Asghar Khan

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Air Marshal
Muhammad Asghar Khan
Shaheen-i-Pakistan
Solidarity Movement
In office
29 June 1970 – 12 December 2011
Preceded byParty established
Succeeded byImran Khan
Personal details
Born
Mohammad Asghar Khan

(1921-01-17)17 January 1921
No. 9 Squadron, RIAF
Battles/wars
Military awards
Crosses of Aeronautical Merit

Air Marshal Muhammad Asghar Khan (Retd.) (

autobiographer, later a dissident serving the cause of pacifism, peace, and human rights.[3]

Born into a military family, Asghar Khan briefly served as an officer in the

Malik Nur Khan.[3] Asghar Khan continued to serve with his rank when he was deputed as a Pakistan International Airlines's executive, until retiring in 1968.[2]

After his retirement from the military in 1968, Asghar Khan founded the

national politics.[6][7]

In 2011, Khan merged his party with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice).[8] Khan died in January 2018 and was buried with full state honours.[9]

Biography

Family background, early life and military career in India

Main articles:
Pathans of Kashmir and India in World War II
Indian to qualify to fly this aircraft in 1946.[4]

Mohammad Asghar Khan was born in

British India in 1947.[11][12]

His elder brother, Brigadier

Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, Pakistan's first war with India.[13]

After his education at a

first front in Burma against Japan, and flew bomber missions in the Hawker Hurricane.: 14 [17]

In 1944,

Arakan Campaign 1942–43.: content [18][4]

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.: 15 [16] He was the first Indian to qualify to fly the Gloster Meteor jet fighter, in the United Kingdom in 1946.[4]

During this time, Khan decided to transfer to the

Imperial Defence College and graduated in 1955.: v [10][4]

Command and war appointments in the Pakistani military

Main article:
U.S. aid to Pakistan

Upon returning to Pakistan

better source needed] In 1955, Gp-Capt. Khan was appointed as the commander of No. 1 Group.[clarification needed]: 120 [22]: 97 [23]

In 1955–56,

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).[19]

Commander-in-Chief and President of Pakistan International Airlines

Main articles:
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Pakistan International Airlines, and Pakistan International Airlines Flight 17
northern frontier
of Pakistan in 2004.

In 1957, the

three-star rank.: v [10][24]

Soon after his promotion in 1958,

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.[25]

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.: 104 [25][27] In 1960, Air-Mshl. Khan was given an extension and was allowed to continue commanding the Air Force.: 37 [28] In 1963, his second extension was approved by President Ayub Khan, which was set until 1965.[29] 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.[23]

In 1965, Air-Marshal Khan reportedly was in conflict with the

Chief of the Air Staff, where both reached a mutual understanding to avoid bombing each other's residential cities.: 17 [32]

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."

Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.[29]

In August 1965, President Ayub Khan reportedly refused to approve Asghar Khan's extension papers for a third term and Khan was replaced by Air Vice Marshal Nur Khan.: 67 [28]: 148 [33] By the time Asghar was replaced, the Pakistan Air Force had become a formidable branch of the armed forces.[31]

Afterward, President Ayub Khan appointed Ashgar Khan as the

commercial pilot license.[36] 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.[37]

After the deadly

Director-General of the Pakistani Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) from 1965 until retiring in 1968.: 196 [39] His tenure as PIA President is often remembered as the "Golden Age of PIA" by his supporters.[38] In 1968, Khan retired from military service and also left the airline.[2]

Political career in Pakistan

Solidarity Party, politics of agitation and support for martial law

Main articles:
Dharna
Dharna. Asghar Khan instigated multiple Dharna movements to remove the elected civilian governments in Pakistan over the accusations of monetary corruption throughout the 1970s and 1990s.[5]

After retiring from his military service, Asghar Khan announced he was forming a political party, the

second war with India in 1965 after reading a statement from Ayub Khan after meeting the latter.: 23–24 [42]

He also was very critical of Bhutto and

breaking-up the unity of Pakistan as early as 1971.: contents [46]

During the nationwide

Four Provinces of Pakistan.: 159 [47]

After the disastrous

Yahya administration turned over the civilian government to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as President, Khan accused Bhutto of escalating the situation that led to the creation of Bangladesh and noting that: "We are living virtually under one-party state... The outstanding feature is suppression."[41]

