Zulfiqar Ali Khan
Air Chief Marshal Zulfikar Ali Khan, PAF.
Birth name	Zulfikar Ali Khan
Nickname(s)	Zak
Buried	Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT)
Allegiance	Pakistan
Service/branch	Pakistan Air Force
Years of service	1950-1978
Rank	Air Chief Marshal (General)
Service number	PAF No. 1371
Unit	No. 11 Squadron Arrows
Commands held	Chief of Air Staff Pakistan Air Force Academy AOC Sargodha Air Force Base No. 31 Fighter Wing No. 35 Composite Air Transport Wing No. 32 Fighter Ground Attack Wing No. 9 Squadron Griffins No. 11 Squadron Arrows No. 20 Squadron Eagles PAF Eastern Air Force Command
Battles/wars	Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Aerial Operations of 1965 Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 East-Pakistan Air War Operation Chengiz Khan
Awards	Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military)
Other work	Pakistan Ambassador to the United States

Air Chief Marshal Zulfiqar Ali Khan (10 December 1930 – 8 March 2005), NI(M) was a 4-star rank general and air officer in the Pakistan Air Force who served as a 9th Chief of Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force from April 1974 to July 1978. Khan was the first 4 star rank Air Chief Marshal of the Air Force and had 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 4 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.

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 Bainazir Bhuttoo Government was dissolved by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990.

Controversies

Air Chief Marshal Zulfikar Ali Khan was arrested in 1988 by the joint-intelligence operation led by ISI and M.I. He was arrested on the charges of being one of the infiltrator of Bahawalpur air crash. However, the investigations were went underground by the Bainazir Bhuttoo Government. Later on, it was concluded that the PAF's 4-star general (Air Chief Marshal Zulfikar Ali Khan) was founded innocent^[1].

Legacy

Death

On 8 March 2005, Air Marshal Zulfiqar died of a heart attack.