president of Pakistan (1969–71), a professional soldier who became commander in chief of the Pakistani armed forces in 1966.
Yahya was born to a family that was descended from the elite soldier class of Nāder Shāh, the Persian ruler who conquered Delhi in the 18th century. He was educated at Punjab University and later graduated first in his class from the Indian Military Academy at Dehra Dūn. He served in Italy and the Middle East during World War II and, after the partition of India, organized the Pakistani Staff College in 1947.
After serving in the war with India over Kashmir, he became Pakistan's youngest brigadier general at 34, its youngest general at 40, and commander in chief in 1966. A protégé of Pres. Ayub Khan, Yahya was in command of the military when street riots erupted. Ayub called on him to take over the direction of the government and preserve the integrity of Pakistan. He was appointed chief administrator of martial law, which he declared with the words “I will not tolerate disorder. Let everyone return to his post.”
Yahya Khan succeeded Pres. Ayub Khan when the latter resigned his office in March 1969. In 1971 a serious conflict erupted between the central government and the Awami Party of East Pakistan, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The East Pakistani leader demanded autonomy for his half of the geographically divided nation, and Yahya Khan responded by ordering the Army to suppress the Awami Party. The brutality with which his orders were carried out and the resulting influx of millions of East Pakistani refugees into India led to the Indian invasion of East Pakistan and the rout of its West Pakistani occupiers. East Pakistan became the independent state of Bangladesh, and with its loss Yahya Khan resigned (Dec. 20, 1971).
He was replaced by his foreign minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who put him under house arrest. Shortly afterward he was paralyzed by a stroke and, after his release, played no further important political role.
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