3 November 1910: 786 [1]–1999) was a senior Pakistani military officer who was notable for commanding the 1st Corps, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.: 152 [2] Rana was born in Hoshiarpur, Punjab in British India on 3 November 1910 into a Panjabi Muslim Rajput family that belonged to the Naroo clan of the Rajput tribe.

: 786 [3] His father, Rana Talia, was an officer in the British Indian Army who was later appointed as the first Muslim Inspector-General of the Punjab Police based in Patiala State.

: 786 [3] In 1931, Bakthiar left his university studies when he was accepted to join the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, and passed out from the academy in 1936.: 786 [7] In 1936, he was commissioned in the 1st Piffers in the Frontier Force Regiment as a 2nd-Lt.: 786 [7] In 1939, Lt. Bakhtiar participated in World War II, first serving in India's frontier operations before being dispatched to the Mediterranean and Middle East Front, and later fighting in North Africa and Italy.

: 55 [11] After the partition of India, Lt-Col. Bakhtiar decided to transfer to the Pakistan Army, and his 1st Piffers Btn was known for having more locals than any other regiment in the country at that time.

To this day, they are the only father and son duo to have commanded the Frontier Corps during their separate military careers.