Syed Mohammad Ahsan (21 November 1920 – 4 August 1989) known as S. M. Ahsan, was a Pakistani former three-star rank naval officer who served as the fourth Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Navy from 1966 to 1969, the eighth Finance Minister of Pakistan in 1969, and the eleventh Governor of East Pakistan from September 1969 to March 1971. He later served as chairman of the National Shipping Corporation from 1974 to 1976 and the fourth chairman of the Port Qasim Authority from 1978 to 1980.
Born in Hyderabad, Ahsan was educated at Nizam College before joining the Royal Indian Navy as an executive cadet in 1936. Commissioned in the early years of the Second World War, he commanded two Motor Launches against Japanese forces up the Naf River in January 1943 and sank a Japanese vessel in the Bay of Bengal. For his gallantry, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He later served as an aide-de-camp to Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India.
One week shy of the Partition of 1947, Ahsan was appointed as an aide-de-camp to Governor-General designate of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and continued in this role following his transfer to the Pakistan Navy. He later served as an aide-de-camp to Governor-General Nazimuddin. From 1955 to 1956, he was Pakistan's Naval Attaché in Washington, D.C., and was awarded the Legion of Merit for his service. In 1957, he became the first commanding officer of PNS Babur. He was the first Deputy Chief of the Military Planning Office of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) from 1960 to 1962, before being elevated to Chief, a position he held until 1964.
Forced to give up command of the Navy, Vice Admiral Ahsan, against his will, was appointed Governor of East Pakistan by President Yahya Khan in 1969. His tenure was marked by two major events in 1970: the Bhola Cyclone and the general elections. In the aftermath of the deadliest tropical cyclone on record, the military leadership refused to provide him helicopters for relief operations. Ahsan subsequently established his camp within the disaster zone and personally oversaw relief efforts, earning praise for his hands-on work.
The Awami League led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, had won a majority in the National Assembly after the elections. The West Pakistani military establishment and Pakistan Peoples Party leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's refusal to hand over power to the Awami League, led to a political deadlock that eventually gave rise to a civil war. Ahsan, who was believed to be sympathetic towards the Awami League, strongly opposed a military solution and repeatedly urged Yahya Khan to pursue a political settlement. In an effort to resolve the crisis, Governor Ahsan held talks with Bhutto, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Yahya Khan. His opposition to a military crackdown in the region led to his removal just weeks before the start of Operation Searchlight in March 1971.
Early life and education Syed Mohammad Ahsan was born on 21 November 1920 in Hyderabad. His father, Mahomed Saif-ud-Din, was a former Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Public Works Department. Ahsan was educated at the Nizam College. He appeared for the HMIS Dufferin Competitive Qualifying Examination in Bombay from October 29 to 31, 1935, and successfully qualified. He was subsequently invited for an interview and selection for admission in December 1935.
Ahsan, along with his first cousin Muhammad Jalaluddin Sayeed, left their hometown in 1936 to board the Indian Mercantile Marine Training Ship, HMIS Dufferin, which sailed from Bombay Harbour. At the end of 1938, Ahsan passed out in second place of his batch of deck cadets, while Sayeed came in first place.
Personal life Ahsan married Nighat. They had three children, including a daughter named Nyla. His great niece is American political staffer Huma Abedin. He was also related to K. M. Hussain.
Group Captain Mian Ata Rabbani, who served alongside Ahsan and Gul Hassan Khan as aide-de-camps (ADC) to Pakistan's founder and Governor-General Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as the air force, naval, and army ADCs respectively, described Ahsan as "the most serious, serene, and sober." among the three. He noted that Ahsan was deeply fond of books and spent most of his free time reading with a cigar. He rarely left the Governor-General House, preferring to spend even his designated rest days in his room or on the lawns, with a book always in hand.
Ahsan was fond of sailing and while serving as Commander-in-Chief, by chance discovered the area for what would become Port Qasim.
On 26 March 1969, a day after General Yahya Khan established his martial law regime, Thomas L. Hughes confidentially conveyed the biographic information of the "principal actors". He wrote that Ahsan, "has had an amicable relationship with Americans, is highly Westernized and, despite a possible early association with the Jama' at-i-Islami, is not an Islamic fundamentalist."
Service years Royal Indian Navy and World War II Service
Ahsan joined the Royal Indian Navy as an executive cadet in 1936 and became a cadet in 1939, serving aboard HMS Royal Sovereign. In January 1940, Cadet Ahsan was on the acting list of the navy. He was commissioned as Midshipman on 1 April 1940.
On 19 December 1942, the 55th R.I.N.M.L. Flotilla, which was the first of its kind to be commissioned, sailed for Chittagong to undertake operations against Japanese forces and gave flank support to the 14th Indian Infantry Division. Lieutenant Ahsan was among the commanding officers of the flotilla's Motor Launches. In January 1943, he led Motor Launches 440 and 441 up the Naf River in search of a Japanese vessel and successfully destroyed the enemy ship. For his gallantry, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
From 1943 to 1944, he was on a Specialist Navigation Course. Specialised in communications, Ahsan was an instructor at the Combined Cadet Force in Liverpool, England. During the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in February 1946, he was the staff communication officer at Naval Headquarters (NHQ). He stated that, during his search of ratings' lockers at HMIS India, he discovered communist literature. He also reported finding two calendars with photographs of officers of the Indian National Army and its leader, Subhas Chandra Bose.
