Khwaja Muhammad Azhar Khan commonly known as KM Azhar. He was born on 21st May 1918 at Saugar in India into the (Mian Sheikh Darvesh) Waziris tribe. His father Khwaja Muhammad Akram Khan was one of those few Muslims, who served in the Indian Police service and was the contemporaries of Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar and Maulana Shaukat Ali Johar at MAO College, Aligarh. They also played cricket together at Aligarh University.
K.M. Azhar
Born on 21 May 1918
Died on 29 Oct 2006
Military Hero, Cricket Enthusiast
After passing his Matriculation from Bhopal, where his father was posted as Inspector General of Police in 1935, he also joined Aligarh University and passed his FSc in 1938. Then he switched to Lahore and got the admission to the King Edward Medical College for his medical studies. Yet he had not passed his first professional examination when the Second World War started. He also attended the historic meeting of the All-India Muslim League in which the Lahore Resolution was adopted in 1940. Responding to a call of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah exhorting the youth to join the armed forces, he left the medical profession and was commissioned in the 2nd Punjab Regiment on 11th January 1942.
He fought on the Burma front during the Second World War and participated in two wars against India on the Kashmir front in 1947 and at Ran of Kutch in 1965. He defeated one division of the Indian Army with the help of only two battalions during the 1965 War and conquered 1,300 square miles (3,400 km) area in Rajasthan and captured the Munabao Railway Station along with a large number of Indian soldiers and three tanks.
On 4th May, 1966 he was promoted to Major General and commanded an Infantry Division. Later he was promoted to the rank of Lt. General on 14th May 1970. He was also sworn in as Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) from 25 December 1971 to 30th April 1972. During his tenure, he also fought the 1971 War against India and was injured while commanding Pakistani forces on the Rajasthan front. After serving 30 years with the Pakistan Army he was finally retired on 25th December 1971.
He also served as President of the Pakistan Hockey Federation from 1969 to 1971 and was the first Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board from 1978 to 1980.
He belongs to a cricketing family. His Grandfather Khwaja Muhammad Abdullah Khan and Father Khwaja Muhammad Akram Khan though have not played first-class cricket were the founders of Cricket in Muslim University of Aligarh in India. His two younger brothers Khwaja Muhammad Athar Khan and Khwaja Muhammad Akbar Khan have played first-class cricket.
He died at the Combined Military Hospital in Lahore on 29th October 2006, when he was admitted to the hospital after receiving a head injury while performing ablution (Wudu) to prepare for his prayer. He was 88 years old at the time of his death. He leaves behind five sons and two daughters, four of the sons being graduates of Cadet College Hasan Abdal. Later his burial took place at Cavalry Ground Graveyard in Lahore Cantonment.