Army Career
As an army officer, Fazle Haq was commissioned in the Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) regiment of the Armoured Corps. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, then Major Fazle Haq was part of the Guides Cavalry in the 6th Armoured Division, when the regiment launched a two squadron attack at Phillaurah on 11 September. The attack was targeted against the Indian 1st Armoured Division, and as a result both sides faced heavy casualties. This was presumed a Pakistani victory, as the fighting did not resume until 13 September, as the enemy was more cautious. However, it was a Pyrrhic victory.
As a Lieutenant-Colonel, Fazle Haq commanded his own regiment, the Guides Cavalry during 1968 and 1969. Then by 1975, as a Major General, he took over the 6th Armoured Division stationed at Kharian. Now promoted to Lt Gen, Haq was the commander of XI Corps at Peshawar from January 1978 to March 1980. By this time, General Zia-ul-Haq had imposed a martial law in the country, and Fazle Haq was concurrently appointed the Governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. After retirement from the army in 1980, he stayed on as the governor, finally relinquishing the charge in December 1985 when the martial law was lifted in the country. During his time as Governor and Corp commander he was considered one of President Zia-ul Haq's closest confidantes and a key architect of the Afghan mujahidin groups.He was actively involved with Afghan mujahidin groups including the Haqqani group and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar till the end of the Soviet-Afghan war and often met with High ranking CIA and government officials including Attorney General of the United States William F. Smith and other political key figures for funding and support for the Afghan Freedom. He remains to this day well respected and well known among the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for services rendered during his tenure as Governor.
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