Aboobaker Osman Mitha

Major General Abu Bakr Osman Mitha was born to an affluent and politically influential Memon family in Bombay in 1923. His grandfather was knighted and important enough figure to have the viceroy of India accept a dinner invitation from him at the Taj. Mitha grew up in Bombay and his childhood and early years and the influence of joint family system, presided over by an imperious grandfather and an omnipresent, all-powerful grandmother who inspected her married daughters-in-law’s separate living quarters for any signs of undusted furniture, deserves to be included in sociology textbook.

Early Beginnings

Mitha was a defiant young man and to his grandfather’s shock and anger rejected the career in business that had been chosen for him. He also rejected the bride that had been earmarked for him. He decided that he was going to find a career in the army. Accordingly, after finishing high school he joined a pre-cadet academy, and was selected for a commission in the British Indian army. He passed out of the Indian Military Academy, Dehra Dun, in 1942 and daredevil that he was, volunteered for the Parachute Regiment. He served in Burma and was dropped behind Japanese lines for high-risk operations.

General Mitha refers to the blatant racism that British officers practiced against their Indian colleagues in his book "Unlikely Beginnings"(Published Post humously) ,he says'If there were ten officers in a mess, two of them British, they would see to it that they had little, if anything, to do with their Indian counterparts'.

Thousands of Indians laid down their lives in the two Great Wars which had nothing to do with them. One can only speculate what would have happened if the Allies had lost the war and Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army, which contained many Muslims, had found the future of post-British India in its hands. It is one of those great unknowables about which we can only hazard a guess.

In Pakistan Army

Mitha opted for Pakistan in 1947 even after his parents, who had first decided to go to Pakistan, changed their minds. After qualifying from the Staff College, Quetta as GSO 1 in GHQ Pakistan. He was Brigade Major in 1952 and Colonel Staff to GOC-in-C in 1962.Just around that time, he fell in love with Indu, daughter of Prof Chatterji of Government College, who had grown up in Lahore, but had since moved to Delhi. That it was not just puppy love but something more lasting was proved by Mitha’s perseverance, and four years after the young lovers’ separation Indu, against the wishes of her family, came over to Karachi and they were married. He remained in love with her till the end of his life. They had three wonderful daughters, two of them turned out to be highly talented classical dancers.

Mitha describes the GHQ in Rawalpindi of the early days of Pakistan in graphic detail, with junior officers using wooden packing cases for desks and chairs and bringing their own pencils to work. Toilet paper that the British used to call “bog paper” was used to write on, as ordinary paper was just not available.He says: “When I see the offices in GHQ today, with wall-to-wall carpeting, panelled walls and full air conditioning, I wonder how and why this desire for luxurious working conditions has crept in...” .

In 1953-54 officers above the rank of lieutenant-colonel were asked if Pakistan should accept US military aid. Mitha suggested that Pakistan should not, because aid would prevent the country from developing its own arms industry and leave it at the mercy of the Americans. It will also develop a “beggar mentality”, he predicted.

This advice was, of course, ignored. Cherat was chosen as the highly restricted site where the commandos were to be trained and based. The trainers were mostly Americans from the CIA, who came with their families, setting up a little America with all its gadgetry and attendant luxuries. Mitha’s sole instruction to his handpicked Pakistani officers was: “Be proud of your poverty.” He remained head of the SSG for 6 years.

Mitha in East Pakistan

Maj. Gen. Mitha was particularly active in East Pakistan in the days preceding the military action of the 25th of March 1971, and even other Generals were present in Dacca along with Yahya Khan, and secretly departed on the evening of 25th of March 1971,that fateful day after fixing the deadline for the military action. Maj. Gen. Mitha is said to have remained behind. Lt. Gen Tikka Khan, Major Gen. Rao Farman Ali and Maj.Gen.Khadim Hussain Raja were associated with the planning of the military action. There was, however, nothing to show that they contemplated the use of excessive force or the Commission of atrocities and excesses on the people of East Pakistan.

