Sahabzada Yaqub Khan

Lieutenant General
Yaqub Ali Khan
SPk
Lieutenant General Yaqub Ali Khan SPk
صاحبزادہ یعقوب خان
	as a Brigadier in 1950s
15th & 17th Minister of Foreign Affairs
	In office; 11 November 1996 – 24 February 1997
President	Farooq Leghari
Prime Minister	Malik Meraj Khalid
Preceded by	Asif Ahmad Ali
Succeeded by	Gohar Ayub
	In office; 21 March 1982 – 20 March 1991
President	Zia-ul-Haq (1982–88); Ghulam Ishaq Khan (1988–91);
Prime Minister	Mohammad Juneijo; Benazir Bhutto;
Preceded by	Agha Shahi
Succeeded by	Akram Zaki (acting)
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara
	In office; 23 March 1992 – August 1995
Preceded by	Johannes Manz
Succeeded by	Erik Jensen
Pakistan Ambassador to the United States
	In office; 19 December 1973 – 3 January 1979
President	Fazal Illahi
Prime Minister	Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Preceded by	Sultan Mohammed Khan
Succeeded by	Sultan Mohammed Khan
10th & 12th Governor of East Pakistan
	In office; 1 March 1971 – 7 March 1971
President	Yahya Khan
Prime Minister	Nurul Amin
Preceded by	Vice Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan
Succeeded by	Lt. Gen. Tikka Khan
	In office; 23 August 1969 – 1 September 1969
President	Yahya Khan
Preceded by	MGen Muzaffaruddin
Succeeded by	Vice Admiral S.M. Ahsan
Personal details
Born	Mohammad Yaqub Ali Khan; 23 December 1920; Rampur State, British Indian Empire
Died	26 January 2016 (aged 95); Islamabad, Pakistan
Citizenship	British Subject (1920–1947); Pakistani (1947–2016);
Political party	Pakistan Peoples Party; (1974–1977; 1988–1996);
Spouse	Begum Tuba Khaleeli
Relatives	Fauzia Kasuri (niece)
Alma mater	Rashtriya Indian Military College; Indian Military Academy; Command and Staff College;
Cabinet	Zia administration; Yahya administration; Benazir ministry;
Nickname(s)	SYAK; Prince Soldier
Military service
Allegiance	British India (1940–1947); Pakistan (1947–1971)
Branch/service	British Indian Army; Pakistan Army
Years of service	1940–1971
Rank	Lieutenant General
Unit	18th Cavalry, Armoured Corps
Commands	Eastern Command, East Pakistan; 1st Armoured Division, Armoured Corps; Command and Staff College; Chief of General Staff;
Battles/wars	World War II Siege of Tobruk; ; Indo-Pakistani War of 1965; East Pakistan Crisis;
Awards	Sitara-e-Pakistan; 1939-1945 Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45; Star of Jordan;
S/No.	PA – 136

Lieutenant General Sahabzada Mohammad Yaqub Ali Khan SPk (Urdu: صاحبزادہ یعقوب خان ; 23 December 1920 – 26 January 2016)^[1] was a Pakistani politician, diplomat, military figure, linguist, and a retired general in the Pakistani Army.^[2]

After the Partition of India in 1947, he opted for Pakistan and joined the Pakistan Army where he participated in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965. He was the commander of the army's Eastern Command in East Pakistan. He was appointed as governor of East Pakistan in 1969 and 1971 but recalled to Pakistan after he submitted his resignation amid civil unrest. In 1973, he joined the foreign service and was appointed as the Pakistan Ambassador to the United States and later ascended as foreign minister, serving under President Zia-ul-Haq in 1982.

His stint as foreign minister played a major role in the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan (1979–89) and he took part in negotiations to end the Contras in Nicaragua (1981–87) on the behalf of the United Nations. In the 1990s, he served as an official of the United Nations for Western Sahara until he was reappointed as foreign minister under Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. After retiring from diplomatic services in 1997, he spent his remaining years in Islamabad and died in Islamabad in 2016.

^ Cloughley, Brian (5 January 2016). A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-1-63144-039-7. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
^ Roberts, Sam (28 January 2016). "Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, Pakistani Diplomat, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 September 2016.

[Skyhorse_Publishing,_Inc.-1] Cloughley, Brian (5 January 2016). A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-1-63144-039-7. Retrieved 6 September 2016.

[The_New_York_Times,_Pakistan_Bureau-2] Roberts, Sam (28 January 2016). "Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, Pakistani Diplomat, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 September 2016.

[1]

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