afterwards, transferring and continuing his military service with the Pakistan Army. Personality Mailk was known amongst his peers for his towering presence, unsullied boldness in strategy, quick thinking, and patriotism. Although he was highly admired and respected by his subordinates, he would often be very outspoken towards them. As a tactician, he planned Operation Gibraltar and Operation Grand Slam under the auspices of the President of Pakistan: Field Marshal Ayub Khan. Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 As GOC for the 12th Infantry Division, Malik was the overall commander for Operation Grand Slam in the Second Kashmir War. For his successful handling of the initial phase of the operation, he was awarded the Hilal-i-Jur'at, the second highest gallantry award of the Pakistan Army. Controversially, the command was unilaterally handed over to General Yahya Khan mid-operation, resulting in extensive delays, which were uncalled for, and eventual failure of the operation. The undisclosed reasons for this midway switch has made the operation an object of much speculation in Pakistan to this day. It is alleged that the Pakistani President Ayub Khan knew that if Malik managed to wrest Kashmir from Indian control, he would become an undoubted and admired hero in the eyes of the Pakistani Public. General Yahya Khan and also the fact that he was a Ahmadi Muslim, the alleged favorite of Ayub Khan, was thus introduced midway by Ayub to foil any chances of the operation's success at the hands of Malik, who Ayub Khan saw as a political and military rival. In a letter to his brother, Lieutenant Gen. Abdul Ali Malik, Akhtar Malik bitterly highlighted the sudden change of command and inept leadership of General Yahya Khan as one of the main causes of failure. Legacy Qudrat Ullah Shahab, an eminent Urdu writer and civil servant had also commented on the matter, saying: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the ninth Prime Minister and fourth President had also commented on Ayub and Yahya's intervention in the war, saying: Death After the war, Malik was posted to an advisory commanding position for CENTO in Ankara, Turkey, where he succumbed to injuries sustained in a road accident on 22 August 1969. His body was brought back to Pakistan and being an Ahmadi Muslim, he was buried in a dedicated cemetery in Rabwah. Awards and decorations Foreign decorations References General Akhtar Hussain Malik, Daily Imroze, Lahore, 22 August 1971 From Plaebiscite to Partitions, Jammu-Kashmir.com, Oct