In 1973, his criticism of Prime Minister Bhutto grew further and Khan held him directly responsible for authorizing the

nationalization of industry in Pakistan and his party benefitted from financial support from industrialists such as Nawaz Sharif, Javed Hashmi, Shuja'at Hussain to oppose such policy measures.[4] In 1975–76, Khan eventually supported and was instrumental in forming the National Front, a massive nine-party conservative alliance, and was said to be determined to oust Bhutto and his party from the government and power.: 163 [49]

Khan participated in the

Army Chief General Zia-ul-Haq reminding them of not to obey the law of their civilian superiors.: 68 [50]: contents [51] Excerpts of this letter was later published by the historians as Khan later asking the military to renounce their support for the "Illegal regime of Bhutto", and asked the military leadership to "differentiate between a "lawful and an unlawful" command... and save Pakistan.".: 181 [52]

To the historians and observer, the letter was a pivot for the military to engage in establishing

Zia administration but he declined to serve.[52]

Imprisonment and political struggle to maintain image

After the imposing of martial law by the bloodless 5 July 1977

Zia administration and called for support for restoring democracy.[52] On television interviews with news channels, Khan strongly defended his letter as according to him, "nowhere in the letter had he asked for the military to take over", and he had written it in response to a news story he read in which an Army Major had shot a civilian showing him the "V sign".[52]

In 1983, Khan went on to join the left-wing alliance, the

Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) led by Benazir Bhutto, supported by the communist parties at that time.[53]

Khan was kept under house arrest at his Abbottabad residence from 16 October 1979 to 2 October 1984 and was named a

M. K. Junejo.: 134 [56]

In 1988, his letter calling for support for

1997 Pakistani general elections.: 703 [59]

Public disapproval and merging with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

Since 1990, Khan's political image had failed to sustain any political influence in Pakistan.[60] In 1998–99, Asghar Khan made unsuccessful attempts to merge his party's cause to Imran Khan's PTI.: 887 [61]

In 2002, he handed over his party to his elder son,

National Democratic Party in 2004, which he remained part of until 2011.: 428 [62] On 12 December 2011, Asghar Khan announced his full support of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Imran Khan.[63] He praised Imran Khan for his struggle and endorsed him as the only hope left for the survival of Pakistan.[63] This endorsement came at a crucial time for Imran Khan, when many tainted politicians were joining his party.[63][64]

Dissent: Criticism on state, military and politicians

Main articles:
Civilian control of the military

During this political career, Khan was very critical of the

better source needed
] In 2011 Khan maintained that:

In the

Maharaja was not prepared to accede to India for he wanted to join Pakistan and waited for this for 21 days. Indian forces came to East-Pakistan when people were being slaughtered there. Moreover, again at Kargil, Indian never mounted an assault...

— Asghar Khan, 2011, [66]

In 1972, Khan accused

Balochistan conflict in Western Pakistan in 1976, and the Bangladesh Liberation War in Eastern Pakistan in 1971, terming it "inflexible attitude" of Bhutto.[66][67]

Commenting on his political collapse, Khan accused

Pakistani society for his failure, and marked that: "the majority in Pakistan voted for the (corrupt) politicians, as they also wanted their job done by "hook or by crook".[66]

In the 1990s, he briefly fought several legal battles against his country's elected politicians where he accused them of involved in monetary corrupt practices, and eventually

Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League (N) in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.[66] He held numerous televised press conferences where he attached the case file of his lawsuits and penned an article to the public: Is Hamam Main Sab Nangay… (lit. Everyone's naked in this bathroom...).[68]

Khan was a prolific political writer and historian where he penned criticism on the politics of Pakistans' Army and the role of the military establishment in a country's political system. Of 13 books, three of his popular bibliography included: We've Learnt Nothing from History, Pakistan at the Crossroads and Generals in Politics.[19]

Personal life, death and funeral

Asghar Khan was married to Amina Shamsie (Amina Asghar Khan) in 1942.: 103 [69] Asghar Khan died on 5 January 2018, two weeks shy of his 97th birthday.[70][3] The government of Pakistan buried him with full state honours and he was given a state funeral.[71]

