Mohammad Ahmed Zaki

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Mohammad Ahmed Zaki

Let-Gen-Mohammad-Ahmed-Zaki.jpg
Zaki in 2017
Born (1935-01-20) 20 January 1935 (age 90)
Hyderabad, Hyderabad State, British Raj
(present-day Telangana, India)
AllegianceFlag of India.svg India
Branch Indian Army
Years of service1955–1993
Rank Lieutenant General of the Indian Army.svg Lieutenant-General
Service number IC-7613H [1]
Unit 19 Maratha LI
Commands Indian Military Academy
XV Corps
19th Infantry Division
Telangana Area
Mizoram Range, Assam Rifles
86th Infantry Brigade
2 Maratha LI
Battles / wars Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Insurgency in Northeast India
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Awards Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Padma Shri
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Vir Chakra

Lieutenant General Mohammad Ahmed Zaki PVSM AVSM VrC (born 20 January 1935, Hyderabad, Telangana) is a former general officer of the Indian Army.

Contents

Early life and education

Zaki was born into a Hyderabadi family with a long history of service in the Nizam's Army. His father was a retired Brigadier in the Nizam's Cavalry forces. [2]

Zaki was educated at the Rashtriya Indian Military College in Dehra Dun from 1947 to 1951. He was selected for the National Defence Academy in 1952.

Career

Upon being commissioned into the Indian Army, he joined the 19th Battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry in 1955.

Vir Chakra

In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Zaki was wounded in the battle of Thatti Jaimal Singh and was awarded the Vir Chakra for a conspicuous display of gallantry in the face of the enemy: [3]

Gazette Notification: 134 Pres/65,16-10-65

Operation: - Date of Award: 20 September 1965

CITATION

MAJOR MOHAMMAD AHMAD ZAKI (IC-7613)

19 BATTALION, THE MARATHA LIGHT INFANTRY

Major Mohammad Ahmad Zaki was in command of the leading assaulting company of his battalion near Thatti Jaimal Singh in the Lahore Sector. On 20 September 1965, his company came under heavy medium machine gun, rifle and Browning fire and he was injured in the shoulder and arm by a burst of medium machine gun fire. Still he led a determined assault on the enemy He was wounded again. Undaunted by his successive injuries, he drove home the assault in what was virtually hand-to hand fighting. With a hand grenade he himself destroyed an enemy bunker containing a medium machine gun. At this stage he fell exhausted due to profuse bleeding, but inspired by his determined efforts, his company annihilated the enemy and captured the objective. In this battle, Major Zaki showed inspiring leadership, courage and dedication to duty, in the highest traditions of the Indian Army.

Post-war career

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, he was in command of the 2nd Battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry (Kali Panchvin) in the Shakargarh area. He has held many important appointments such as instructor at the Infantry School in Mhow, Brigade Major in Ladakh and instructor at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington Cantonment. [4]

In March 1976, he raised the 18th Battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and took over the command of the 86th Infantry Brigade in Punjab. From 1984 to 1985, he was DIG Mizoram Range (Assam Rifles). [4]

General officer

Zaki was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and promoted to the rank of Major General. In August 1985, he assumed command of the Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Goa area. Later, he was posted as General officer commanding 19 Infantry Division in Jammu and Kashmir from 1986 to 1987. [4]

Further elevated to the rank of Lieutenant General in 1988, he took over as Director General Infantry. He was corps commander of the Chinar Corps in Srinagar when there was an outbreak of insurgency in Kashmir. Zaki was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 1991. He took over as Commandant of the Indian Military Academy in Dehra Dun in June 1991. After that, he was appointed an advisor to the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He retired from the Indian Army on 31 January 1993, after nearly 38 years of service. [1] He then had a second stint as advisor to the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir from 1993 to 1995. General Zaki was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2001 for his services to the nation. [5]

Honours and decorations

Param Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg Padma Shri Ribbon.svg Ati Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg Vir Chakra ribbon bar.svg
Wound Medal-India.svg IND Samanya Seva medal.svg IND Special Service Medal Ribbon.svg IND Paschimi Star Ribbon.svg
IND Raksha Medal Ribbon.svg IND Sangram Medal Ribbon.svg IND Sainya Seva Medal Ribbon.svg IND Videsh Seva Medal Ribbon.svg
IND 25th Anniversary Independence medal.svg IND 30 Years Long Service Ribbon.svg IND 20YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg IND 9YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg
Param Vishisht Seva Medal Padma Shri Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Vir Chakra
Wound Medal Samanya Seva Medal Special Service Medal Paschimi Star
Raksha Medal Sangram Medal Sainya Seva Medal Videsh Seva Medal
25th Anniversary of Independence Medal 30 Years Long Service Medal 20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal

Vice Chancellor in Jamia Millia Islamia

Post retirement from India Army, Gen Zaki served as Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia from 1997 to 2000.

Dates of rank

InsigniaRankComponentDate of rank
2nd Lieutenant Indian Army.gif Second Lieutenant Indian Army 11 December 1955 [6]
Lieutenant of the Indian Army.svg Lieutenant Indian Army
Captain of the Indian Army.svg Captain Indian Army
Major of the Indian Army.svg Major Indian Army11 December 1968 [7]
Lieutenant Colonel of the Indian Army.svg Lieutenant-Colonel Indian Army5 April 1974 [8]
Colonel of the Indian Army.svg Colonel Indian Army
Brigadier of the Indian Army.svg Brigadier Indian Army20 October 1982 [9]
Major General of the Indian Army.svg Major General Indian Army16 August 1985 [10]
Lieutenant General of the Indian Army.svg Lieutenant General Indian Army

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 20 August 1994. p. 1572.
  2. "Mohammad Ahmed Zaki". Thank You Indian Army. December 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  3. "Part I-Section 1: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 1 January 1966. p. 24.
  4. 1 2 3 "Lt. Gen. (retd.) M.A. Zaki's Track Record". Indian Reporter. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  5. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  6. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 6 April 1957. p. 84.
  7. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 8 March 1969. p. 196.
  8. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 17 April 1976. p. 533.
  9. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 10 September 1983. p. 1448.
  10. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 6 June 1987. p. 798.