Musa Khan

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**Musa Khan**

Date of Birth:	20th Oct. 1908
Date of Death:	12th March 1991
Chief of the Army Staff
Tenure Order:	4th Army Staff Chief
Held Office:	1958 - 1969
Governor:	West Pakistan and Baluchistan
Author of:	"My Version" – "Jawan to General"

General Musa Khan Hazara was the Chief of Pakistan's Army Staff. He succeeded Field Marshal Ayub Khan, who assumed Presidency of Pakistan.

He was the eldest son of Sardar Yazdan Khan, born in a Hazara family in Quetta, He used to belong to the sardar family of hazara tribe in Balochistan, Pakistan. He was a Naik (Junior Officer) in Hazara Pioneers and went to the Indian Military Academy in Dehra Dun as a cadet and graduated with the first batch of the Indian commissioned officers. He was posted to the 6th Royal Battalion,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, where he served in North Africa. He served with distinction in the Pakistani Army and rose to the rank of the commander in chief of Pakistan Armed Forces during President Mohammad Ayub Khan’s regime (1958-1969).

After Gen. 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 1987, he was once again involved in politics. He was appointed Governor of the Balochistan Province by the then President General Zia-ul-Haq. In Balochistan, Governor; General (Retd) Musa dissolved the provincial assembly in December 1988. 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 Minister.

General Mohammed Musa commanded the Army in the 1965 India - Pakistan War, and had overall responsibility for operations throughout the conflict. As Army Chief, he was criticized 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 actual began.

General Musa was a simple man. He gave his opinion, then did not make it a matter of pride and remained quiet.

General Musa Khan 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.

He died on 12 March 1991 in Quetta.