The Chief of air staff is a military designation in the Pakistan air force and is, in effect, the highest rank officer in PAF (Pakistan Air Force). Read out the Complete article List of Air Chief of Pakistan from 1947 to 2022.
Designation and Duties
The Chief of air staff Pakistan was reported as CAS and designated by Pakistan’s prime minister after the final dismissal by the president of Pakistan. This highly esteemed position is held only by pilots. Moreover, the air chief of Pakistan is also a high-status associate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
He also makes necessary discussions with Chairman Joint Chief and serves as chief adviser for Pakistan’s Prime Minister. He also acts as an adviser to the government in the perspective of the defence of the country’s aerial borderlines and airspace.
The Chief of Air Staff also serves his duty as controller and command of logistics, management of operations, training commands, and combatants. Furthermore, he also deals with decision-making issues and strategic control of the country’s national security.
The appointment of the Air Chief of Pakistan is subjected to a tenure of 3 years. However, extensions can be accorded by Pakistan’s Prime Minister and President. The current Chief of Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal Pakistan Zaheer Ahmad Babar.
PAF History
After the nation’s independence in 1947, PAF was established after the portioning of the Royal Indian Forces. At that time, the Air force was commanded by British Air Council and designated as Commander in Chief, and he was to address the Governor of the time.
In the beginning, the office of the Air Chief was confined by the 2-star ranked official, which was later promoted to the 3-star rank. The British officers continued to serve as Air Chief Marshal Pakistan until 1957. The last officer was Air Vice-Marshal Sir Arthur McDonald, who served for 1 year till 22 July 1957.
The title declared by the British ‘Commander in Chief’ was changed to the ‘Chief of Air Staff’ in 1972. Zafar Chaudhary was the first to be appointed under the title of Air Marshal. In 1974 PAF had its foremost 4-star ranked official, and since then, there have been fourteen 4-star ranked Air chiefs of Pakistan.
Air Marshal Asghar Khan was the first Muslim Air Chief of Pakistan.
Air Chief Marshals since 1947
The complete list of Chief of air staff Pakistan is given below.
| From | To | Air Marshal Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| 15 August 1947 | 17 February 1949 | Allan Perry-Keene |
| 18 February 1949 | 6 May 1951 | Sir Richard Atcherley |
| 7 May 1951 | 19 June 1955 | Leslie William Cannon |
| 20 June 1955 | 22 July 1957 | Sir Arthur McDonald |
| 23 July 1957 | 22 July 1965 | Asghar Khan |
| 23 July 1965 | 31 August 1969 | Nur Khan |
| 1 September 1969 | 2 March 1972 | Abdul Rahim Khan |
| 3 March 1972 | 15 April 1974 | Zafar Chaudhry |
| 16 April 1974 | 22 July 1978 | Zulfiqar Ali Khan |
| 23 July 1978 | 5 March 1985 | Anwar Shamim |
| 5 March 1985 | 8 March 1988 | Jamal A. Khan |
| 9 March 1988 | 9 March 1991 | Hakimullah Khan Durrani |
| 9 March 1991 | 8 November 1994 | Farooq Feroze Khan |
| 8 November 1994 | 7 November 1997 | Abbas Khattak |
| 7 November 1997 | 20 November 2000 | Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi |
| 20 November 2000 | 20 February 2003 | Mushaf Ali Mir |
| 18 March 2003 | 18 March 2006 | Kaleem Saadat |
| 18 March 2006 | 18 March 2009 | Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed |
| 19 March 2009 | 19 March 2012 | Rao Qamar Suleman |
| 19 March 2012 | 19 March 2015 | Tahir Rafique Butt |
| 19 March 2015 | 19 March 2018 | Sohail Aman |
| 19 March 2018 | 19 March 2021 | Mujahid Anwar Khan |
| 19 March 2021 | Current | Zaheer Ahmad Babar |
The new air chief of Pakistan will be decided after the tenure of Air Chief Zaheer Ahmed Babar. The article concludes with the complete list of Air Marshals Pakistan since 1947.