Selected books

English

  • Khan, Ashghar (1969). Pakistan at the Cross Roads. Karachi: Ferozsons.
    OCLC 116825
    .
  • —— (1979). The First Round, Indo-Pakistan War 1965. Sahibabad: Vikas.
    ISBN 0-7069-0978-X
    .
  • —— (1983). Generals in Politics. New Delhi: Vikas.
    ISBN 0-7069-2215-8
    .
  • —— (1985). The Lighter side of the Power Game. Lahore: Jang Publishers.
    OCLC 15107608
    .
  • —— (2005). We've Learnt Nothing from History. Karachi: Oxford University Press.
    ISBN 0-19-597883-8
    .
  • —— (2008). My Political Struggle. Karachi: Oxford University Press.
    ISBN 978-0-19-547620-0
    .
  • —— (2009). Milestones in a Political Journey. Islamabad: Dost Publications.
    ISBN 978-9694963556
    .

Urdu

Further reading

See also

References

  1. ^ Khan, Mohammad Asghar (1969). Pakistan at the cross-roads. Ferozsons. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Naseeruddin., G. (1968). Trade and Industry.
  3. ^ a b c Naveed Siddiqui, Dawn.com (5 January 2018). "Air Marshal Asghar Khan passes away in Islamabad". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Staff report. "Air Marshal Muhammad Asghar Khan". Pakistan Herald, 14 March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Abbas, Mazhar (15 May 2018). "A story behind Asghar Khan case?". Mazhar Abbas report on GEO TV. GEO News. GEO TV. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  6. ^ "Asghar Khan: India An Imagined Enemy". YouTube. 28 November 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  7. ^ "Air Marshal Asghar Khan Exposes Pakistan Army From 1947 to 1999". YouTube. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  8. ^ "Reinforcement: Asghar Khan is latest PTI recruit". eTribune. 12 December 2011.
  9. ^ "State funeral prayer for Air Marshal Asghar Khan offered in Rawalpindi - BOL News". YouTube. 5 January 2018.
  10. ^ a b c d e Khan, Mohammad Asghar (1969). Pakistan at the Cross Roads. Lahore, Pakistan: Ferozsons.
  11. ISBN 978-1-4828-1625-9
  12. ^ Wasim Khalid, Kashmiri man who laid foundation of modern Pak air Force dies at 96 Archived 12 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Kashmir Reader, 6 January 2018.
  13. ^ Muqeet Malik, The Legend of Baltistan: Brigadier Muhammad Aslam Khan, The Nation, 21 August 2015.
  14. ISBN 9788170236498
    .
  15. ^ Webdesk, staff (6 January 2018). "Air Marshal Asghar Khan laid to rest". thenews.com.pk. News International, 2018. News International. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  16. ^ a b Aero News. Kitab. 1965.
  17. ^ London Calling. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1945.
  18. ISBN 9781682472422
    .
  19. ^ a b c "Mohammad Asghar Khan". prideofpakistan.com. Pride of Pakistan. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  20. ^ Kazi (MMBS) (25 September 2011). "The Founder visiting PAF Base Risalpur with Wing Commander Asghar Khan, 1948". Flicker photo, 1948. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  21. ^ Aeroplane Directory of British Aviation. English Universities. 1953.
  22. ISBN 9780195476606
    .
  23. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-648045-9
    .
  24. ^ a b Press release. "Air Marshal M Asghar Khan, HPk, HQA". PAF Falcons. PAF Falcons, Chiefs of Air Staff. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  25. ^
    ISBN 9780230599048
    .
  26. ISBN 9780981537894
    .
  27. ^ SoP (1 June 2003). "Ouster of President Iskander Mirza". Story of Pakistan, Mirza's ouster section. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  28. ^ a b Akhtar, Jamna Das (1969). Political conspiracies in Pakistan: Liaquat Ali's murder to Ayub Khan's exit (1st ed.). Lahore, Punjab,Pakistan: Punjabi Pustak Bhandar. p. 380.
  29. ^ a b c d Taqi, Mohammad (10 January 2018). "Asghar Khan: From Air Marshal to Dogged Opponent of Military Rule in Pakistan - The Wire". The Wire. Islamabad: Taqi at The Wire. Retrieved 17 May 2018. He firmly believed Pakistan does not face an offensive threat from India and has nothing to fear on its eastern front unless it keeps provoking its giant neighbour...
