Rawalpindi conspiracy

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The Rawalpindi Conspiracy (1951)

In March 1951, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, a plan was uncovered to overthrow Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan. It was the country’s first major coup attempt and was led by Maj. Gen. Akbar Khan, with help from civilians Faiz Ahmed Faiz (a left-wing poet) and Sajjad Zaheer (a writer), along with 12 others.

Three main causes were given for the plot: officers were unhappy with Liaquat’s government, they feared British officers still serving in the army, and they were unhappy with how the Kashmir war (1947–48) was handled, especially the ceasefire and UN mediation.

Akbar Khan, who commanded the army’s general staff, planned the takeover from Rawalpindi. The civilian conspirators included Faiz and Zaheer, and Akbar’s wife Naseem Shahnawaz Khan is said to have encouraged him. A secret meeting on February 23, 1951, discussed whether Communists could participate in elections. Some accounts say no agreement was reached.

The plot was foiled when a communist officer defected to the ISI and revealed the plan. Loyal troops surrounded the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, and Akbar Khan and Faiz Ahmed Faiz were arrested. Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan announced the foiling of the plot on March 9, 1951.

A special tribunal was set up to try 15 accused, including Akbar Khan, Faiz, Zaheer, and Naseem Shahnawaz Khan. After an 18-month trial, Akbar Khan and Faiz Ahmed Faiz were convicted.

Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated later in 1951 in Rawalpindi, in an unrelated incident. Ayub Khan would later lead Pakistan’s next big military coup in 1958. Akbar Khan was later rehabilitated and returned to politics, while Naseem Shahnawaz Khan divorced and became Naseem Jahan. Faiz continued to write, later serving on Pakistan’s National Council for Arts.