# Farrukh Bakht Ali

Farrukh Bakht Ali (8 February 1929 – 21 February 2021) was a prominent officer of the Pakistan Army, instrumental in the 1971 Pakistan Military Officer's Revolt that led to the removal of President Yahya Khan and the ascension of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Among the last officers commissioned in the immediate aftermath of Pakistan's independence in 1947, he played a pivotal role in shaping a critical moment in the nation's military and political history.

## Early Life and education

Born in Delhi, Ali traced his lineage to a Patiala family with a diverse heritage. His maternal grandfather, Safdar Jung Khan, a Lodi Pathan, served as the Kotwal (police chief) of Amritsar, while his maternal grandmother hailed from Turkmenistan, having migrated to India as a child. His father, Bakht Yawar Ali, orphaned at a young age, distinguished himself academically at Government College Lahore before joining the Indian Imperial Police.
Owing to his father’s frequent postings, Ali received his early education at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Mussoorie before enrolling at Government College Lahore. In 1945, amid the growing demand for a separate Muslim homeland, he actively organised student political activities for the All-India Muslim League. During this period, he encountered Khurshid Anwar, who, following partition in August 1947, spearheaded an armed campaign in Kashmir, an effort that evolved into the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948.
Eager to join the war, Ali was dissuaded by his father and instead enrolled in the inaugural course of the Pakistan Military Academy in January 1948. The program was expedited to ten months due to the ongoing conflict, and he was commissioned in November 1948, earning the prestigious Norman Gold Medal.

## Military Career

Commissioned into the Pakistan Army soon after the country's independence in 1947, Brigadier Ali served with distinction throughout his career. As the artillery commander of Army Reserve North in December 1971, he played a pivotal role in the Majors and Colonels Revolt within the military. In the aftermath of Pakistan's defeat in East Pakistan, Ali issued an ultimatum on 19 December 1971, threatening to remove President Yahya Khan by force, an act that precipitated Yahya's ouster.

## 1971 Mutiny

On 17 December 1971, just one day after the surrender by Eastern Command of the Pakistan Army, Ali wrote his resignation letter accepting his own responsibility for the loss of East Pakistan and expected that Yahya Khan and his advisors would follow suit and also resign. But the next day Ali had heard that Yahya was planning to create a new constitution, which infuriated Ali. Brigadier Ali determined that the loss of one war was enough and that it was imperative to get rid of Yahya's military junta. He picked up other officers and told them that they owed it to Pakistan to get rid of the discredited junta and hand over power to the elected civilian representatives of the 1970 Pakistani general election.
On 19 December 1971, Ali arrested the three generals and seized command of Major General Karim's 6th Armoured Division in Gujranwala. Ali then sent Colonels Aleem Afridi and Agha Javed Iqbal to deliver a letter demanding Yahya Khan's resignation by 8 PM that night for being responsible for the loss of East Pakistan.
The two colonels took the letter to CGS Gul Hassan, who initially felt saddened by the defeat in the war and told them that he planned to leave the army. However, upon learning about the contents of the letter from the two Colonels, Hassan's mood brightened, and he went to Air Marshal Abdur Rahim Khan. Both of them went to Yahya to get him to resign.
Aboobaker Osman Mitha, the commander of Special Service Group reached out to Ali suggesting that General Abdul Hamid Khan, the Chief of Staff should take over from Yahya Khan. Ali refused stating that Hamid was too close to Yahya Khan and was just as responsible. This movement led to the deposition of President Yahya Khan's regime, facilitating the transfer of power to elected civilian representatives. The revolt culminated in Yahya Khan's resignation, with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto assuming the presidency.

## Imprisonment

In 1973, Brigadier Ali was court-martialed under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government on charges of conspiring against the state. The proceedings were overseen by then Major General Zia-ul-Haq, who later, as Army Chief, ordered Ali’s release in 1978 after five years in prison, overriding his original life sentence.