| Zulfiqar Ali Khan | |
|---|---|
Air Chief Marshal Zulfikar Ali Khan, PAF. |
|
| Birth name | Zulfikar Ali Khan |
| Nickname | Zak |
| Born | December 10, 1930 Lahore, British Punjab, British Indian Empire |
| Died | March 8, 2005 (aged 74) Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory |
| Buried at | Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) |
| Allegiance | Pakistan |
| Service/branch | Pakistan Air Force |
| Years of service | 1950-1978 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal (General) |
| Service number | PAF No. 1371 |
| Unit | No. 11 Squadron Arrows |
| Commands held | Chief of Air Staff Pakistan Air Force Academy AOC Sargodha Air Force Base No. 31 Fighter Wing No. 35 Composite Air Transport Wing No. 32 Fighter Ground Attack Wing No. 9 Squadron Griffins No. 11 Squadron Arrows No. 20 Squadron Eagles PAF Eastern Air Force Command |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Aerial Operations of 1965 Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 East-Pakistan Air War Operation Chengiz Khan |
| Awards | Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) |
| Other work | Pakistan Ambassador to the United States |
Air Chief Marshal Zulfiqar Ali Khan (Urdu:ذوالفقار علی خان; December 10, 1930 – March 8, 2005; NI(M)), was a four-star rank general who commanded the Pakistan Air Force as its Chief of Air Staff from April 1974 to July 1978.
Khan was the first four-star rank Air Chief Marshal of the Air Force, and as well as first Chief of Air Staff. Khan was forced out of the Air Force after denying to validate the coup d'état, codename Fair Play in 1977, initiated by Chief of Army Staff General Zia-ul-Haq. He was immediately replaced with General Anwar Shamim in 1978, and later served as Pakistan's ambassador to the United States during the first Benazir Bhutto government from July 1989 to September 1990.
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Zulfiqar Ali Khan, born in Lahore, was educated at Military College Jhelum (College No. 1371) where he received his Sc.B. in Military science. He was then commissioned in the 7th GD(P) Course on 21 December 1950. He was the first graduate of Pakistan Air Force Academy, Risalpur, to have reached the highest appointment in the PAF. Zulfiqar Ali Khan was 20 years old when he was commissioned in the PAF in December 1950. He held a variety of flying assignments in the early part of his career.
He commanded as Air Officer Commanding of No. 9 Squadron, No. 11 Squadron and No. 20 Squadron. He was later assigned to command the No. 31 Wing, No. 32 Wing and No. 35 Wing, as Officer Commanding. During 1971, As Air-vice Marshal (Major-General), he was given the command of PAF Headquarter Eastern Command Dhaka and actively participated in numerous air battles. After the war, he was given the command of PAF Base Sargodha. In 1972, he was later appointed Commandant of the PAF Academy. In 1973, he was also posted to New Delhi as Air Adviser to the High Commissioner of Pakistan.
At the Air Headquarters, Zulfiqar Ali Khan stayed as Director of Operations and Director of Plans before being nominated as Chief of Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force. He then served as Deputy Chief of Air Staff in 1974.
He was promoted to four-star general officer, and was made Air Chief Marshal in 1974. He was promoted quickly as when the previous chief Air Marshal Zafar Chaudhry was forced to resign by then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Zulfiqar Ali Khan, then an Air Marshal was promoted to Air Chief Marshal in March 1976, when Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee was newly created and defence ministry was reorganized. He was awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) for his meritorious services.
After retiring from Air Force, the retired chief was made the Pakistan Ambassador to the United States in 1989 by then Prime minister Benazir Bhutto, but was recalled only after a year, when Bainazir Bhuttoo Government was dissolved by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990.
Air Chief Marshal Zulfikar Ali Khan was arrested in 1988 by the joint-intelligence operation led by ISI and A.I. He was arrested on the charges of being one of the infiltrator of Bahawalpur air crash. However, the investigations were went underground by the Bainazir Bhuttoo Government. Later on, it was concluded that the PAF's four-star general (Air Chief Marshal Zulfikar Ali Khan) was founded innocent.[1]
On 8 March 2005, Air Chief Marshal Zulfiqar died of a heart attack.[2]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Zafar Chaudhry |
Chief of Air Staff 1974–1978 |
Succeeded by Anwar Shamim |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Jamsheed Marker |
Pakistan Ambassador to the United States 1989–1990 |
Succeeded by Najmuddin Shaikh |