Asghar Khan

Air Marshal Muhammad Asghar Khan (Retd.) ( 17 January 1921 – 5 January 2018), was a Pakistani politician and an autobiographer, later a dissident serving the cause of pacifism, peace, and human rights.

Mohammad Asghar Khan was born in Jammu, Kashmir in the British Indian Empire on 17 January 1921 into a Pashtun family.

His family belonged to an Afridi tribe from the Tirah Valley in the tribal-belt region, that settled in Jammu and Kashmir.

After his education at a boarding school, Asghar Khan was sent to attend the Royal Indian Military College in 1933, where he secured his matriculation in 1939, subsequently joining the Kashmir State Forces in 1939.

After graduating from the Indian Military Academy 1940, he gained a commission in the British Indian Army as the second lieutenant in the Royal Deccan Horse, attached to the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army in December 1940.

Born into a military family, Asghar Khan briefly served as an officer in the Indian Army before being deputed to the Royal Indian Air Force (IAF) as a military adviser in 1941— he was later drafted into the IAF as its commanding officer on the Asian front of World War II.

In 1941, Lieutenant Asghar Khan was seconded to the Royal Indian Air Force, joining the No. 9 Squadron as its military adviser on the Burma front.

In 1942, Captain Khan was transferred to the Royal Indian Air Force, where he saw actions in the first front in Burma against Japan, and flew bomber missions in the Hawker Hurricane.

In 1944, Squadron Leader Khan served in the second front in Burma, commanding No. 9 Squadron alongside Squadron Leader Arjan Singh, who led No. 1 Squadron during the aerial operations of the Arakan Campaign 1942–43.

He was the first Indian to qualify to fly the Gloster Meteor jet fighter, in the United Kingdom in 1946.

After the Partition of India In 1947, Khan chose to join the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and later secured promotion as a three star rank air officer when he was appointed in 1957 as Commander-in-chief to command the PAF at the age of 36 – the youngest officer at the command level in the Pakistani military at that time.

His father, Brigadier Thakur Rehmatullah Khan, was an army officer in the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces and later emigrated to Abbottabad after the Partition of British India in 1947.

His elder brother, Brigadier Aslam Khan, was also an officer in the Pakistan Army who earned his reputation as the "Legend of Baltistan" after his participation in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, Pakistan's first war with India.

After the end of World War II in the Pacific, Squadron Leader Khan was posted to Ambala Air Force Station, where he was assigned as the flight instructor at the Flying Instructors School until 1947.

Upon returning to Pakistan Wing Commander Asghar was appointed as the first Commandant of the Pakistan Air Force Academy (then known as RPAF College) in Risalpur in 1947 until 1949, he was attached to command the Peshawar Air Force base in 1949–50.

In 1948–49, Khan greeted Governor-General Muhammad Ali Jinnah when Jinnah visited the PAF Academy (then upgraded to status of a college).

During this time, Khan decided to transfer to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and went to Great Britain to attend the RAF Staff College at Bracknell, graduating in 1949.

He was later directed to attend the Joint Service Defence College, located in Latimer, Buckinghamshire, and graduated in 1952.

For a short brief of time in 1953, Group Captain Asghar was taken in deputation in the services of the Pakistan International Airlines, where he served in corporate administration.

He continued his further education at the Imperial Defence College and graduated in 1955.

In 1955, Gp-Capt.

Khan was appointed as the commander of No. 1 Group.

In 1955–56, Air Commodore Khan was posted to PAF Air Headquarters and briefly met with the Brigadier-General Saxton of the United States Air Force to discuss the Military Advisory Assistance Group and equipment procurement for the Pakistan Air Force.

In 1957, Air Vice-Marshal Khan was appointed as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Administration and took the initiative in establishing the Air Force Education Command that oversaw the establishment of the PAF Air War College at PAF Base Faisal, Karachi and the College of Aeronautical Engineering at PAF Academy Risalpur (now known as PAF Academy Asghar Khan).

In 1957, the Government of Pakistan announced the retirement of the Royal Air Force's Air Vice-Marshal Sir Arthur McDonald, and promoted Air Vice-Marshal Asghar Khan to two-star rank.

In 1957, Khan took over the command of the Pakistan Air Force as its first and youngest Air Commander in the military– he was only 36 at the time of his promotion.

In 1958, Khan's rank was upgraded to three-star rank.

Soon after his promotion in 1958, Air Marshal Khan become involved in national politics and harboured strong feelings towards the nation's politicians involved in financial corruption.

He sided with Army Commander, General Ayub Khan against the Navy Commander, Vice-Admiral H. M. S. Choudhri, over the contingency plans and management of the Joint Staff.

Eventually, Khan played a crucial role in support of the 1958 Pakistani coup d'état, and consolidating control in support of General Ayub Khan, along with Admiral A. R. Khan and the 'Gang of Four', four air force and army generals, Azam Khan, Amir Kan, Wajid Burkk, who were instrumental in Ayub Khan's rise to the Presidency.

The overthrow of President Iskander Mirza was welcomed in public circles.

Khan backed the enforcement of martial law, which he viewed as a necessary step to eradicate the corrupt practices found in the nation's politics.

In 1960, Air-Mshl.

In 1965, his dissent with General Musa Khan, the Army Commander in Chief, over the Operation Gibraltar area contingency plans, and vetoing decisions to go on the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, eventually led to his replacement with Air Marshal Malik Nur Khan.

Asghar Khan continued to serve with his rank when he was deputed as a Pakistan International Airlines's executive, until retiring in 1968.

After his retirement from the military in 1968, Asghar Khan founded the Tehrik-e-Istiqlal (Solidarity Party) with a secular and centrist political program in direct opposition to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), but failed to make any significant impact in the 1970 Pakistani general elections.

From the 1970s–90s, Khan's political career focused towards the 'Dharna' or 'politics of agitation', against the elected civilian governments, and gained notability when he filed multiple lawsuits, over the Mehrangate bank scandal, against the PPP and the PML(N) at the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the 1990s.

During this time, Khan authored many political books, some very critical or given dissenting criticism of the Pakistan Army's involvement in national politics.

In 2011, Khan merged his party with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice).

Khan died in January 2018 and was buried with full state honours.