An Unsung Hero of Modern History: Gen Akhtar Abdur Rehman
An Unsung Hero of Modern History: Gen Akhtar Abdur Rehman
PKKH Exclusive | by Mariam Shah
“General Akhtar was the architect of the Afghan Jihad. It
was he who advocated Pakistani participation, it was he who devised the
overall military strategy, and it was he who supervised its
implementation so skillfully that the Mujahedeen defeated a superpower”
(Brig Retd Muhammad Yusaf)
Buried in the Army graveyard in Rawalpindi, this unsung
brave man is one of the true heroes of this land, who defeated a world
super power in the Afghan jihad. He was a silent soldier who crafted the
destruction plan of the Soviet Union at the hands of the Mujahedeen. He
showed passion, commitment, intelligence and the warrior spirit of the
great Islamic conquerors. He gave a spark to and ignited the lifeless
intelligence agency of Pakistan and made it one of the finest and a
dynamic spy agency of the world. Through his tireless and tacit efforts,
ISI played an important part in the destruction of the Soviet Union. He
was the real architect of the Soviet defeat and worked as a mason,
building day and night, to turn the tables on the enemies of Islam. With
his foresight, commitment and dedication he increased the power and
effect of the ISI as an intelligence agency. He was a background player
and executed his plans from behind the curtain.
The anecdote of General Akhtar Abdul Rahman’s life, who
is one of the finest generals of Pakistan army, is that being a child he
would never have know that he will become a mastermind for the
devastation of a world super power. He was born on 11 June 1924 and his
father, Dr. Abdul Rehman died when he was three and a half years old. He
completed his high school education from the Ajnala High school and
after that he entered the Islamia College Amritsar. Then he joined
Government College Lahore and did his masters in economics in 1945. Soon
after completing his education he joined the Army and was commissioned
in 1946. He led the journey of his life without a father, not knowing
that he is going to even the scores with a super power in the near
future; he was raised and educated by his mother.
He joined the Indian army in 1945 and was commissioned in
1946. Akhtar was a very junior artillery officer at the time of the
partition of India and the birth of Pakistan. He witnessed the
unspeakable horrors of the partition and was dismayed by the brutalities
committed by Hindus and Sikhs against Muslims during the course. The
whole traumatic episode left a deep mark inside him and it was never
forgotten nor forgiven by him. After this, for the rest of his life he
considered India as a relentless enemy both for his country and his
religion. He fought in three wars (1948, 1965, and 1971) with India and
defended the beloved land. He had several appointments before he was
offered the position of DG ISI.
In 1979, General Akhtar was offered a very important and
coveted position of Director General Inter Services Intelligence. He
headed the intelligence agency and built it as a very effective military
institution which impacted both national and international affairs.
Within the span off seven years he, along with his potential and loyal
team, gave life to ISI and made it one of the most vibrant and effective
institution. He conceived and crafted the plans to deal with the Soviet
Union through the Afghan Mujahedeen and covert guerilla fighters from
Pakistan.
In the wake of Soviet invasion in Afghanistan there were
apprehensions that they might attack Pakistan too, so there were many
potential threats to the security of Pakistan at that time. After the
initial years of Soviet invasion in Afghanistan, the military leadership
under General Zia decided to fight with soviets and to teach them a
lesson, even before the American assistance initiated through CIA. At
that time US President Jimmy Carter was entangled in the internal
dilemmas and threats which emerged after the hostage crisis in Iran, so
no considerable assistance was provided. In the beginning Gen Akhtar was
alone in considering that he can force the Soviet forces out of
Afghanistan, he was way too optimistic. He was of the view that Pakistan
should support the Jihad covertly.
America followed the “wait and see” policy as they
believed that Soviet troops would take over Afghanistan in few weeks. So
they did not offer any support as they thought of Afghanistan as a lost
case; so why throw good money and provoke the Soviets by supporting the
Mujahedeen. The US also thought that Afghan resistance cannot go more
than six months, so they didn’t bothered to assist, but once they
witnessed the slaughter of soviet troops at the hands of Afghan
Mujahedeen, they changed their plan and fueled the money inside. It
should be very clear that when USA sensed the victory in Afghanistan at
the hands of Mujahedeen then they initiated the aid and assistance. When
Reagan came in the White House he announced an aid package for
Pakistan, which Gen Zia accepted. Although the covert operations by ISI
were funded by CIA but Pakistan became a frontline state and Afghanistan
a battle ground. In making Afghanistan a “graveyard of a super power”,
ISI in general and General Akhtar played a central role and made the
Soviet pullout inevitable. To come face to face with a super power like
Russia was not a joke nor it was that simple, but Gen Akhtar was
determined to wipe them out, and he never looked back once he had come
to his decision.
