Muhammad Azam Khan
| Azam Khan khalil | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mohammad Azam Khan |
| Nickname(s) | MA Khan |
| Born | 1908 |
| Died | 1994 (86 or 87 years old) |
| Allegiance |
 Pakistan |
| Service/branch |
 Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1928-1962 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant General |
| Unit | Army Armoured Corps |
| Commands held |
Eastern Military High Command I Strike Corps |
| Battles/wars |
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 Lahore Operation |
Lieutenant General Muhammad Azam Khan (1908–1994) was a senior general of the Pakistan army who served under General Ayub Khan, the first military ruler of Pakistan. As a general, Khan oversaw the suppression of anti-Ahmadiyya violence following the Lahore riots of 1953, and served as the top army commander in East Pakistan before joining Ayub Khan's military regime. He served as the first commander of I Corps when it was raised on 1 July 1957 at Abbottabad (the Corps is currently stationed at Mangla since 1969) as a Lt. Gen. He also served as the Governor of East Pakistan province during the early days of martial regime of Ayub Khan.[1] During the presidential election of 1964, Azam Khan "supported the presidential candidacy of Fatima Jinnah" and continued to work strongly against Ayub Khan until after the latter's ouster.[2]
Lt-Gen Azam Khan also served as the President of the Pakistan Olympic Association from 16 November 1958 to 22 September 1963.
People may have forgotten General Azam’s military endeavors but his name lives on in an unlikely place: Azam cloth market.[3] It’s a fabric wholesale market in the walled city of Lahore that’s named after General Azam.
There was a small market near Wazir Khan Mosque. In 1953 when a road had to be widened the market was shifted to its current location by General Azam who gave his own name to the market. Over the decades, the small market extended and now has numerous interlinked blocks or bazaars all dealing in wholesaling of various types of clothing fabrics and lines.
The merchants of the market are well versed in the history of the place, and every shopkeeper can recount how when the market was created and by whom.
References
- ↑ "Relief Work in Pakistan". The Glasgow Herald. October 18, 1960. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ↑ Baxter, Craig; Syedur Rahman; Syedur Rahman (2003). Historical dictionary of Bangladesh. Scarecrow Press. p. 49. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
- ↑ "Point of Sale software, Candela". www.candela.pk. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Office established |
Unified Commander of Eastern Military High Command 11 April 1960 – 11 May 1962 |
Succeeded by RAdm Muzaffar Hassan |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Zakir Husain |
Governor of East Pakistan 1960 – 1962 |
Succeeded by Ghulam Faruque Khan |
