General Muhammad Ayub Khan was a visionary military officer and an influential political leader. He was the Commander in Chief of Pakistan from 1951 to 1958 and then became the second President of Pakistan in 1958.
Biography
Ayub Khan was born to a Pashtun family on May 14, 1907, in Rehana, British India. His family had a military background. His father, Mir Dad Khan, was an army officer in the British Indian Army.
Ayub Khan died on April 19, 1974, in Islamabad due to a heart attack. He wrote his biography in a diary from 1966 to 1972. The military buried him in his ancestral village of Rehana, KPK, and his tomb, which is of historical significance, is also there.
Family Background
His family belonged to a Tareen Pashto tribe. He was the eldest son of his father’s second wife, Mir Dad Khan. His family had a linear chain of military officers, which encouraged him to opt for the military as a career, so he continued the tradition.
His family included his wife Viqar un Nisa and their three children. They had two sons, Gohr Ayub Khan and Asif Ayub Khan, and a daughter, Nasim Aurangzeb. Gohar Ayub Khan remained in politics, serving many official positions. He has been a member of the National Assembly and assigned to many ministerial posts.
Education
He started schooling at a local school and then went to Aligarh Muslim University in India. First, he studied engineering but later switched to Military training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. After completing his military training, he enrolled in the British Indian Army in 1928. He played his role in Pakistan’s political landscape.
Military Journey
After joining the British Indian Army, he played a significant role in World War 2. He continued his military journey after the partition of Pakistan from the subcontinent. He contributed to the Kashmir conflict in 1948, too.
Ayub Khan became the Commander in Chief of Pakistan’s army in 1951. In 1958, he led a military coup and dissolved the civilian government of President Iskandar Mirza. Ayub imposed Martial Law and became the Chief Martial Law administrator, followed by becoming the President of Pakistan. He managed to maintain the military affairs even during his presidency. He played a significant role as a military leader in the Indo-Pak War in 1965, the second War against India. His considerable leadership roles marked his military career during critical circumstances in Pakistan.
Political Journey
His political journey and ending military career are like two twisted threads. After imposing Martial Law in 1958, he became the second President of Pakistan and remained the President for eleven years, till 1969. In 1965, the second Indo-Pak War raised consequences for Ayub’s government. He faced strong opposition and protests from rival political parties and student groups. Under tough times and pressure, he resigned on March 25, 1969. After his resignation, he lived in Pakistan. His rising power marks his political journey after his military coup, his efforts and advancement policies for Pakistan, and challenges and criticism. He has played a significant role in shaping the landscape of Pakistan.
Initiatives and Projects
Ayub Khan implemented many administrative reforms commonly called “Ayubian Development” or “Basic Democratic” programs. He established the presidential system by introducing a new constitution in 1962.
He highlighted the modernization of the country. He addressed social issues and worked for economic development. Ayub Khan introduced five-year developmental programs. His primary focus was industrialization and infrastructure development. He promoted various chemical and textile industries. He imposed a local government structure 1959, leading to a basic democratic system. He initiated land reforms, redistributing lands to landless peasants and renewing property limits and rights. He constructed the Ayub Bridge, also known as the Chenab Bridge. He introduced his foreign policy.
He emphasized education and research development and constructed many educational institutions in his era. In 1956, he established the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) to improve nuclear energy and technology.
Allegations and Death
He faced many allegations and criticism due to the authoritarian nature of his regime. The court accused him of favoring elite economic disparities. He faced criticism for his inefficient land reforms, which could have more efficiently resolved the issue of land concentration. His foreign policy faced criticism. He faced protests against him from various sectors of society, including labor unions, students and political parties. As a result, Ayub Khan resigned in 1969, resulting in the decline of his power and government.
He published his memoirs, named “Friends Not Masters”, and he passed away in 1974 in Islamabad.
Conclusion
Ayub Khan was a great reformer, a strategist and an effective communicator. Both achievements and controversies marked his era. He was a great military leader and impacted Pakistan’s economic development during his eleven years of presidency.