Iftikhar Khan

Muhammad Iftikhar Khan
Major General Muhammad Iftikhar Khan's official portrait
Allegiance	Pakistan
Service/branch	Pakistan Army (PA-2) British India
Years of service	1929–1949
Rank	Major General
Commands held	7th Light Cavalry 10th Division
Battles/wars	World War II Indo-Pakistani War of 1947

Major General Muhammed Iftikhar Khan (10 January 1907 - 13 December 1949) was an army officer of the British Indian Army and later Pakistan Army. He belonged to the Minhas Rajput clan of Chakwal. His father Ressaidar retd Raja Fazal Dad Khan was a Zamindar (landowner) and had served as a Viceroy's Commissioned Officer with a British Indian Army cavalry unit. Iftikhar Khan a brother of Pakistan's first General (PA-1) Muhammed Akbar Khan.

After attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on the Unattached List for the Indian Army on 29 August 1929. He then spent a year on attachment to the 2nd battalion the Manchester Regiment.

He joined the Indian Army on 16 October 1930 and was posted to the 7th Light Cavalry. He was promoted Lieutenant on 29 November 1931. He then transferred to the 3rd Cavalry on 1 October 1932, a regiment which was then in the process of being Indianised. He was promoted Captain 29 August 1938. He was appointed Quarter Master from 1 August 1937 to 18 April 1938 then the Adjutant of this regiment from 19 April 1938 to 5 August 1940.

Appointed Staff Captain 7 August 1940. From 17 December 1941 he was attached to the No. 2 Indian Armoured Corps Training Center. By January 1943 he was a General Staff Officer Grade 2 on the staff of Headquarters Ceylon Army Command. By July 1943 he was a local Lieut-Colonel and a General Staff Officer Grade 2 at the Staff College Quetta. He was still in this role in April 1944 In early 1945 he was a temporary Major and second in command of the 45th Cavalry, a war raised armoured unit then serving in Burma, later posted to the 7th Light Cavalry as temporary Major and second in command.

He was promoted Major 29 August 1946. He commanded the 7th Light Cavalry in Japan as part of the Occupation Forces from September to December 1946.

On the independence of Pakistan in 1947 he opted to join the Pakistan Army. He was quickly promoted to Major General and on 1 January 1948 assumed the command of 10th Division.