- J. F. R. Jacob
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Jacob-Farj-Rafael Jacob Born 1923
Calcutta, West Bengal, IndiaOccupation Retired Lieutenant General of the Indian Army; Former Governor of Goa and Punjab Lieutenant General JFR Jacob (Jacob-Farj-Rafael Jacob) is a former governor of the Indian states of Punjab and Goa and Lieutenant General (retired) of the Indian Army. He is widely known in India as a member of the military who orchestrated behind India's successful liberation of Bangladesh in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He is a former member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Early life
He was born in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), West Bengal in 1923, when what is now India was part of the British Empire. His family were Baghdadi Jews originally from Iraq who settled in Kolkata in the middle of the 18th century. At the age of nine he was sent to boarding school by his father, a businessman named Elias Emanuel. He was sent to Victoria Schoolin Kurseong near Darjeeling. From then on, he went home only on school holidays. He enlisted in the Indian Army at the age of 18, which was under British command at the time. His father objected to his enlisting. However, Jacob was motivated by reports of the Holocaust of European Jewry during World War II.
Military career
Upon his graduation from officer's training school in 1942, he was posted to northern Iraq in anticipation of a possible German attempt to seize the oil fields of Kirkuk. He trained with Glubb Pasha's Arab Legion. Jacob then joined an artillery brigade that was dispatched to North Africa to reinforce the British army against the German army under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. The brigade arrived after the battles were over. From there, Jacob's unit was sent to Burma where he fought for three years against the Japanese. In the wake of Japan's defeat, he was assigned to Sumatra. Jacob attended and graduated from artillery schools in England and the United States and specialized in advanced artillery and missiles before returning to an independent India. He was promoted to Brigadier in 1963.
During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, he commanded an infantry division in the Indian state of Rajasthan, which later became 12 Infantry Division. During this period, he composed a much-praised manual on desert warfare. He became a Major General by 1967. He was appointed Chief of Staff, Eastern Command in 1969 by Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, the Chief of Army Staff. Jacob’s immediate superior was Lt.General Jagjit Singh Aurora. His tactical abilities were widely regarded as "brilliant". Jacob was soon grappling with mounting insurgencies in Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
Jacob had said that his military career is the indelible proof of the acceptance of Indian society. That is the only way to explain how he succeeded as a young Jew and was appointed to one of the most senior command positions in the Indian Army.[1]
Recently, he told NDTV that Indira Gandhi used the army to crush Maoists. "In 1969 in the month of October, General Manekshaw and secretary Govind Narain came to Calcutta to see me. We had a meeting and Manekshaw told me that the government had decided that the Army would be used to break the Naxals and it is the order of Mrs Gandhi. She had directed that the Army be used to break the Naxals." he said.
"I told Manekshaw that I need more troops. We had 20 divisions in the Naxal areas but nothing south of the Ganga. He said, 'How much troops do you need?' I said I at least need two divisions. So he said Jake I will be good to you. I will not only give you two more divisions but I will give you 40 para-brigade as well. I said give me something in writing. He said nothing in writing. Then Govind Narain turned up and said no publicity and no records. There was no disturbed area act enforced, no AFSPA enforced. We just operated within the law. I would presume you would call it aid of civil power and we had no protection," he added.[2]
Role in Bangladesh Liberation War
Lt. General Jacob gained prominent fame in India when he served as the Chief of Staff of the Indian Army's Eastern Command that defeat the Pakistani army in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War that broke out between the two countries over East Pakistan (which after the war became the independent state of Bangladesh). For his decisive role in the sweeping liberation of Bangladesh, Jacob was granted a commendation of merit.
“ We knew we would have to intervene, but we hardly had any infrastructure and had to build it up. ” After consulting with superior officers, he chalked out a plan for engaging Pakistan in a "war of movement" in the difficult and swampy terrain of East Pakistan. An initial plan, given to the Eastern Command by General Manekshaw, involved a brief incursion into East Pakistan and the capture of two provinces, Chittagong and Khulna. Senior members of the Indian Army were reluctant to execute an aggressive invasion for fears of early ceasefire demands by the United Nations and a looming threat posed by China. That, together with the difficulty of navigating the marshy terrain of East Pakistan through three wide rivers, led the higher-ups to believe that the capture of all of East Pakistan was inconceivable. Jacob, however, disagreed and favored his "war of movement" plan which aimed to take control of all of East Pakistan. Jacob felt that the capital city of Dhaka, located deep in East Pakistan, was the geopolitical center of the region and therefore any successful campaign had to involve deeper incursions into East Pakistan and the eventual capture of Dhaka. He realized that any campaign had to be successful and swift as the United Nations was pressing for a ceasefire (which would have been advantageous to Pakistan) and the Soviet Union (an ally of India at the time) were not interested in exercising their veto anymore. He realized that the Pakistani Army commander, Gen. Niazi, was going to fortify the towns and "defend them in strength". Jacob's plan was to bypass intermediary towns altogether using subsidiary tracks to get to Dhaka directly. His plan was eventually approved by the Eastern Command. The strategy would eventually lead to the capture of Dhaka, the heart of East Pakistan. The Pakistani forces would be bypassed, their communication centers would be secured and their command and control capabilities destroyed. His campaign plan would take three weeks, but was executed in two.
