Zulfiqar Ali Khan

Air Chief Marshal Zulfiqar Ali Khan
زوالفقار علی خان
Air Chief Marshal Zulfikar Ali Khan, PAF.
9th Chief of Air Staff
In office April 16, 1974 – July 22, 1978
President	Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry
Prime Minister	Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Preceded by	Zafar Chaudhry
Succeeded by	Anwar Shamim
Personal details
Born	(1930-12-10)December 10, 1930 Lahore, British Punjab, British Indian Empire
Died	March 8, 2005(2005-03-08) (aged 74) Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory
Awards	Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military)
Military service
Allegiance	Pakistan
Service/branch	Pakistan Air Force
Years of service	1950–1978
Rank	Air Chief Marshal (General)
Unit	No. 11 Squadron Arrows
Commands	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

Zulfiqar Ali Khan (Urdu:ذوالفقار علی خان; December 10, 1930 – March 8, 2005; NI(M)) was a four-star air officer who commanded the Pakistan Air Force as its Chief of Air Staff from April 1974 to July 1978.

Z. A. Khan was the first four-star rank air officer 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.

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.

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.