Enaith Habibullah

Enaith Habibullah (1910–1990) was an Indian Army General and the first Commandant of the National Defence Academy. Born into the Muslim feudal aristocracy of Oudh in Lucknow, he belonged to the Taluqdars of Saidanpur estate. His father, Sheikh Mohammad Habibullah, was a taluqdar and regent of Mahmudabad estate, while his mother, Inam Habibullah, came from an educated family in Kakori.

Enaith had three siblings: brothers Isha'at and Ali Bahadur, and sister Tazeen. Isha'at settled in Karachi and married Jehanara, the sister of Rafa'at-uz-zamani Begum, wife of Mohammad Raza Ali Khan, the last Nawab of Rampur. Ali Bahadur entered colonial service, later marrying his cousin Attia Hosain, a renowned writer known for her works on the changing lives of Awadh's landed aristocracy.

Enaith was educated at Clifton College and Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Commissioned into the Indian Army in 1930, he saw action against General Rommel in Africa during WWII and later served in Burma. After partition in 1947, he joined the Indian Army, becoming Commandant of the National Defence Academy from 1953 to 1958. Promoted to Major-General in 1955, he also served as Deputy G.O.C. of the Malayan Federal Army before retiring in 1965.

His son, Wajahat Habibullah, was a distinguished bureaucrat, and his grandsons Amar and Saif are prominent businessmen. The Habibullah Hall at the National Defence Academy is named in his honor.