Akleem Akhtar (Urdu: اکلیم اختر; 1931/1932 – 1 July 2002), also known as General Rani (the Queen General),[1] was the mistress of the Pakistani President and Dictator General Yahya Khan. Some considered her the most powerful woman in Pakistan during his regime.[1]
Akleem Akhtar | |
|---|---|
| اکلیم اختر | |
 Akleem Akhtar in 1960s | |
| Born | c. 1931/1932 |
| Died | 1 July 2002 (aged 70–71) |
| Spouse | Moiz Jee |
| Partner | General Yahya Khan (Military dictator of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971) |
| Children | 6 |
| Relatives | Fakhar-e-Alam (grandson) |
Early life
editAkhtar was born in Gujrat city in Punjab, British India, in 1931 or 1932, to a conservative middle-class family. During her childhood, she was considered intelligent by many people and was reported to enjoy outdoor sports.[1][2][3][4]
Her parents married her off to a police officer twice her age, 'Moiz Jee', an inhabitant of North Karachi.[2][1] For many years, she was able to play the role of a 'good wife' and never ventured out of the home without a 'burqa' (face veil/abaya). They together had six children. In 1963, when on holiday in the cool hills of Murree, Akhtar suddenly snapped and rebelled against her husband by removing her niqab.[2] The marriage ended in a divorce, with their six children leaving with Akhtar. Without any income of her own, the family struggled to make ends meet. After her parents denied her any help unless she returned to her husband, she started planning to associate with powerful, wealthy men.[2][1]
Akhtar began visiting nightclubs and other such places that were frequented by business, political and military elite in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.[1] She made contacts with good-looking young women who, for various reasons, had run away from their homes after suffering poverty and harsh circumstances at their homes.[1]
Akhtar reportedly adopted the motto "miyan ki juti miyan ke sar" ("beat men at their own game"), and started a prostitution business. Akhtar maintained she only played a background role, acting as a 'mother figure' to the young girls which she provided to rich and powerful men.[2]
Relationship with General Yahya Khan
editAkhtar became acquainted with rich and powerful men through frequenting clubs, through which she met General Yahya Khan in 1967, a compulsive drinker and womanizer. Akhtar created a close relationship with the General, who she reportedly called 'Agha Jani'. She held no official position in his circle but was given special privileges due to their close association. She publicly denied being Yahya Khan's mistress, claiming their relationship was merely that of friends. She said in one interview that she exploited the Khan's weaknesses: alcohol and women.[1][2]
Akhtar was also known as 'General Rani', (the General's Queen). Rani was Akhtar's alias, and she was called 'General' by the people and media due to her inclusion in the inner circle of General Yahya Khan during his military rule in Pakistan between 1969 and 1971. Several bureaucrats and politicians approached Akhtar in an attempt to receive General Yahya Khan's attention.[1]
Death and legacy
editIn May 2002, Pakistani media reported Akhtar had breast cancer that metastasized to her liver and kidney. She died at the age of 70 or 71, on 1 July 2002 at Shaikh Zayed Hospital in Lahore after fighting cancer for five years.[2][3][1]
Akhtar is the maternal grandmother ('Naani') of a Pakistani pop star Fakhar-e-Alam.[4][5][6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Nadeem F. Paracha (28 March 2014). "The fascinating tale of General Rani". The Friday Times newspaper. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Nasir, Ayesha (4 May 2002). "Night of the General". Newsline magazine. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ a b "'Gen Rani' dies of cancer". Dawn (newspaper). 2 July 2002. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ a b Peerzada Salman (28 June 2016). "Irked by Shehla Raza's remarks, Fakhr-i-Alam resigns as chairman of censor board". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Fakhar-e-Alam: Actor, VJ and Singer". Pakistan Herald. Gibralter Information Technologies. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2011. Peerzada Salman (28 June 2016). "Irked by Shehla Raza's remarks, Fakhr-i-Alam resigns as chairman of censor board". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ Ashok V. Desai (27 March 2007). "The General Rani Files - The legacy of Akleem Akhtar lives on in her daughter". The Telegraph Online (India) newspaper. Retrieved 15 December 2024.