Colonel Burhanuddin Chitral

COLONEL BURHANUDDIN CHITRAL

Date of Birth: 1915 and Date of Death: 1996

Colonel Burhanuddin Chitral, who played a vital role as commander in the Indian National Army, was born in 1915 in Chitral village of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa area in Pakistan.  He is from famous Chitral Royal Family.  His father Shuja-ul-Mulk was the ruler of Chitral.  Burhanuddin joined the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun in 1932 after completing his studies at Islamia College in Peshawar.  He took charge as the captain of the 2/10 Baluch regiment in the British Indian Army.  He went sent to the battle field in Malaya during World War-II as a British Army official.  When the British allied forces in Burma and Malaya were defeated by the Japanese Army during the early of the War, the soldiers and the officers of the British Indian Army were detained by Japan as war prisoners.  Captain Burhanuddin Chitral was also became one of the war prisoners.  Later he joined the Indian National Army formed by Captain Mohan Singh and late of reorganised and lead by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.  Captain Burhanuddin was appointed as the Commander of the Bahadur group in the special guerrilla regiment.  During that period, Muta-ul-Mulk, brother, of Burhanuddin also joined in the Indian National Army and discharged his duties as an Officer.  Both the brothers discharged their responsibilities efficiently.  When Germany and Japan were defeated by the British allied forces in Second World War, the Indian National Army which was fighting with the support of Japan, was forced retreat.  When Rangoon was captured on 3^rd May, 1945, the British forces detained the officers and the soldiers of the Indian National Army.  Colonel Burhanuddin was also one among them.  He faced trial in the Military Court on several allegations.  The All India Muslim League fought the legal battle on behalf of the Burhanuddin, who was one among the six commanders arrested by the British.  He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.  But, he sentence on him was cancelled as a result of the massive movement by the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League.  After the division of the country Burhanuddin settled in his native place Chitral and served the Pakistan Government as an army officer.  Colonel Burhanuddin Chitral, who was a committed officer of Indian National Army, passed away in 1996.