Asghar Khan

Mohammad Asghar Khan; Sometimes spelled as Muhammad Asghar Khan or Mohammed Asghar Khan.}} (17 January 1921 – 5 January 2018) known as ''Night Flyer,'' held the distinction of being the first native and second Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) from 1957 to 1965. He has been described as the Father of the Pakistan Air Force. Additionally, he was the ninth president of the Pakistan Football Federation, an airline executive, politician, and author.

Born in Jammu and Kashmir, he studied at the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College. Aspiring to be a pilot, he intended to join RAF College Cranwell, but admissions were suspended in 1938. He enrolled at the Indian Military Academy in 1939, graduating with distinction and commissioned into the British Indian Army in January 1940, with the 9th Deccan Horse. With the onset of World War II, the Royal Indian Air Force asked for volunteers and Khan transferred in December 1940. Stationed in Hyderabad in 1942, he was ordered by Maj. General Richardson to attack a convoy of Hurs traveling with Pir of Pagaro VI. Leading three aircraft, Khan refused upon seeing it consisted of unarmed civilians and returned to base. Threatened with a court-martial, Khan replied, "I cannot follow an unlawful command."

Flight Lieutenant Khan led aerial operations in the Burma Campaign as Commander 'B' Flight, No. 9 Squadron RIAF. After the war, he considered resigning to participate in the Indonesian National Revolution but was advised by Jinnah to serve Pakistan's future air force. Promoted to Squadron Leader in 1945, he became the Commanding Officer of his squadron. While attending the UK's Day Fighter Leaders School in 1946, he became the first Indian subcontinent pilot to fly a fighter jet, the Gloster Meteor III. After the Partition of British India in 1947, Khan and his wife planned to move from Ambala to Lahore amid widespread communal violence. Their home was allotted to Wing Commander Nair, who refused to let them travel by train. After Khan refused to ask for help, Nair contacted Commander-in-Chief Allan Perry-Keene, who arranged for a DC-3 Dakota to fly them to Peshawar, saving their lives, as all passengers on their intended train were killed.

At the age of 36 in 1957, Khan became the youngest Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force and the youngest Air Vice Marshal in the world. At 37, he became the youngest Air Marshal. He modernised the Air Force by founding the Fighter Leader's School, Mauripur and PAF Staff College, inducting advanced aircraft like the F-86 Sabre, B-57 Canberra, and F-104, while implementing key operational reforms. He also established several air stations, wings, squadrons, along with other initiatives. Shortly before the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Khan swapped roles with his successor, Air Marshal Nur Khan, and became the head of Pakistan International Airlines. Their tenures are considered the airline's golden age.

Criticising President Ayub Khan's regime, Khan entered politics and spearheaded protests for the release of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1968. Subsequently, Khan launched his party, Tehreek-e-Istiqlal. Throughout the 1970s, Khan gained significant popular support and was instrumental in forming the Pakistan National Alliance against Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Khan won a seat in the National Assembly from Abottabad and Karachi in the 1977 Pakistani general election. Following General Zia-ul-Haq's coup d'état, Khan was placed under house arrest in 1979 which lasted five years, during which Amnesty International recognized him as a prisoner of conscience. Throughout his life, he opposed the dictatorial regimes of President Yahya Khan, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, General Zia-ul-Haq, his protégé Nawaz Sharif, and General Musharraf. However, Khan would have limited success in Pakistan's political landscape.

In 1996, Khan filed a lawsuit challenging the results of the 1990 elections, which came to be known as ''Mehrangate'' or the ''Asghar Khan case''. The election was marred by widespread rigging, with Nawaz Sharif securing victory through the backing of President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence, who manipulated the election by bribing politicians. In 2012, Generals Aslam Beg, Asad Durrani, Hamid Gul, and banker Yunus Habib publicly admitted their involvement in influencing the election results. The Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled in Khan's favour, and ordered the government to take action against those involved. Despite this, no one has faced any repercussions and the case remains largely forgotten. In 2011, Khan merged his party with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. At the age of 96, he died in early 2018 from cardiac arrest. Provided by Wikipedia