J.F.R. Jacob
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
JFR Jacob (Jacob-Farj-Rafael Jacob) is a former governor
of the India
n states of Punjab
and Goa
and Lieutenant General (retired) of the Indian Army
. He is widely known in India as a member of the military who orchestrated behind India's successful liberation of Bangladesh
in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
. He is a former member of the Bharatiya Janata Party
.
(formerly Calcutta), West Bengal in 1923, when what is now India was part of the British Empire
. His family were Baghdadi Jews
originally from Iraq
who settled in Kolkata in the middle of the 18th century. At the age of nine he was sent to boarding school by his father, a businessman named Elias Emanuel. He was sent to Victoria Schoolin Kurseong near Darjeeling. From then on, he went home only on school holidays. He enlisted in the Indian Army at the age of 18, which was under British command at the time. His father objected to his enlisting. However, Jacob was motivated by reports of the Holocaust
of European Jewry during World War II
.
. Jacob then joined an artillery brigade that was dispatched to North Africa
to reinforce the British army against the German army under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
. The brigade arrived after the battles were over. From there, Jacob's unit was sent to Burma where he fought for three years against the Japan
ese. In the wake of Japan
's defeat, he was assigned to Sumatra
. Jacob attended and graduated from artillery schools in England
and the United States
and specialized in advanced artillery
and missiles before returning to an independent India. He was promoted to Brigadier in 1963.
During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
, he commanded an infantry
division in the Indian state of Rajasthan
, which later became 12 Infantry Division. During this period, he composed a much-praised manual on desert warfare. He became a Major General by 1967. He was appointed Chief of Staff, Eastern Command in 1969 by Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw
, the Chief of Army Staff. Jacob’s immediate superior was Lt.General Jagjit Singh Aurora
. His tactical abilities were widely regarded as "brilliant". Jacob was soon grappling with mounting insurgencies in Nagaland
, Manipur
and Mizoram
.
Jacob had said that his military career is the indelible proof of the acceptance of Indian society. That is the only way to explain how he succeeded as a young Jew and was appointed to one of the most senior command positions in the Indian Army.
Recently, he told NDTV that Indira Gandhi used the army to crush Maoists.
"In 1969 in the month of October, General Manekshaw and secretary Govind Narain
came to Calcutta to see me. We had a meeting and Manekshaw told me that the government had decided that the Army would be used to break the Naxals and it is the order of Mrs Gandhi. She had directed that the Army be used to break the Naxals." he said.
"I told Manekshaw that I need more troops. We had 20 divisions in the Naxal areas but nothing south of the Ganga. He said, 'How much troops do you need?' I said I at least need two divisions. So he said Jake I will be good to you. I will not only give you two more divisions but I will give you 40 para-brigade as well. I said give me something in writing. He said nothing in writing. Then Govind Narain turned up and said no publicity and no records. There was no disturbed area act enforced, no AFSPA enforced. We just operated within the law. I would presume you would call it aid of civil power and we had no protection," he added.
in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War
that broke out between the two countries over East Pakistan (which after the war became the independent state of Bangladesh). For his decisive role in the sweeping liberation of Bangladesh, Jacob was granted a commendation of merit.
After consulting with superior officers, he chalked out a plan for engaging Pakistan
in a "war of movement" in the difficult and swampy terrain of East Pakistan. An initial plan, given to the Eastern Command by General Manekshaw, involved a brief incursion into East Pakistan and the capture of two provinces, Chittagong
and Khulna
. Senior members of the Indian Army were reluctant to execute an aggressive invasion for fears of early ceasefire demands by the United Nations
and a looming threat posed by China
. That, together with the difficulty of navigating the marshy terrain of East Pakistan through three wide rivers, led the higher-ups to believe that the capture of all of East Pakistan was inconceivable. Jacob, however, disagreed and favored his "war of movement" plan which aimed to take control of all of East Pakistan. Jacob felt that the capital city of Dhaka
, located deep in East Pakistan, was the geopolitical center of the region and therefore any successful campaign had to involve deeper incursions into East Pakistan and the eventual capture of Dhaka. He realized that any campaign had to be successful and swift as the United Nations was pressing for a ceasefire (which would have been advantageous to Pakistan) and the Soviet Union (an ally of India at the time) were not interested in exercising their veto anymore. He realized that the Pakistani Army commander, Gen. Niazi, was going to fortify the towns and "defend them in strength". Jacob's plan was to bypass intermediary towns altogether using subsidiary tracks to get to Dhaka directly. His plan was eventually approved by the Eastern Command. The strategy would eventually lead to the capture of Dhaka, the heart of East Pakistan. The Pakistani forces would be bypassed, their communication centers would be secured and their command and control capabilities destroyed. His campaign plan would take three weeks, but was executed in two.
Jacob understood that a protracted war would not be in India's best interests. As fighting raged, he flew to Dhaka and wrested an unconditional surrender from Pakistan's military commander Lt. General A. A. K. Niazi
, who would later accuse Jacob of blackmailing him into the surrender. Jacob quotes:
The war was a significant victory for India, with nearly 90,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendering to the Indian Army.