Betrayel by Army

Maj. Gen. Mitha was Quartermaster General at GHQ when prematurely retired by the civilian Chief Martial Law Administrator, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in December 1971. He was just over 48 years old .General Gul Hasan added his name to a list of officers whose retirements were announced by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in his first speech as president on December 20, 1971. It was a most treacherous blow as Mitha was too good a soldier and too reverent of tradition and rules to have had any Bonapartist ambitions. He had no hand in the Officer's Revolt at Gujranwala and the hooting down of Gen Hamid at a GHQ meeting, events that, ironically, pushed out Yahya Khan.

According to Gen Mitha, it was Gul Hasan who also saved Brig Zia ul-Haq, as he then was, from being sacked. Zia was in Jordan. The year was 1971. Gen Yahya Khan received a signal from Maj. General Nawazish, the head of the Pakistan military mission in Amman, asking that Zia be court martialled for disobeying GHQ orders by commanding a Jordanian armour division against the Palestinians in which thousands were slaughtered. That ignominious event is known as Operation Black September. It was Gul Hasan who interceded for Zia and had Yahya Khan let him off. In the course of his military career, he was awarded the Hilal-i-Jur'at, Sitarai-Pakistan, and Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam.

Honours,Dishonours and Death

Mitha was however,treated very badly after retirement. His Hilal-i-Jurat was withdrawn in February 1972, some suggest it to be the work of General Gul Hasan. He remained under surveillance through the Bhutto years. All doors of employment were closed on him and had it not been for the generosity of a friend living abroad, who asked Mitha to manage his farm for him, he would have been on the street. Maj.Gen. A.0. Mitha died in December 1999.After he died, one of his friends wrote to his wife:

“At the end of a tumultuous life, all he wanted was a room to sleep in, one to write and eat in – a space to walk, reflect and gaze across the fields to the distant hills.”

Special Services Group (SSG)

Lt. Col. (later Maj. Gen.) Abu Bakr Osman Mitha.came to prominence when appointed to raise the Special Services Group (SSG),probably the only Pakistan Army officer with the experience to do so. This made him a legend not only in the Army, but also with the Navy and Air Force. He left his mark on hundreds of young cadets when he commanded the Pakistan Military Academy from 1966-8. In 1965 he commanded an Infantry Brigade in East Pakistan and was also active there in early 1971 as Deputy Corps Commander. He also commanded the elite 1st Armoured Division from 1968-1970.

SSG’s initial training and orientation as regards tactics was based on the US Special Forces pattern with whom they co-operated closely in the Cold War years. Later Chinese training, tactics, weapons, and equipment were also introduced.

After a few preliminary operations on the Afghan border, the nascent SSG’s first test came during the 1965 war. Around 100 officers and men were dropped on the night of 6/7 September near the Indian airbases of Adampur, Pathankot and Halwara in an ill-conceived operation to destroy Indian combat aircraft and put the bases out of action. Badly planned, lacking any solid intelligence, and even more badly executed the operation ended in a disaster. The SSG commandos fell easy prey to hastily gathered Indian troops and adventurous civilians. Only a handful made it back to their own country after numerous travails. No Indian planes were damaged or casualties inflicted on Indian troops.

By 1971, the SSG boasted of 3 battalions with one permanently stationed in East Pakistan. Their performance in the 1971 war was much better with 1 Commando Battalion making a spectacular raid on an Indian artillery regiment and disabling several of their guns besides inflicting casualties. 3 Commando Battalion in Bangladesh performed creditably in a normal infantry role. The SSG’s role in the Afghan War was highly commendable and much of the credit for the spectacular successes of the Mujahideen goes to them.

Likewise, they have fought well in Siachen though in one or two instances taking heavy casualties. In the preliminary stages of the 1999 Kargil Operations the SSG performed well, infiltrating relatively deep into Indian territory undetected. Subsequently being used as stock infantry troops to hold posts/defensive positions, they took heavy casualties and suffered the mortification of being ‘denied’ by their own country.

In 1980, an anti-terrorist role was given to Musa Company, which was originally formed in 1970 as a combat diver unit. This company was subsequently trained by British SAS advisers in mid-1981. In 1980 however each battalion was given a diver unit. The battalion in East Pakistan earlier had a frogman platoon with which it was planned by Lieutenant-General A. A. K. Niazi (GOC Pakistan Eastern Command) to attack the Indian Farakka Barrage.

Since then SSG has come a long way.The Current President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharaf is an SSG trained commando.