Zulfiqar Ali Khan 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 . He later served as Pakistan ' s ambassador to the United States during the first Benazir Bhutto government from July 1989 to September 1990 . Early life and PAF Career . 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 . Staff appointments . 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 . 1974 April 16 - Air Marshal Zulfiqar Ali Khan becomes the first graduate of PAF Academy , Risalpur to take over as Chief of the Air Staff . 1975 March 31 - PAF Base Kalabagh established . 1975 April 28 - Chinese FT - 5 ( modified Mig - 15 ) trainer aircraft inducted . 1975 July 15 - Air Defence Command ( ADC ) established . 1975 November 10 - Aircraft Manufacturing Factory ( AMF ) inaugurated at Kamra . 1976 May 5 - Combat Commanders ' School ( CCS ) established at Sargodha . 1977 September 19 - Shaheen Foundation established . 1977 December 26 - Drigh Road Air Base renamed ' Faisal Air Base ' in honour of King Faisal II of Saudi Arabia . 1978 May 14 - Mirage Rebuild Factory ( MRF ) inaugurated at Kamra . 1978 July 23 - Air Chief Marshal M . Anwar Shamim takes over as the Chief of the Air Staff . Post - retirement . 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 the Benazir Bhutto Government was dissolved by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990 . Death . On 8 March 2005 , Air Chief Marshal Zulfiqar died of a heart attack . He was given a state funeral with full honours . Begum Sajida Zulifqar , wife of Air Chief Marshal Zulifqar Ali Khan , passed away on 30 September 2012 and her funeral prayers were attended by all former PAF Air Chiefs , politicians , bureaucrats , senior serving and retired military officials and a large number of people from all walks of life .