Sher Ali Khan Pataudi

Sher Ali Khan Pataudi
Major General Sher Ali Khan Pataudi, 1960
Born	May 13, 1913 Pataudi, Haryana, British India
Died	May 29, 2002(2002-05-29) (aged 89) Lahore, Pakistan
Allegiance	Pakistan
Service/branch	Pakistan Army
Years of service	1933–1958
Rank	Major General
Unit	Pakistan Army Light cavalry
Commands held	1st Punjab Regiment Pakistan Army 14 Brigade Command and Staff College
Battles/wars	World War II Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
Awards	Hilal-i-Jurat (Military)
Other work	bassador and civil servent

Major General Nawabzada Sher Ali Khan of Pataudi HJ, was born 13 May 1913, the second son of Nawab Ibrahim Ali Khan of Pataudi, in Pataudi. He was educated at Aitchison College, Lahore, the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

He was commissioned into the 7th Light Cavalry of the British Indian Army in 1933. He subsequently commanded the First battalion of the First Punjab Regiment during the Second World War.

After the war, he served as the Defence Attaché of the Indian Armed Forces in Washington, D.C.. Having moved to Pakistan at independence, he commanded Pakistan's 14 (Parachute) Brigade during the 1947 Kashmir War in which action he was awarded the Hilal-i-Jurat. He was appointed Adjutant General of the Pakistan Army and later served as the Chief of General Staff.

He was superseded along with the former Commandant Command and Staff College Maj Gen M.A. Latif Khan when Maj Gen Muhammad Musa and Maj Gen Habibullah Khan Khattak were made C-in-C and COS respectively in October 1958.^[1]

In 1958, on retirement from active service, he was appointed Pakistan's High Commissioner to Malaysia and in 1963 as Ambassador to Yugoslavia with concurrent accreditation to Bulgaria and Greece. He served in the cabinet of General Yahya Khan as Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting & and National Affairs 1969 - 71.

He was a member of Pakistan's Polo team for many years, Captain of the All Malaysia Polo team for six years and President of the Malayan Polo Association 1959/1963. He also established the Djakarta Riding/Saddle club and was its first elected President.

He taught briefly at Aitchison College and was also Vice Chairman of its Board of Governors. He was the Co-founder and Chairman of the governing body of Viqar-un-Nisa Women's College at Rawalpindi.

He was the Author of several books and the recipient of the highest civil awards from governments in Malaysia, Yugoslavia and Indonesia, and was a Dato of the State of Pahang in Malaysia.

He married Silvat Mueenuddin younger daughter of Mian Ghulam Mueenudin of Lahore,^[2] and had four sons and a daughter. He died 29 May 2002 at Sher Manzil, Lahore.

His son Major General Isfandiyar Ali Khan Pataudi is the commander of the 25th Mechanized Division of Pakistan Army.

References

1. ^ Nawaz Qasmi. "The Rank of Field Marshal" Daily Dawn, 3 May 2004
2. ^ Genealogy of the Nawabs of Loharu Queensland University.

Military offices
Preceded by Major General Mian Hayaud Din	Chief of General Staff	Succeeded by Major General Habibullah Khan Khattak

Persondata
Name	Pataudi, Sher Ali Khan
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	May 12, 1913
Place of birth	Pataudi, Haryana, British India
Date of death	May 29, 2002
Place of death	Lahore, Pakistan