M. K. Janjua

Mohammad Khan Janjua (19 May 1914 — 1 August 1982) was a one-star rank air officer of the Royal Pakistan Air Force and was its most senior officer. He was arrested for his alleged role in the 1951 Rawalpindi conspiracy coup that was allegedly orchestrated by Communists against Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan. The plot was exposed and Faiz Ahmad Faiz, one of those implicated, said that Janjua was not involved. According to Faiz, Janjua was neither a conspirator nor a Communist, but rather a victim of circumstances beyond his control.

Early life Mohammad Khan Janjua was born on 19 May 1914 in Motal, a remote village in the Salt Range of Jhelum District into a Muslim Rajput family. He was the eldest child of nine children,

Janjua joined the Indian Military Academy in February 1933. He was the second cadet to receive a scholarship from the Indian Military Academy Scholarship Fund which was Rs. 750 per annum.

Personal life Janjua married twice and had eight children. One of his wives, Tahira, was the sister of his colleague Haider Raza. They met after the Partition of British India in 1947, when Tahira traveled to Pakistan to visit her brother and his wife during a holiday. They later had a daughter named Shahidah.

Service years British Indian Army (1934–1938) Janjua was commissioned into the British Indian Army as a Second Lieutenant on 15 July 1935. He was attached to the 2nd Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry on 10 August 1935 and transferred to the 7th Rajput Regiment on 2 December 1936.

Royal Indian Air Force (1938–1947) On 20 September 1938, three lieutenants from the British Indian Army transferred to the Royal Indian Air Force. They were Janjua, Diwan Atma Ram Nanda, and Burhan-ud-Din. In December 1942, acting Flight Lieutenant Janjua was mentioned in despatches for distinguished service in Waziristan.

Wing Commander Janjua was a member of the Air Force Sub-Committee set up to divide the assets of the Royal Indian Air Force.

Royal Pakistan Air Force (1947–1951) After the Partition of British India in August 1947, Janjua transferred his service to the Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF), was promoted to Group Captain, and appointed Air Officer-in-Charge of Administration. He was promoted to the rank of Air Commodore in January 1948. Janjua was appointed Director of Training & Reserve in July 1949.

Air Commodore Janjua played a key role in the RPAF's selection of the Hawker Tempest over the Supermarine Spitfire during the post-partition division of military assets. Although many within the Air Force favoured the Spitfire, Janjua singlehandedly changed the decision in favour of the Tempest. In the September 2023 edition of the PAF's Second to None magazine, Polish researcher Franciszek Grabowski wrote: "Although controversial, it seems it was a wise decision".

In 1948, Janjua was among three officers invited to act as Judges in selecting the best entry in the 1946–1947 Gold Medal Essay Competition by the United Service Institution of India and Pakistan.

On 13 April 1948, during his first visit to a unit of the RPAF, Governor-General Muhammad Ali Jinnah visited the Flying School at Risalpur—despite his deteriorating health. Accompanied by his sister, Fatima Jinnah, he was welcomed by Squadron Leader Asghar Khan and reviewed a ceremonial parade composed of Flight Cadets from the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th GD(P) courses. Jinnah also renamed the school as the Royal Pakistan Air Force College. Air Commodore Janjua and Asghar Khan designed the RPAF flag which Jinnah then presented to the Air Force.

In early 1950, Janjua was selected for a staff course at the Imperial Defence College. On his return in January 1951, he was appointed Director of Personnel.

Arrest On 9 March 1951, Janjua was placed under house arrest for suspected complicity in the Rawalpindi conspiracy against the government of Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan.

Civilian career Pakistan International Airlines Janjua succeeded R. H. Kazmi as the District Manager in the United Kingdom for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in February 1960.

He was succeeded by Q. Afzal Husain in February 1964 and returned to the head office of the PIA in Karachi.

Political career In April 1971, Janjua was a founding member of "West Pakistanis in Solidarity with Bengal", a London-based group of West Pakistani socialists who publicly supported the Bengali independence movement and condemned the Pakistan Army's operations in East Pakistan.

Later life In October 1974, a new English periodical called 'Democratic Pakistan' began publishing from London, representing the National Awami Party of Pakistan. Janjua was the editor.

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Published work