. For many years, Jacob served as the party's security adviser and was eventually appointed the governorship of the state of Goa
, and subsequently became the governor of the state of Punjab
.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Israel
, Jacob has paid many visits to Israel. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
invited him to attend the Jerusalem 3,000 celebrations. During one visit, he contributed items of Judaica from his parent's home to the Museum of Babylonian Jewry in Or Yehuda
. His home in New Delhi
has for years been a pilgrimage site for Israeli diplomats, researchers and security officers.
he postulated of a win for Indian National Congress
as:
He supports the purchase and trade of military equipment and technology from Israel by India, particularly the purchase of Israeli "Arrow" Missiles, which he prefers over the U.S-made patriot missiles on account of the Arrows' ability to intercept enemy missiles at higher altitudes.
He remains cautious about relations between India and Pakistan in light of the Pakistani media's suggesting that military and intelligence cooperation between Israel and India, which they called a "Zionist threat" on Pakistan's borders.
He is also positive about India's recent economic growth and the capabilities of the young Indian generation. He quotes:
Lt. General Jacob is the author of the book: "Surrender at Dacca: Birth of a Nation" ISBN 984-05-1395-8.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
JFR Jacob (Jacob-Farj-Rafael Jacob) is a former governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n states of Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
and Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
and Lieutenant General (retired) of the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
. He is widely known in India as a member of the military who orchestrated behind India's successful liberation of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
. He is a former member of the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
.
Early life
He was born in KolkataKolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
(formerly Calcutta), West Bengal in 1923, when what is now India was part of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. His family were Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews, also known as Iraqi Jews, are Jewish emigrants from Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, who fled religious persecution and formed immigrant communities in their new homelands...
originally from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
who settled in Kolkata in the middle of the 18th century. At the age of nine he was sent to boarding school by his father, a businessman named Elias Emanuel. He was sent to Victoria Schoolin Kurseong near Darjeeling. From then on, he went home only on school holidays. He enlisted in the Indian Army at the age of 18, which was under British command at the time. His father objected to his enlisting. However, Jacob was motivated by reports of the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
of European Jewry during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Military career
Upon his graduation from officer's training school in 1942, he was posted to northern Iraq in anticipation of a possible German attempt to seize the oil fields of Kirkuk. He trained with Glubb Pasha's Arab LegionArab Legion
The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
. Jacob then joined an artillery brigade that was dispatched to North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
to reinforce the British army against the German army under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
. The brigade arrived after the battles were over. From there, Jacob's unit was sent to Burma where he fought for three years against the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese. In the wake of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's defeat, he was assigned to Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. Jacob attended and graduated from artillery schools in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and specialized in advanced artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and missiles before returning to an independent India. He was promoted to Brigadier in 1963.
During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
, he commanded an infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
division in the Indian state of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, which later became 12 Infantry Division. During this period, he composed a much-praised manual on desert warfare. He became a Major General by 1967. He was appointed Chief of Staff, Eastern Command in 1969 by Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw
Sam Manekshaw
Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, MC "Sam Bahadur" was a Field Marshal of the Indian Army. His distinguished military career spanned four decades and five wars...
, the Chief of Army Staff. Jacob’s immediate superior was Lt.General Jagjit Singh Aurora
Jagjit Singh Aurora
Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971...
. His tactical abilities were widely regarded as "brilliant". Jacob was soon grappling with mounting insurgencies in Nagaland
Nagaland
Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...
, Manipur
Manipur
Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...
and Mizoram
Mizoram
Mizoram is one of the Seven Sister States in North Eastern India, sharing borders with the states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur and with the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Burma. Mizoram became the 23rd state of India on 20 February 1987. Its capital is Aizawl. Mizoram is located in the...
.
Jacob had said that his military career is the indelible proof of the acceptance of Indian society. That is the only way to explain how he succeeded as a young Jew and was appointed to one of the most senior command positions in the Indian Army.
Recently, he told NDTV that Indira Gandhi used the army to crush Maoists.
"In 1969 in the month of October, General Manekshaw and secretary Govind Narain
Govind Narain
Govind Narain was governor of Karnataka and is considered one of India's most senior and respected civil servants. He was born in Mainpuri and selected as a member of the Indian Civil Service in 1939 and was home secretary and defence secretary before retirement. As Home Secretary of India, he...
came to Calcutta to see me. We had a meeting and Manekshaw told me that the government had decided that the Army would be used to break the Naxals and it is the order of Mrs Gandhi. She had directed that the Army be used to break the Naxals." he said.
"I told Manekshaw that I need more troops. We had 20 divisions in the Naxal areas but nothing south of the Ganga. He said, 'How much troops do you need?' I said I at least need two divisions. So he said Jake I will be good to you. I will not only give you two more divisions but I will give you 40 para-brigade as well. I said give me something in writing. He said nothing in writing. Then Govind Narain turned up and said no publicity and no records. There was no disturbed area act enforced, no AFSPA enforced. We just operated within the law. I would presume you would call it aid of civil power and we had no protection," he added.
