Abdul Ali Malik
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Abdul Ali Malik was a Pakistan Army
engineer officer
and a high-ranking military general. He is a well known figure from the Chawinda
tank battle during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war
and a member of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community.
. He joined Pakistan Army
as a cadet-officer and later inducted in Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers. He completed his B.Sc. in electrical engineering
from the Pakistan Military Academy
, and served in the civil projects of the Pakistan Army. He is known to present at the constructions of the dam
and had supervised the various projects in punjab
. His brother Lieutenant General
Akhtar Hussain Malik was also an Army general and was himself a hero of 1965 war too. He retired from the Army after commanding the I Corps at Mangla
.
Abdul Ali Malik was commander of the 24th infantry brigade in the Sialkot-Phillurah-Chamb sector. At the start of the war, his brigade was ordered by the senior 15 division to defend the imaginary Indian attack at Jasser bridge. Even though, he was reluctant to move forward (because of the Indian comprehensive orders were caught on the Indian side of border) he was forced to take his command to Jasser sector. However, it later turned out that those orders were indeed true, and he was ordered to move back into the same position. It was at this time, that Pakistan Army tanks caught the Indian armoured brigade by surprise, and hence was commenced the largest tank battle after the World War II
.
Abdul Ali Malik commanded the 8th Infantry Division in the western sector of 1971 Indo-Pakistani War
. His troops were stationed in the Sialkot
sector, and apart from some skirmishes, a major all-out war didn't happen.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Abdul Ali Malik was a Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
engineer officer
Engineer Officer
An Engineer Officer is one type of officer in the UK Royal Navy. There are also Warfare Officers and Logistics Officers supported by additional branches such as Medical or Dental Officers, or the Chaplaincy Service....
and a high-ranking military general. He is a well known figure from the Chawinda
Battle of Chawinda
The Battle of Chawinda was a part of the Sialkot Campaign in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It was one of the largest tank battles since the Battle of Kursk in World War II....
tank battle during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
and a member of the Ahmadiyya
Ahmadiyya
Ahmadiyya is an Islamic religious revivalist movement founded in India near the end of the 19th century, originating with the life and teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad , who claimed to have fulfilled the prophecies about the world reformer of the end times, who was to herald the Eschaton as...
Muslim Community.
Biography
He belonged to a small village called Pindori which is about 65 Kilometers away from RawalpindiRawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
. He joined Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
as a cadet-officer and later inducted in Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers. He completed his B.Sc. in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from the Pakistan Military Academy
Pakistan Military Academy
The Pakistan Military Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service military academy. It is located at Kakul near Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan....
, and served in the civil projects of the Pakistan Army. He is known to present at the constructions of the dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
and had supervised the various projects in punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
. His brother Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Akhtar Hussain Malik was also an Army general and was himself a hero of 1965 war too. He retired from the Army after commanding the I Corps at Mangla
Mangla
Mangla town is located in Mirpur District, Azad Kashmir at the border with Jhelum district Punjab, with Jhelum river making the boundary. Mangla is an ancient town and is slated to be named after Mangla Devi. It is also the site of crossing of river Jhelum by Alexander forces facing Raja Porus...
.
1965 war
During the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, BrigadierBrigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Abdul Ali Malik was commander of the 24th infantry brigade in the Sialkot-Phillurah-Chamb sector. At the start of the war, his brigade was ordered by the senior 15 division to defend the imaginary Indian attack at Jasser bridge. Even though, he was reluctant to move forward (because of the Indian comprehensive orders were caught on the Indian side of border) he was forced to take his command to Jasser sector. However, it later turned out that those orders were indeed true, and he was ordered to move back into the same position. It was at this time, that Pakistan Army tanks caught the Indian armoured brigade by surprise, and hence was commenced the largest tank battle after the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
1971 war
Now promoted Major GeneralMajor General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Abdul Ali Malik commanded the 8th Infantry Division in the western sector of 1971 Indo-Pakistani War
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
. His troops were stationed in the Sialkot
Sialkot
Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...
sector, and apart from some skirmishes, a major all-out war didn't happen.