page_title: Asghar Khan
section_title: Commander-in-Chief and President of Pakistan International Airlines
hierarchical_section_title: Asghar Khan / Biography / Commander-in-Chief and President of Pakistan International Airlines
caption_attribution_description: English: Kashmir Region 2004
context_page_description: Mohammad Asghar Khan, was a Pakistani politician and an autobiographer, later a dissident serving the cause of pacifism, peace, and human rights.
  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 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. After the Partition of India In 1947, Khan chose to join the Pakistan Air Force 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. 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.
context_section_description: In 1957, the Government of Pakistan announced the retirement of the Royal Air Force's Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Sir Arthur McDonald, and promoted AVM Asghar Khan to the two-star rank. In 1957, AVM Khan took over the command of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) as its first, and the youngest, Air Commander in the military– he was only aged 36 at the time of his promotion. In 1958, AVM Khan's rank was upgraded to three-star rank .
  Soon after his promotion in 1958, as Air Marshal Khan soon become involved in national politics and harboured strong feelings towards the nation's politicians involved in monetary 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, alongside 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, Air-Mshl. Khan backed the martial law enforcement which he viewed as a necessary step to eradicate the corrupt practices found in the nation's politics. In 1960, Air-Mshl. Khan was given an extension and was allowed to continue commanding the Air Force. In 1963, his second extension by approved by President Ayub Khan, which was set till 1965. During this time, Air-Mshl. Khan maintained close ties with the U.S. Air Force to continue training and supported the test pilot program where many Pakistan Air Force pilots qualified as career test pilots on U.S. military aircraft.
  In 1965, Air-Mshl. Khan reportedly was in conflict with the army department led by its army commander General Musa Khan when he questioned the contingency plans and secret infiltration into the Indian held side of Kashmir. Air-Mshl. Khan reported that neither the Air Force nor the Pakistan Navy was kept informed by military planners when the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 (the second war with India) broke out. Before the declaration of war by either side, Air-Mshl. Khan reportedly spoke with Air-Mshl. Arjan Singh, the Indian Air Force's Chief of the Air Staff, where both reached a mutual understanding for avoiding bombardment of each sides residential cities.
  Khan boldly came out against the war with India during a meeting with President Ayub Khan and correctly calculated that "a provoked India is likely to respond along the border in an all-out war." Though, President Ayub took the war option after being convinced by the arguments presented by his Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
  In August 1965, President Ayub Khan reportedly refused to approve Air-Mshl. Asghar Khan's extension papers for a third term and Khan was replaced in his command when Air Vice Marshal Nur Khan was appointed to the post. By the time Air-Mshl. Asghar was replaced from his command appointment, the Pakistan Air Force had been a formidable branch of the armed forces.
  After leaving command of the Air Force, President Ayub Khan appointed Ashgar Khan as the President of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) which he served with his rank. There, Khan qualified to fly commercial aircraft and obtained his commercial pilot license. Khan transformed the corporate culture into professionalism when he introduced new uniforms for the air hostesses and stewards, which earned admiration at domestic and international airports.
  After the deadly Pakistan International Airlines Flight 17 incident took place in 1966 involving the PIA East Pakistan Helicopter Service, Khan stressed aviation safety, which led to PIA achieving the lowest aircraft accident rate, and highest net profit of Pakistan, and was a formidable competitor in the world airline business. In addition, Asghar Khan briefly served as the Director-General of the Pakistani Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) from 1965 until retiring in 1968. His tenure as PIA President is oft
caption: Map of the northern frontier of Pakistan in 2004. Ashgar Khan reportedly disapproved of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the second war with India over the Kashmir issue– later, he was replaced before that war broke out between the two nations.[24]
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