of Governor's move. The step towards dissolving the assembly was believed to have been taken with the consent of the President and Prime.

Career with Pakistan Army

General Mohammed Musa commanded the Army in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, and had overall responsibility for operations throughout the conflict. As Army Chief, he was criticised for not anticipating an assault across the international border. However he was given credit for blunting the Indian offensive towards Sialkot during the Battle of Chawinda. He has narrated the events and experiences of the war in his book "My Version". In the book he has given accounts of the secret war that was going on in Kashmir between the two countries, long before the real war actually began.

General Muhammad Musa is the author of his autobiography, Jawan to General in which he describes his lifetime experiences from a simple foot-soldier rising to become a general.