Sher Ali Khan (general)

(PA – 24) Major General Nawabzada Sher Ali Khan HJ, was born 13th May 1913 in Pataudi. He was educated at Aitchison College, Lahore, the Royal Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehra Dun 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 Attache of the Indian Armed Forces in Washington DC. He commanded 14 (Parachute) Brigade during the 1948-49 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 the General Staff.

He was superseded along with the former Commandant Command and Staff College Maj Gen M.A. Latif Khan when Maj Gen Musa Khan and Maj Gen Habibullah Khan Khattak were made C-in-C and COS respectively in October 1958. [Nawaz Qasmi. [http://www.dawn.com/2004/05/03/letted.htm#2 "The Rank of Field Marshal"] "Daily Dawn", 3 May, 2004]

In 1958, on retirement from active service, he was appointed Pakistan's High Commissioner to Malaysia and in 1963 as Pakistan's Ambassador to Yugoslavia with concurrent accreditation to Bulgaria.

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 Begum Silvat Sher Ali Khan Pataudi of Loharu, and had four sons and a daughter. He died 29th May 2002 at Sher Manzil, Lahore.

References