Khan, Aga Mohammad Yahya (1917-1980)  President of Pakistan. Born in 1917 in Peshawar Aga Mohammad Yahya Khan obtained graduation from the Punjab University and joined the army as an officer. He was elevated to the position of Army Chief of Staff of Pakistan in 1966.

In the backdrop of mass upsurge in East Pakistan in 1969 against his autocratic rule, President ayub khan failed to solve the acute political problems in both the wings of Pakistan and handed over state power to the army chief Yahya Khan on 24 March 1969. On 25 March Yahya Khan promulgated martial law in Pakistan, abrogated the Constitution, dissolved both the national and provincial assemblies, and assumed state power as Chief Martial Law Administrator and President.

In a proclamation issued on 28 November 1969, Yahya Khan assured a return to constitutional government in Pakistan. In the general elections held in December 1970, awami league secured majority seats in both the National and Provincial Assemblies. Pakistan People's Party held second majority in the National Assembly. But Yahya Khan entered into intrigues against the installation of the Awami League in central power in Pakistan. The session of the National Assembly convened earlier was postponed by him on 1 March 1971 for an indefinite period of time. Consequently, as a protest, non-cooperation movement started in the whole of East Pakistan at the instance of Awami League chief sheikh mujibur rahman. To face the situation Yahya Khan came to Dhaka and had dialogue with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (16-24 March). The dialogue failed to achieve any positive result. Yahya Khan left Dhaka on the night of 25 March. At his instance the army started genocide in Dhaka on that very night which was followed by the emergence of free sovereign Bangladesh through victory after nine months of war of liberation. Yahya Khan died on 14 August 1980. [Muazzam Hussain Khan]