In March 1941 the 1st Battalion 14th Punjab Regiment was sent to
Malaya and he fought in the
Battle of Malaya during
World War II and was taken prisoner of war. He later joined the
First Indian National Army (INA), when it was formed in 1942 under the command of
Mohan Singh. After this army collapsed due to disagreements with the Japanese, the
Indian Independence League placed Kiani as Army Commander of the remains, with
Jaganath Rao Bhonsle as Director of the Military Bureau. After the arrival of
Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943 and the revival of the
Indian National Army (INA), as well as the proclamation of the
Free India government, Kiani was appointed the commander of the first division, which he led during the
invasion of India in 1944. At the time of the fall of Rangoon, Kiani led the personnel of the Indian National Army and the Azad Hind Government who, along with Bose, marched to
Bangkok. After
Bose flew to Tokyo in August 1945, Kiani surrendered to the British 5th Division at
Singapore on 25 August 1945 as the commander of the INA, along with the rest of his troops. He was repatriated to India and interned until 1946, before being cashiered and discharged from the British Indian Army. == Poonch Rebellion ==