  30. ^ Chaudhry, Shehza (31 October 2012). "The military-military divide". The Express Tribune. Islamabad: Express Tribune. Express Tribune. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  31. ^ a b "Nur Khan reminisces '65 war". DAWN.COM. Dawn Newspapers. 6 September 2005. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  32. ISBN 978-1-316-69236-3
    .
  33. ISBN 9780842617246
    .
  34. ^ PIA History. "PIA's Finest Men and Women". PIA History. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  35. ^ PIA History. "The Legengs". PIA History.
  36. ^ a b c Khan, M. Asghar (23 August 2010). "My political struggle". The News International. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  37. ^ PIA. "Photo Gallery of PIA's Finest Men and Women". The PIA Historical Department. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  38. ^ a b Masood Hasan (23 October 2011). "The promise". The News International, Sunday, 23 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  39. ^ The Commonwealth Office Year Book. H.M. Stationery Office. 1968.
  40. ^
    ISBN 978-0815713869
    .
  41. ^
    ISBN 978-0813388090
    .
  42. ^ "Indian and Foreign Review". Indian and Foreign Review. 17 (8–24). Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. 1980.
  43. ISBN 9781134989775
    .
  44. ^
    ISBN 9781442241480
    .
  45. ^ Khan, Mohammad Asghar (1969). Pakistan at the cross-roads. Ferozsons.
  46. ISBN 9788184755305
    .
  47. ^
    ISBN 9781576077122
    .
  48. ^ Pakistan), Sayad Hashmi Reference Library (Karachi (2008). The Balochistan chronicles: the archives of the Times, London and the New York Times on Balochistan, from 1842-2007. Sayad Hashmi Reference Library.
  49. ISBN 9780230599048
    .
  50. ^
    ISBN 9780981537894
    .
  51. ISBN 9781134989768
    .
  52. ^
    ISBN 0-312-21606-8
    .
  53. ISBN 81-7017-253-5
    . The Tehrik-i-Istiqlal of retired air marshal Asghar Khan had also joined the MRD by [1984] ... The so-called 'three Khans' – Nazrullah Khan of the Pakistan Democratic Party, Walid Khan of National Awami Party and Asghar Khan of the Tehrik – opposed [participation in the 1985 elections] and carried the rest with them.
  54. ^ "Pakistan". Amnesty International. 1981. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  55. ^ Pakistan Review. S. Ahmad. 1985.
  56. ISBN 81-7017-253-5
    . Once the [1988] National Assembly elections were over ... Air Marshal Asghar Khan, leader of the Tehrik-i-Istiklal party, has been swept aside, in both the constituencies where he contested the elections from.
  57. ISBN 9780706987317
    .
  58. ISBN 9781316419083
    .
  59. ISBN 9781349149513
    .
  60. ^ a b Zia Khan (13 December 2011). "Reinforcement: Asghar Khan is latest PTI recruit". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  61. ISBN 9781568029528
    .
  62. ^ South Asia 2004. Taylor & Francis. 2003.
  63. ^ a b c Press Release (12 December 2011). "Asghar Khan backs Imran's PTI". Dawn Newspapers, 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  64. ^ Press Release (12 December 2011). "Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan to join PTI". Pakistan Tribune. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  65. ISBN 9780582902558
    . Retrieved 20 May 2018. asghar khan national democratic party.
  66. ^ a b c d e f Alvi, Mumtaz (21 October 2011). "Asghar Khan claims Pakistan attacked India four times since 1947". The News International, October 2011. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  67. ^ Inam R Sehri (2015). The Living History of Pakistan Vol-I. GHP Surrey UK. pp. 1651–76.
  68. ^ Inam R Sehri (2012). Judges & Generals in Pakistan Vol-I. GHP Surrey UK. pp. 168–73.
  69. ^ Vikrant. 1973.
  70. ^ "First Muslim air chief of PAF Asghar Khan dies". En.dailypakistan.com.pk. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  71. ^ "State funeral for former air chief Asghar Khan held at Nur Khan Airbase - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.

External links

Military offices
Preceded by
Commander-in-Chief, Pakistan Air Force

1957–1965 		Succeeded by
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