Muhammad Anwar Khan
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Raja Muhammad Anwar Khan was the Pakistan army
engineer officer
and the first engineer in Chief
of the Pakistan Army
. He was the first Muslim to be an officer in the Indian Corps of Engineers.
Rajput
clan from Chakwal. The Mair Minhas tribe has a long martial tradition which has continued into modern times. Muslim Minhas Rajputs, being recognised in history as the warrior aristocracy, prior to this they were designated by the British Empire
as a Martial Race
and recruited into the Imperial Army.
; Khan was inherited Pakistan Army
after the creation of Pakistan
. He was one of the early engineer officers at the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers
where he also completed his B.Sc. in structural engineering
at the Pakistan Military Academy
.
Anwar Khan brothers (in total he had seven brothers) joined the Army and became officers. His elder brother, Muhammed Akbar Khan
was the first Indian Muslim to become a General in the British Indian Army. His brother, Brigadier Muhammed Zafar Khan
was the first Indian Commander of Cavalry and his brother Major General
Muhammed Iftikhar Khan
was an officer inherited by the Pakistan Army from British India. He had been nominated to become the first local Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Army after General Douglas David Gracey
's retirement. However, his death in a tragic plane crash in 1949 was a disaster for the newly formed country. Two younger brother's Brigadier M.Afzal Khan and Brigadier M.Yusaf Khan were among the senior commanders of army like the elder ones .All served with a distinguished service including World war II.
Pakistan 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...
engineer officer
Engineer Officer
An Engineer Officer is one type of officer in the UK Royal Navy. There are also Warfare Officers and Logistics Officers supported by additional branches such as Medical or Dental Officers, or the Chaplaincy Service....
and the first engineer in Chief
Engineer-in-Chief (Pakistan Army)
Engineer-in-Chief or E-in-C, is a Colonel Commandant of the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers, Frontier Works Organisation and the Military Engineering Services of Pakistan...
of the Pakistan Army
Pakistan 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...
. He was the first Muslim to be an officer in the Indian Corps of Engineers.
Ethnicity
Khan belonged to the Mair-MinhasMinhas
Minhas or Manhas or Minhas-Dogra is a Suryavanshi Rajput clan from the Punjab region and Jammu & Kashmir in India and Pakistan. It is an off-shoot of Jamwal-Dogra Rajputs, the founders of the city and state of Jammu and its rulers from ancient times to 1948 CE...
Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
clan from Chakwal. The Mair Minhas tribe has a long martial tradition which has continued into modern times. Muslim Minhas Rajputs, being recognised in history as the warrior aristocracy, prior to this they were designated by 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...
as a Martial Race
Martial Race
Martial Race was a designation created by Army officials of British India, where they classified each ethnic group into one of two categories: 'Martial' and 'Non-Martial'. A 'martial race' was typically considered brave and well built for fighting. The 'non-martial races' were those whom the...
and recruited into the Imperial Army.
Military Background
His father Sirdar (or Sardar) Bahadur, Raja Fazal Dad Khan was a hereditary Landlord (or Zamindar) and was commissioned with a British Army cavalry unit. Joined as an army engineer officer at the British Indian Army Engineers CorpsIndian Army Corps of Engineers
The Indian Army Corps of Engineers has a long and illustrious history dating back to the mid-18th century. The earliest existing subunit of the Corps dates back to 1777 while the Corps officially recognises its birth as 1780 when the senior most group of the Corps, the Madras Sappers were...
; Khan was inherited Pakistan Army
Pakistan 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...
after the creation of 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...
. He was one of the early engineer officers at the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers
Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers
The Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers, , is an active military administrative staff corps, and a major science and technology command of the Pakistan Army...
where he also completed his B.Sc. in structural engineering
Structural engineering
Structural engineering is a field of engineering dealing with the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads. Structural engineering is usually considered a specialty within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right....
at the Pakistan Military Academy
Pakistan Military Academy
The Pakistan Military Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service military academy. It is located at Kakul near Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan....
.
Anwar Khan brothers (in total he had seven brothers) joined the Army and became officers. His elder brother, Muhammed Akbar Khan
Muhammed Akbar Khan
General Muhammed Akbar Khan , OBE served as a British Indian recruit in the First World War and an officer in Second World War. Muhammed Akbar Khan was the first Muslim from the South Asia to become a General in British Army. At the time of independence of Pakistan, he was the most senior Muslim...
was the first Indian Muslim to become a General in the British Indian Army. His brother, Brigadier Muhammed Zafar Khan
Muhammed Zafar Khan
Brigadier General Muhammed Zafar Khan was the first South Asian Commander in the Cavalry.Khan belongs to the Minhas Rajput clan of Chakwal. His father Sirdar Bahadur, Raja Fazal Dad Khan was a hereditary Landlord and was commissioned with a British Army cavalry unit.Five of Muhammed Zafar Khan...
was the first Indian Commander of Cavalry and his brother Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Muhammed Iftikhar Khan
Iftikhar Khan
Major General Muhammed Iftikhar Khan was an officer inherited by the Pakistan Army from British India. He had been nominated to become the first local Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Army after General Douglas David Gracey's retirement...
was an officer inherited by the Pakistan Army from British India. He had been nominated to become the first local Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Army after General Douglas David Gracey
Douglas David Gracey
General Sir Douglas David Gracey, KCB, KCIE, CBE, MC and bar was an Indian Army officer in both the First and Second World Wars. He also fought in French Indochina and was the second Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army...
's retirement. However, his death in a tragic plane crash in 1949 was a disaster for the newly formed country. Two younger brother's Brigadier M.Afzal Khan and Brigadier M.Yusaf Khan were among the senior commanders of army like the elder ones .All served with a distinguished service including World war II.