Today, Dec 27, 2023, the news of the passing of Brig Saadullah Khan, Hilal e Jurat, made the rounds. For those who knew him personally, his departure from the ranks of the mortals was nothing less than a deep and personal loss.
This army produced no better soldier, and none brought such honour to the military uniform as he did, and no one likely will.
He joined the 3rd PMA Long Course at Kakul early after partition, after graduating from Government College, Lahore.
His army career threatened to be a short one. When he enlisted, he did so sporting a flowing beard, which rankled with his company commander, who admonished him to shave it off.
When he refused, he was marched in front of the Battalion Commander [Lt Col Akhtar Hussain Malik] with the recommendation that he be withdrawn from the Military Academy on the grounds of insubordination. When the Colonel asked him what the problem with his beard was, Saadullah Khan did not hesitate to say flat out that he could not understand why, in a Muslim country, his beard was an issue of such concern to so many, when Muslim generals through the ages had their beards, but conquered a good part of the world, nonetheless. The Colonel told him that the generals he was referring to, would have made their conquests with or without their beards, which had scant part to play in their exertions, and that it would serve him better, should he stand out for reasons other than his beard.
Before dismissing him though, he informed Saadullah that irrespective of the foregoing conversation, he ought to know that regulations allowed him to keep his beard, and so that this issue would not be brought up to his detriment again, he was entering this episode in his dossiers.
When Saadullah was marched out, he made for the barbers’ shop, and got his beard shaved off. A year later Colonel Malik was transferred to take command of 2/16 Punjab Regiment [later redesignated 14 Punjab] at Chaman. A year after that Saadullah Khan passed out of PMA with the Sword of Honour. This allowed him to pick the unit of his choice. He opted for Colonel Malik’s unit which he later commanded, where I had the honour to serve as his adjutant.
In the 1965 War he was Brigade Major with the “Batapur” Brigade which halted the Indian attack on Lahore.
He fought the 1971 war in East Pakistan in command of 27 Brigade, where he immortalized himself in the Battle for Ashuganj. Information reached him about Indian infiltration which he considered critical enough to go and see for himself. When he got there, he saw the lead elements of the enemy effort, a couple of platoons, working their way behind his defenses. He knew that unless the enemy was immediately checked and repulsed, one flank of his position would be rolled over. So he collected about 10 to 12 men that he could get hold of, formed them up, fixed a bayonet to a borrowed rifle, and charged the enemy with himself in the lead. The shock of the surprise led the enemy to flee. And as these elements crashed into the sub-unit following them, they too panicked and took to their heels. By the time one of his rifle companies joined him, the flight of the enemy had become a rout.
What had begun as an attack by a handful of our men, led by their brigadier, had by sunset become a major feat of arms during which a “company plus” of 27 Brigade troops had driven away three infantry Battalions of the enemy.
He was recommended for the award of Nishan e Haider for this action, but because this, our highest award for valour, had never been given to a living soldier, he was awarded a Hilal e Jurat instead, thus becoming the third ex Commanding Officer of 14 Punjab Regiment to have received this honour.
After being repatriated to Pakistan, he was approved to be promoted as Maj Gen. Before GHQ had issued formal orders for his promotion, he was attending a military demonstration in Mangla. At its conclusion, he disagreed with the summing up by the Corps Commander.
Saadullah was the sort of man who believed that truth must always be spoken. The truth he spoke that day hurt the ego of his Corps Commander. Saadullah Khan’s promotion was held in abeyance, and then cancelled, and supersession followed.
Next, he was transferred for operations in Baluchistan. While on reconnaissance of the operational area, he made it a practice to drive through Baluch villages, distributing rations among the villagers. This won him the esteem of the locals, and enough confidence of their elders fighting in the hills, that even “hostiles” fighting in different areas of operation, when inclined to surrender, began to come down and surrender to him rather than to anyone else.
This became a cause of envy and embarrassment for some of his peers. Rumours were spread to the effect that Saadullah was too headstrong and that except for God, he feared no one, and it was ensured that these reached Gen Zia ul Haq, the Army Chief. One fell day Zia, to smother Bhutto with yet another layer of fulsome loyalty, made it a point to tell him exactly this i.e that Brig Saadullah Khan feared no one except God, “not even you”. Bhutto did not like people who did not fear him.
And so, Brig Saadullah Khan, the finest soldier produced by this army, was forcibly retired and sent home at 24 hours’ notice without assigning any reason. This brought sunset to a career which had glittered every step of the way.
Physically he was fearless but had more moral courage than physical. He won the loyalties of all those whom he touched, and returned such loyalties in equal measure. His men could give their lives for him, and he for theirs. He never needed to raise his voice to command. He was well read over a greater array of subjects than most, and his professional dedication was legion. It was amazing that we all knew him to be a man who never missed his prayers, yet none of us ever saw him in the act of praying because he simply refused to advertise it. And he never encouraged a discussion on religion because he made it clear to us that we faced an enemy five times larger, and that no Namaz, Roza, Haj etc would bring us greater merit than the conscious dedication we devoted to really “earning” every paisa of our pay in our preparation to do battle.
There may indeed have been greater men than him, but I never knew any. May his soul rest in peace–amin.