Mushaf Ali Mir

Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir NI(M), HI(M), SI(M), SBt (Punjabi, Urdu: ; 5 March 1947 – 20 February 2003) was an influential statesman and a four-star air force general who served as the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), appointed on 20 November 2000 until his accidental death in a plane crash on 20 February 2003.

Mushaf Ali Mir was born in Lahore, Punjab in British India on 5 March 1947.

He hailed from the lower middle class family and was of Kashmiri descent, that practiced the Shia'a principles of Islam.

Mushaf's oldest sister, Surayya Jabeen, was married to Yunus Hussain, who died in the 1965 war.

His father, Farzand Ali Mir, was a calligrapher who died when Mushaf was still young.

He attended Govt.

Wattan Islamia High School in Lahore.

Upon his matriculation from a local school in Lahore, Mir initially attended the Government College University but joined the Pakistan Air Force in 1966 which directed him to attend the famed Pakistan Air Force Academy in Risalpur, after the second war with India.

In 1967, he gained commission in the Pakistan Air Force as a Pilot officer in the GD(P) branch through the Second Short Course.

At the PAF Academy, he qualified to fly the F-6 Farmer fighter jet, and was posted to join the No. 25 Squadron Night Strike Eagles in 1970.

In the 1970s, Mir joined the Combat Commander's School, first serving as a student before joining its faculty, eventually commanding an Aggressor squadron composing of Dassault Mirage IIIER to act as an Indian IAF's MiG-29M.

Wing-Commander Mir was a commanding officer of the No. 33 Wing attached at the Northern Air Command and later took over the command of the Southern Air Command as its AOC.

In 1971, F/Off. Mir successfully flew his F-6 Farmer against the Indian Air Force's MiG-21, and was credited with shooting an Indian Air Force jet down with his missile.

After the war in 1971, Flt. Lt. Mir attended the Air War College where he attained his master's in War studies, and later went on to attend the National Defence University where he graduated with a master's in Strategic studies.

During this time, he became acquainted with then-Brig. Pervez Musharraf.

In the 1980s, Gp-Capt. Mir was posted as an air attaché at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C. in United States.

He qualified to fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon, as a Group Captain of No. 33 Wing at Kamra Air Base, with personnel from No. 14 Squadron.

In 1994–95, Air-Commodore Mir, as an ACAS (Plans) at Air AHQ, visited Poland to hold discussions to acquire the Russian Su-27 Flanker but returned since the aircraft was not available.

In 1995, AVM Mir was appointed as Project-Director of Project Green Flash, aiming to acquire Mirage 2000-V from France, and begin his lobbying to acquire the aircraft after test piloting the fighter jet.

In 1996, Air Vice Marshal Mir was appointed as Project-Director of Project Falcon that was started to negotiate with Turkey and Jordan to acquire F-16As/Bs.

In 1996–99, Air Vice Marshal Mir took over the command of the Northern Air Command headquartered in Peshawar, and became associated with the ISI, where he aided in providing the aerial support during the civil war in Afghanistan.

During this time, Air Vice Marshal Mir was posted as a military adviser to the Saudi Arabian Army and later assumed the short-time command of the Pakistan Armed Forces-Middle East Command before returning to Pakistan for the command appointments.

In 1999, Air Marshal Mir was appointed as the chairman of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra.

A fighter pilot and a strategist, he briefly served at command level in the ISI before controversially being promoted as a four-star air officer to command the air force in 2000.

In 2000, ACM PQ Mehdi's retirement was confirmed by President Rafiq Tarar, and the Pakistan MoD sent potentials list of three-star air officers for the promotion of the four-star rank.

At the time of promotion to the four-star appointment, there were six senior air marshals who were in the race which included in seniority:

Eventually, the race for the appointment for the air chief was rumored between Air Marshal Farooq Qari and Air Marshal Riazuddin.

On 13 November 2000, President Rafiq Tarar surprisingly approved the appointment of junior-most Air-Mshl.

Mir to be promoted to as the four-star air officer in the air force, and appointed him as the Chief of Air Staff.

The surprise promotion and command appointment was said to be at the behest of special and personal requests made by then-Chairman Joint chiefs Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

This appointment was one of the center of controversies in the Musharraf administration when superseding air officers had sparked off "rumblings of resentment" at the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) in the country.

All five superseding air force generals tendered their resignations to President Tarar despite Chairman Joint chiefs Gen. Musharraf's efforts to have all five air force generals to complete their respected terms.

In news media, the appointment was also given a strong criticism when the Gen. Musharraf's clique attempted a damage control exercise by pointing out that supersessions were nothing new in the country's military establishment having happened five times in the Air Force and at least four times in the Army.

Despite the agitation and criticism, Air Chief Marshal Mir eventually assumed the command of the air force as its chief on 20 November 2000.

In 2001–02, he also commanded and provided the strategy to deploy troops during the military standoff with India.

In addition, Air Chief Marshal Mir later went onto facilitate the United States military's war logistics for war operations in Afghanistan.

His appointment was cut short when a former PAF Fokker F-27 in which he was a passenger crashed near Kohat, Pakistan.

His death has been subject of numerous conspiracy theories, with many American authors charging him of having advanced knowledge on terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001.

After the deadly terrorist attacks in New York in the United States in 2001, ACM Mir successfully negotiated with the United States Air Force of releasing the spare parts and updating the software of the F-16s.

During his tenure, the PAF's F-6 aircraft were retired from service, and were transferred to Bangladeshi Air Force.