When Gen Akhtar took the command of ISI as DG, he started
each and every task from the scratch. It was a very major task to
provide assistance to Afghan Mujahedeen at every front. But there was no
such strategy and plan to deal with all the emerging scenes, never
dealt with by the Pak forces before. Gen Akhtar was solely responsible
for devising and executing plans and organizing massive covert military
operations against the Soviets. He established training centers and many
army officials were made responsible to train the Afghan Mujahedeen,
equipping them with warfare strategies and necessity skills so that they
would be able to defend their homeland against the Soviet invasion.
ISI trained the guerilla fighters and even a few army soldiers were
trained to assist, guide and fight with the Mujahedeens in Afghanistan
in the covert operations. Gen Akhtar established a very close relation
with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan, and with the State
Department, especially the branch that interacted constantly with the
CIA. Gen Zia managed the diplomatic affairs and Gen Akhtar directed and
led the troops in the ground. The constant nine years of training,
guidance and military assistance to guerilla fighters in Afghanistan by
ISI, demolished the base of the Soviets and claimed around 13000 lives
of soviet troops. The world stood in surprise and shock as less trained,
less equipped and sometimes illiterate guerilla fighters defeated the
well trained and highly equipped army of thousands.
Gen Akhtar was on the hit list of KGB and huge
prize-money was put on his head, but he fearlessly involved himself in
the planning and execution of the jihad, and never bothered about the
personal threats which emerged against him. He not only countered the
communist threat but pushed them back in the hell. He was an inborn
strategist, as the way he articulated the guerilla warfare against a
conventional army is still unparalleled. He was sharp at the diplomatic
end as well and dealt at all fronts with intelligence and open
mindedness. Both Pakistan and Afghanistan owe a lot to him, as he fought
for the cause of the Ummah. He died in a fatal plane crash on 17th
August 1988 near Bahawalpur and was never able to see the dawn of the
Afghan Mujahedeen and fall of the Soviet Union.
He had a complex personality, as he never showed his
emotions nor ever revealed himself outside his family. As an individual
he was too honest and upright as he always reported what was going on,
never overlooking anybody including his own staff, but Zia never
reacted. He was very straight and never accepted corruption on the other
hand Zia seemed to accept corruption as a way of life in Pakistan, and
would not sack individuals for this offence. He never encouraged nor was
he an admirer of favors and popularity. He was very crucial for the
Afghan Jihad and he worked closely with Gen Zia on national and
international matters. Based on his competence, integrity, and loyalty
Zia developed a great trust and confidence in Gen Akhtar and at last
promoted him to the rank of a general.
History repeats itself, first it was Ghauri and Ghaznavi
and now a soldier from the green land. One interesting thing which is
very rarely mentioned about Gen Akhtar is that his ancestors were from
Afghanistan and were Kakazai (a tribe from the Laghman province of
Afghanistan who came to South Asia during the Afghan invasion made by
Mahmud of Ghazni). If we create a link between his ancestral place, love
for Pakistan and Islam, it is true to say that a “son of Afghanistan
fought from the soil of Pakistan, for the cause of Islam and stood for
Jihad till the last”.
What ISI is today can be very much attributed to the
efforts and commitment shown by General Akhtar Abdul Rahman. He very
tactfully maneuvered the annihilation plan of the Soviet Union and
through the ISI, gave a serious blow to it, which demolished communism
as such. This role of Pakistan was acknowledged by the Germans and the
ISI was presented with a piece of Berlin Wall marked with the
inscription “those who struck the first blow” in appreciation to its
efforts which eventuated in the demolition of the Soviet Empire. This
piece of stone is one of the most valued possessions of the ISI. Gen
Akhtar was the person who was very optimistic about the covert
operations by Pakistan and supportive of the Afghan jihad from the
start. He was the architect of the intelligence warfare in Pakistan as
he molded the fragile structure into a forceful one, which ultimately
proved its worth. He wrote the history with a message of hope, courage
and consistent commitment to a cause. He did his job with modesty and
humility, that’s why he never came into limelight and remained an unsung
hero and died as a “silent soldier” with his boots on.
One year before the Bahawalpur incident, a young
Pakistani man met an American journalist carrying photographs of injured
Afghan children with General Akhtar Abdul Rehman. The Pakistani asked
the journalist the reason for keeping these photographs and he answered
that whenever he was disappointed he looked at the photographs of the
general and the children, to get courage. Today, the US and Western
analysts and experts admit that the DG ISI, CJCOSC and right hand of
General Zia ul Haq, General Akhtar Abdul Rehman was the man who forced
the superpower ‘Soviet Union’ to be torn into pieces. For the first time
in history the mason of a great victory was known by the world after
his death. We owe him a lot on this day and all days to come. Rest in
peace Sir and May Allah Almighty raise your levels in Janna’t, amen.
Mariam Shah is a regular contributor at PKKH and a (
Columnist @ The Fortress Magazine), She is a Human Rights, Youth and
Peace Activist and doing MPhil in ”Peace and Conflict Studies”
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