Pakistani President Ayub Khan visits America - A rare video (1961)

This is a rare video of Pakistan's Field Marshall Muhammad Ayub Khan's visit to the US in 1961 and the VVIP "handling" given to him during his visit. Born on May 14, 1907 in Haripur, Ayub succeeded General Gracey as the second Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army on January 17, 1951, and served as President of Pakistan from 1958-1969 following a bloodless coup. Ayub Khan approved U-2 spy plane flights, taking off from Pakistan, over the then Soviet Union in continuation of the policy of his predecessor, Suhrawardy, who had, in 1957, ceded to Eisenhower's request for establishing secret intelligence gathering facilities in Pakistan.

As a consequence, two top secret bases were established at Peshawar and Badaber during the "pre-satellite" intelligence gathering era when visual reconnaissance of nuclear assets was of critical importance to both world powers. These highly rewarding U-2 flights were able to unearth several hidden USSR nuclear launch facilities.

In the most famous (infamous?) international incident of Ayub's Presidency, a Lockheed U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers that took off from Badber on May 1, 1960 was shot down (or disintegrated while evading a missile) inside the Soviet Union. A huge international crisis ensued and Gary Powers was captured alive. This incident prompted a marked deterioration in relations between both superpowers. Gary Powers was later exchanged for Rudolf Abel (a Russian intelligence officer) on February 10, 1962.

During Ayub's Presidency, Pakistan achieved double digit economic growth rates for almost one decade, and many of his large national development projects are still providing great benefit to the country. Ayub therefore remains the only Pakistani leader (after Mr. Jinnah) who provided a period of enduring remembrance and fond memories of his rule to Pakistanis!

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• President
• Ayub
• Khan
• visits
• America
• Kennedy
• John
• pakistani
• pakistan
• u2
• incident
• field
• marshall
• muhammad
• india
• war
• red
• carpet
• reception
• 1961
• politics
• bhutto
• zulifkar
• zulifqar
• ali
• 1965
• Indian
• gary
• powers
• francis
• eisenhower
• peshawar
• badaber
• Nikita
• Khrushchev
• Lockheed
• skunk
• works
• U2
• Jinnah
• Reconnaissance
• recon
• mission
• international
• crisis
• political
• us
• base
• secret
• clandestine
• history
• spying
• SAM
• SA-2
• SA2
• SA12
• Musharaf
• Musharraf
• parvez
• ziaul
• haq
• zia
• zardari
• asif

[peace200351]

Afsoos, we have gone down day by day, After we have thrown President Ayub out of office ,we never got a good ruler & got worst one after another, now zardari is heading us, to the critics of Ayub I say still the water & power we are getting is contributed by Dams built by President Ayub.

[aizad3755]

@peace200351 Ayub definitely had a solid vision for the future of Pakistan.

[aizad3755]

@peace200351 jinnah never liked him though.

[111abc1112]

He deserved such a hot welcome by the American. History shows that Pakistan never achieved such a superb growth rate as was acheived in the era of Ayub Khan. His government was disabled by Zulfiqar Ali Butto.

[aizad3755]

@111abc1112 ZAB was an evil genius and a pathological liar. Alas, had he used his great intellect towards nation building, our country would have continued its double digit economic growth from 1970 onwards. That was not to be and each successive leader since his fall continues to be twice as bad as him!

[EoGuy99]

What was Jackie thinking with that hat?

[aizad3755]

@EoGuy99 Probably the weather

[jaandil7]

yes brothers i am proud to see this video and the american reception given to ayub khan....it all changed when the ppp bhuttos came to power and corroption never stopped ever since! infact its all in the open like ppp zardaari rubbing pakistan in open.....and we sit and just talk about it! sad on you zardaari as you will not take that to your grave......please dont vote for ppp....very very very very bad party for pakistan.

[TaimurTatar2]

Such a beautiful time............

[FransisR]

interesting his daughter and most Pakistani women were wearing Sarees.

sad that later on Pak women discarded sarees. They look very beautiful

[javed75510]

Teri yaad aayee tere janay ke baad.. What we were and what we are today. We reached to this stage because of the Army whom Ayub came from. Ayub was very sincere with the nation but people aftter him were only power hungry ande stupid such as Yahya, Zia and the most recent one Musharraf. Second come the politicians, the most corrupt and inefficient lot the world.

[zomkhan]

250,000 innocent Bengali women were raped and 3 million Bangladeshi people were slaughtered by the Pakistanis!!

All these innocent Bangalis did was they wanted to speak their own language (Bengali - came from Sankskrit).

These innocent Bengalis didn't speak Urdu (close to Arabic language).



[zomkhan]

U.S. Consulate, Archer Blood, notified the massacre done by Pakistani

army, but Nixon chose to help Sharia. Nixon sent the USS Enterprise to destroy Bangladesh, but it didn't happen. Russia backed India helped Bangladesh.

US politics has been on the wrong side, Islam! Now, Pakistan has turned against US.

[zomkhan]

The relationship with Islam/Pakistan/Sharia and US has been so good that that 40 years ago, Richard Nixon gave West Pakistan weapons and sent USS Enterprise in Indian Ocean

to defeat freedom of Bangladesh. US helped West Pakistan/Sharia to kill 3 million people and

raped 200,000 Bengali women by providing weapons.

[rashidpassion]

wen v were together bangal +pak

[111abc1112]

@aizad3755 My brother! be patience and look into the history. I have spent my young age in the era of Ayub Khan. I have observed his successors' regime as well. There is no one who served Pakistan with the intellect, patriotism, zeal, enthusiasm and courage as he did. We can just wish a few like him.

[aizad3755]

@akhtarkniazi I do not like military rulers myself, but what did our non-military rulers give us?

[aizad3755]

@iqbalsamad1943 It is no more ruled by these people. The new elite is the educated smartly dressed white collar criminals and they have been ruling since 1988

[aizad3755]

@peace200351 Not to forget that he was a military dictator nevertheless.However, he was a BENEVOLENT dictator who had great love for Pakistan.

[iqbalsamad1943]

Pakistan was quoted as a model developing state during his time. Today we are ruled by Crooks, Pirs, Faqirs and Mujavirs!! The condition of the country is that of a dargah haunted by riff raff and running on Nazranas!!

[akhtarkniazi]

he was the first bastard that opened way of military rule. a criminal treason and constitution.

[BAROSHAH]

He was a great man and a great president i pray to God that pakistan get,s a leader like him

[piraliraza]

@111abc1112 disabled yea? i hope you get disabled.

[gxlkhan]

now and then!!! such a shame for our government today!!

[111abc1112]

He was indeed the great leader of Pakistan