Person

Yahya Khan

1917–1980 · 20th century · Also known as Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan

Yahya Khan was a Pakistani army general who succeeded Ayub Khan as president and chief martial law administrator in 1969. He held Pakistan's first general election in 1970, but when the Awami League won a majority, he launched a military crackdown in East Pakistan in 1971. The resulting war with India ended in defeat and the independence of Bangladesh, and he resigned in December 1971.

Yahya Khan
Image: Office of the President of Pakistan · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Yahya Khan. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/yahya-khan
MLA
“Yahya Khan.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/yahya-khan. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Yahya Khan.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/yahya-khan.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Yahya Khan’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/yahya-khan (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