Jacob understood that a protracted war would not be in India's best interests. As fighting raged, he flew to Dhaka and wrested an unconditional surrender from Pakistan's military commander Lt. General A. A. K. Niazi, who would later accuse Jacob of blackmailing him into the surrender. Jacob quotes:
“ It was a total victory over a formidable, well-trained army. Had Pakistan fought on, it would have been difficult for us. We expected higher casualties. ” The war was a significant victory for India, with nearly 90,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendering to the Indian Army.
Post-retirement life
Indian Army 
Headquarters New Delhi History and traditions Indian military history
British Indian Army
Indian National Army
Army Day (15 January)Equipment Equipment of the Indian Army Components Regiments Personnel Chief of Army Staff
Ranks and insigniaHe retired from the military in 1978, following 37 years of service. Jacob tried his hand in the business world, but remained in close contact with government echelons. In the late nineties, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. For many years, Jacob served as the party's security adviser and was eventually appointed the governorship of the state of Goa, and subsequently became the governor of the state of Punjab .
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Israel, Jacob has paid many visits to Israel. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin invited him to attend the Jerusalem 3,000 celebrations. During one visit, he contributed items of Judaica from his parent's home to the Museum of Babylonian Jewry in Or Yehuda. His home in New Delhi has for years been a pilgrimage site for Israeli diplomats, researchers and security officers.
Political career
He is a supporter of improved India-Israel relations. When the Bharatiya Janata Party became part of the ruling coalition government of India in 1998, one of their first priorities was to improve relations with Israel, with whom India has had formal diplomatic relations since 1992. In the run-up to 2004 election he postulated of a win for Indian National Congress as:
“ A victory by the Congress Party under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi in the elections to be held in India in May will not lead to any change in India's policy toward Israel. The good relations will continue, and in certain area even grow deeper. If I had to rank the present-day level of relations between India and Israel, I would give them a 9 out of 10. ” He supports the purchase and trade of military equipment and technology from Israel by India, particularly the purchase of Israeli "Arrow" Missiles, which he prefers over the U.S-made patriot missiles on account of the Arrows' ability to intercept enemy missiles at higher altitudes.
He remains cautious about relations between India and Pakistan in light of the Pakistani media's suggesting that military and intelligence cooperation between Israel and India, which they called a "Zionist threat" on Pakistan's borders.[3][4]
“ India has been attacked several times by Pakistan. We cannot take risks, and be unprepared for a surprise attack. India should be prepared for both Pakistan and China. Therefore, there is a need for anti-missile missiles. Due to the Pakistani danger and the threat of launch of missiles with nuclear warheads. ” He is also positive about India's recent economic growth and the capabilities of the young Indian generation. He quotes:
“ As a country, we are at the threshold of an economic explosion and, hence, at this moment, empowerment means most to those who hold the key to the future. I talk of the younger generation. Sound economic and strategic planning will bring about this change. Unfortunately, since our prosperity comes in bursts, good governance, in the form of dedicated politicians and bureaucrats, is essential to usher any changes. ” Lt. General Jacob is the author of the book: "Surrender at Dacca: Birth of a Nation" ISBN 984-05-1395-8.
References
- ^ The Jewish general who beat Pakistan | DesPardes.com
- ^ http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/indira-gandhi-used-army-to-crush-maoists-former-general-to-ndtv-30840.php?u=0857
- ^ Pakistan
- ^ Pakistan’s Israel dilemma
External links
- B-R Article
- B-R Images
- Gen. Jacob
- Taking Dhaka did not figure in Manekshaw’s plans: General Jacob, The Hindu online
See also
History Partition of India · History of Pakistan · Indo-Pakistani Wars · War of 1947 · War of 1965 · Operation Searchlight · Bangladesh Liberation War · Mukti Bahini · Research and Analysis Wing · Operation Jackpot · Indo-Soviet Treaty · Razakars · Mitro Bahini · Surrender of East Pakistan · Simla Agreement
Conflict Battle of Dhalai · Battle of Atgram · Battle of Garibpur · Boyra incidence · Operation Chengiz Khan · Battle of Longewala · Battle of Hilli · Meghna Heli Bridge · Tangail Airdrop · Battle of Basantar · PNS Ghazi · Operation Trident · Air Operations · Naval Operations · INS Khukri · US Taskforce 74 · more
Leaders IndiaIndira Gandhi · Sam Manekshaw · P.C. Lal · K.P. Candeth · J.S. Aurora · Gopal Gurunath Bewoor · JFR Jacob · Sagat Singh · M.L. Thapan · T.N. Raina · Sartaj Singh · N.C. Rawlley · K.K. Singh · Kuldip Singh Chandpuri · Kulwant Singh Pannu
PakistanBangladeshHighest
awardsCategories:- 1923 births
- Living people
- People from Kolkata
- Indian Jews
- Jewish politicians
- Jewish military personnel
- Indian generals
- Mizrahi Jews
- Iraqi Jews
- Bangladesh Liberation War
- Governors of Goa
- Governors of Punjab (India)
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