Role in Bangladesh Liberation War
Lt. General Jacob gained prominent fame in India when he served as the Chief of Staff of the Indian Army's Eastern Command that defeat the Pakistani armyPakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
that broke out between the two countries over East Pakistan (which after the war became the independent state of Bangladesh). For his decisive role in the sweeping liberation of Bangladesh, Jacob was granted a commendation of merit.
After consulting with superior officers, he chalked out a plan for engaging Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in a "war of movement" in the difficult and swampy terrain of East Pakistan. An initial plan, given to the Eastern Command by General Manekshaw, involved a brief incursion into East Pakistan and the capture of two provinces, Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
and Khulna
Khulna
Khulna is the third largest city in Bangladesh. It is located on the banks of the Rupsha and Bhairab rivers in Khulna District. It is the divisional headquarters of Khulna Division and a major industrial and commercial center. It has a seaport named Mongla on its outskirts, 38 km from Khulna...
. Senior members of the Indian Army were reluctant to execute an aggressive invasion for fears of early ceasefire demands by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and a looming threat posed by China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. That, together with the difficulty of navigating the marshy terrain of East Pakistan through three wide rivers, led the higher-ups to believe that the capture of all of East Pakistan was inconceivable. Jacob, however, disagreed and favored his "war of movement" plan which aimed to take control of all of East Pakistan. Jacob felt that the capital city of Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
, located deep in East Pakistan, was the geopolitical center of the region and therefore any successful campaign had to involve deeper incursions into East Pakistan and the eventual capture of Dhaka. He realized that any campaign had to be successful and swift as the United Nations was pressing for a ceasefire (which would have been advantageous to Pakistan) and the Soviet Union (an ally of India at the time) were not interested in exercising their veto anymore. He realized that the Pakistani Army commander, Gen. Niazi, was going to fortify the towns and "defend them in strength". Jacob's plan was to bypass intermediary towns altogether using subsidiary tracks to get to Dhaka directly. His plan was eventually approved by the Eastern Command. The strategy would eventually lead to the capture of Dhaka, the heart of East Pakistan. The Pakistani forces would be bypassed, their communication centers would be secured and their command and control capabilities destroyed. His campaign plan would take three weeks, but was executed in two.
Jacob understood that a protracted war would not be in India's best interests. As fighting raged, he flew to Dhaka and wrested an unconditional surrender from Pakistan's military commander Lt. General A. A. K. Niazi
A. A. K. Niazi
Lieutenant-General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi HJ, MC,; c. 1915 - 2 February 2004), was a former three-star general in the Pakistan Army who was the last unified commander of Pakistan Armed Forces's Eastern Military High Command in East-Pakistan...
, who would later accuse Jacob of blackmailing him into the surrender. Jacob quotes:
The war was a significant victory for India, with nearly 90,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendering to the Indian Army.
Post-retirement life
He retired from the military in 1978, following 37 years of service. Jacob tried his hand in the business world, but remained in close contact with government echelons. In the late nineties, he joined the Bharatiya Janata PartyBharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
. For many years, Jacob served as the party's security adviser and was eventually appointed the governorship of the state of Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, and subsequently became the governor of the state of Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Jacob has paid many visits to Israel. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin
' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
invited him to attend the Jerusalem 3,000 celebrations. During one visit, he contributed items of Judaica from his parent's home to the Museum of Babylonian Jewry in Or Yehuda
Or Yehuda
Or Yehuda is a city in the Tel Aviv District in Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , the city had a population of 32,200 at the end of 2007.-History:Or Yehuda is located where the biblical city of Kefar Ono used to stand....
. His home in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
has for years been a pilgrimage site for Israeli diplomats, researchers and security officers.
Political career
He is a supporter of improved India-Israel relations. When the Bharatiya Janata Party became part of the ruling coalition government of India in 1998, one of their first priorities was to improve relations with Israel, with whom India has had formal diplomatic relations since 1992. In the run-up to 2004 electionIndian general election, 2004
Legislative elections were held in India in four phases between April 20 and May 10, 2004. Over 670 million people were eligible to vote, electing 543 members of the 14th Lok Sabha...
he postulated of a win for Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
as:
He supports the purchase and trade of military equipment and technology from Israel by India, particularly the purchase of Israeli "Arrow" Missiles, which he prefers over the U.S-made patriot missiles on account of the Arrows' ability to intercept enemy missiles at higher altitudes.
He remains cautious about relations between India and Pakistan in light of the Pakistani media's suggesting that military and intelligence cooperation between Israel and India, which they called a "Zionist threat" on Pakistan's borders.
He is also positive about India's recent economic growth and the capabilities of the young Indian generation. He quotes:
Lt. General Jacob is the author of the book: "Surrender at Dacca: Birth of a Nation" ISBN 984-05-1395-8.
External links
- B-R Article
- B-R Images
- Gen. Jacob
- Taking Dhaka did not figure in Manekshaw’s plans: General Jacob, The Hindu online