Lieutenant Ahsan later served as an aide-de-camp (ADC) to the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, Louis Mountbatten. Mountbatten's daughter Lady Pamela Hicks recalled in her 2012 memoir that in late July 1947, her father told Ahsan, that as a Muslim, he should go to Karachi to assist setting up Muhammad Ali Jinnah's Government House. In either a note or a final meeting with Jinnah, Mountbatten told him: "Jinnah, I leave you Pakistan and I leave you Lieutenant Ahsan."
Jinnah arrived at Mauripur station from Delhi as the Governor-General-designate of the imminent nation in a Dakota aircraft from the Viceroy's fleet on 7 August 1947, a week before Pakistan's independence. He was accompanied by his sister Fatima Jinnah and his aides-de-camp (ADCs), Ahsan and Rabbani. Lieutenant Ahsan assumed the duties of ADC on 13 August 1947.
Pakistan Navy
Following the Partition of British India on 14 August 1947, the Royal Pakistan Navy (RPN) was formed on 15 August. Lieutenant Ahsan was officially appointed as the first naval aide-de-camp to Governor General Muhammad Ali Jinnah. According to Raja Tridev Roy, while installing Jinnah as Governor-General, British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery told him: "You are lucky to have achieved Pakistan but luckier in inheriting Ahsan".
After partition, Jinnah said to Ahsan, "Do you know, I never expected to see Pakistan in my lifetime. We have to be very grateful to God for what we have achieved." Jinnah was said to have relied on Ahsan and on the latter's promotion to Lieutenant Commander and return to sea, the parting was described as not easy.
Acting Lieutenant Commander Ahsan was appointed as the Executive officer of PNS Tippu Sultan on 30 September 1949, under Commanding Officer P. S. Evans. He was the naval aide-de-camp to Governor General Nazimuddin in 1950. He was appointed Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Operations) in the rank of Acting Commander on 1 January 1951 and on 28 September 1952. In March 1951, Ahsan was selected to command H.M.P.S. Tughril, an 1,800-ton destroyer with a complement of 14 officers and 220 ratings, that was the first RPN warship to be fully manned by Pakistani officers and sailors.
In December 1952, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) requested that service headquarters gather and report the reactions of military personnel to the Basic Principles Committee report. In response, Naval Intelligence commander Ahsan relayed their concerns.
From 1 January 1952 to 12 June 1955, Ahsan served as Principal Staff Officer at the Naval Headquarters. He was the naval attaché to the Embassy of Pakistan, Washington, D.C. from 5 August 1955 to 30 July 1956. In recognition of his service, he was awarded the Legion of Merit (degree of officer) for "exceptionally meritorious conduct." in 1958.
He was appointed the first commanding officer of PNS Babur, formerly the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Diadem, when the cruiser was recommissioned by the Pakistan Navy in July 1957. The cruiser arrived in Pakistan two months later, and Ahsan assumed command of a complement of 27 officers and 500 men.
He was appointed Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Navy with the rank of Commodore on 1 March 1959. He was appointed as the first Deputy Chief at the Military Planning Office of Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), under Chief Major General John Wilton on 31 July 1960. Rear Admiral Ahsan succeeded him as Chief on 29 June 1962 and served until 30 June 1964.
Subsequently, Ahsan took over as the Chairman of the East Pakistan Inland Water Transport Authority from his predecessor Bakhteyar Husain in early 1964 and was promoted to the rank of full Rear Admiral on 17 August 1964. During the India–Pakistan war of 1965, over 100 Indian coastal vessels with valuable cargo were seized in East Pakistan on Ahsan's orders. He served until 1966.
Commander-in-Chief (1966–1969)
Following the appointment of Vice Admiral A. R. Khan, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Navy, as Defence Minister in October 1966, President Ayub Khan appointed Rear Admiral Ahsan to succeed him. According to author Herbert Feldman, there were coordinated efforts to thwart Ahsan's appointment. Ahsan also served as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of Cadet College Petaro from 1966 to 1968. He was appointed as the Military Adviser for Pakistan to SEATO in February 1967 and was promoted to Vice Admiral sometime that year.
During his tenure, Vice Admiral Ahsan conducted surveys of areas west of the city of Karachi and along the Balochistan coast to identify potential sites for a second Pakistani port. Fond of sailing, Ahsan discovered the area of Phitti Creek which is east of Karachi while cruising the Arabian Sea. Impressed with the natural depth of its main channel, Ahsan established a "Phitti Creek Cell" in the Naval Headquarters in 1968. The Pakistan Navy paid the British Hydraulics Research Station close to to conduct a naval survey of the area.
On 25 March 1969, General Yahya Khan succeeded Field Marshal Ayub Khan as President of Pakistan and appointed General Abdul Hamid Khan, Vice Admiral Ahsan, and Air Marshal Nur Khan as Deputy Chief Martial Law Administrators. From 5 April 1969 to 3 August 1969, Ahsan also served as Minister of the Planning Commission including Planning and Economic Affairs, Finance, Commerce, Industries and Natural Resources, Food and Agriculture, and Scientific and Technological Research divisions.