Native name مرزا حسن خان Awards Tamgha-i-Jurat | Resting place Gilgit | |
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Born 27 January 1919 ( 1919-01-27 ) State of Nagar Organisation 4th J & K Infantry, 6th J & K Infantry, Gilgit Scouts, 7 Azad Kashmir Regiment, 4/15 Punjab Regiment & 2/15 Punjab Regiment Died 19 November 1983, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan Alma maters Sri Pratap College, Indian Military Academy Organizations Gilgit Scouts, Azad Kashmir Regiment | ||
Mirza Hassan Khan (Urdu: مرزا حسن خان) was a Captain of the 6th Infantry of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces based at Bunji in the Gilgit wazarat (now Astore district). In October 1947, Khan was sent with troops to assist the Dogra governor Ghansara Singh in Gilgit, who was apprehensive of the loyalties of the Gilgit Scouts based in Gilgit. Mirza Hassan Khan sided with Major William Brown of the Gilgit Scouts in overthrowing the governor.
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On 2 November 1947, Mirza Hassan Khan and other officers of the rebel forces, announced a provisional government, with Raja Shah Rais Khan as the President and Mirza Hassan Khan as the Commander-in-Chief. William Brown was told that, being a non-Muslim, he could not hold any post in the government. In his autobiography, Khan ascribed to himself a central role in the coup. Scholar Yaqoob Khan Bangash doubts his account.
Soon after the coup, William Brown telegraphed the Pakistan government in the North-West Frontier Province informing them of the developments and asking them to take over the administration of Gilgit. Pakistan's Political Agent, Khan Mohammad Alam Khan, arrived on 16 November and dismissed the provisional government. Thus the Gilgit Agency was absorbed into Pakistan. Mirza Hassan Khan was appointed the military governor for the Bunji sector and asked to focus on that area only.
Indo–Pakistani war
On 19 January 1948, Pakistan appointed Major Mohammad Aslam replacing William Brown as the commander of Gilgit Scouts. Major Aslam organised all the forces in Gilgit into three wings of 400 men each, which were called the Ibex Force, Tiger Force and Eskimo Force. The three forces were ordered to advance along three directions into the state of Jammu Kashmir. Mirza Hassan Khan was put in charge of the Tiger Force, which advanced on the Gilgit-Bunji-Kamri-Gurais-Bandipora axis. The force reached Bandipora on 28 April, but had to withdraw to Tragbal. When Gurais was recaptured in June by the Indian forces, the Tiger Force withdrew to Minimarg.
Political activism
In 1957, Mirza Hassan Khan founded the Gilgit League, which is said to be the first political organisation formed to protest the Pakistan's ad hoc administration of Gilgit-Baltistan. The party demanded political freedom and democratic rights, and an end to the Frontier Crimes Regulations. The party was banned by Ayub Khan's martial law administration.
Subsequently, Khan joined the Pakistan People's Party. He was arrested by the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto government in 1973 due to political differences and put in prison.
Military Service
Honours and Awards
According to a report on Radio Pakistan, Khan was awarded a Military Cross for bravery by the British Indian Army in 1944, when he fought in Burma as part of the Jammu and Kashmir troops in the Second World War. He was awarded the title of Fakhr-e-Kashmir by the Azad Kashmir government and Tamgha-i-Jurat by the Pakistani government. He was also given the title of Fateh-e-Gilgit wa Baltistan locally (Liberator of Gilgit-Baltistan).