Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)
Encyclopedia
The Chief of the Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force
, abbreviated as CAS, is typically the highest ranking 4-star rank officer in the Pakistan Air Force, unless a four-star officer is appointed as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
. The CAS is a senior and permanent member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The CAS heads the Air Staff of the Air Force and reports directly to the President of Pakistan
and Prime Minister of Pakistan
. Under the authority of the President, the CAS is responsible for the organization, training, and equipping of Reserve and civilian forces serving in the Pakistan Air Force and overseas. The CAS also allocates Air Force personnel and resources to the subordinate commanders of the Air Force. Constitutionally, the CAS is subordinated to the President and the Prime Minister and reports directly to the civilian leadership.
The CAS is appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The appointment does not require the Senate Secretariat
's confirmation. By statute, the CAS is the equivalent of a four-star general and holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal. The current Chief of the Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal
Rao Qamar Suleman
.
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
, abbreviated as CAS, is typically the highest ranking 4-star rank officer in the Pakistan Air Force, unless a four-star officer is appointed as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Pakistan
The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee , is a military administrative body of high-ranking and senior uniformed military leaders and officers in the Pakistan Defense Forces who advises the civilian Government of Pakistan, National Security Council, and Defence Minister on important military matters...
. The CAS is a senior and permanent member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The CAS heads the Air Staff of the Air Force and reports directly to the President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
and Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
. Under the authority of the President, the CAS is responsible for the organization, training, and equipping of Reserve and civilian forces serving in the Pakistan Air Force and overseas. The CAS also allocates Air Force personnel and resources to the subordinate commanders of the Air Force. Constitutionally, the CAS is subordinated to the President and the Prime Minister and reports directly to the civilian leadership.
The CAS is appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The appointment does not require the Senate Secretariat
Senate of Pakistan
The Senate of Pakistan is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. Elections are held every three years for one half of the senate and each senator has a term of six years...
's confirmation. By statute, the CAS is the equivalent of a four-star general and holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal. The current Chief of the Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Rao Qamar Suleman
Rao Qamar Suleman
Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, NI, SBt is the current Pakistan Air Force Chief of Air Staff who replaced Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed on 18 March 2009....
.
Past Chiefs of the Air Staff
| No. | Name | Appointment Date | Left Office | Decorations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force Commander-in-Chief, Royal Pakistan Air Force (RAF 2-star Air Vice Marshal) |
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| 1 | Air Vice Marshal Allan Perry-Keene Allan Perry-Keene Air Vice Marshal Allan Lancelot Addison Perry-Keene CB, OBE was a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I who went on to become a senior commander in the Royal Air Force... |
August 15, 1947 | February 17, 1949 | CB Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath... , OBE Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions... |
| 2 | Air Vice Marshal Sir Sir Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures... Richard Atcherley Richard Atcherley Air Marshal Sir Richard Llewellyn Roger Atcherley KBE, CB, AFC & Bar was a senior commander in the RAF who also served as chief of Air Staff for the Royal Pakistan Air Force.-Early life:... |
February 18, 1949 | May 6, 1951 | KBE Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions... , CB Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath... , AFC Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"... |
| 3 | Air Vice Marshal Leslie William Cannon Leslie William Cannon Air Vice Marshal Leslie William Cannon CB, CBE enlisted in the RAF in the second entry of aircraft apprentices in 1922, was commissioned as a pilot.... |
May 7, 1951 | June 19, 1955 | CB Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath... , CBE Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions... |
| 4 | Air Vice Marshal Sir Sir Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures... Arthur McDonald Arthur McDonald Air Marshal Sir Arthur William Baynes McDonald KCB AFC RAF was a Royal Air Force and Royal Pakistan Air Force officer who held senior command positions in the 1950s.-RAF career:... |
June 20, 1955 | July 22, 1957 | KCB AFC Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"... |
| Air Force Commander-in-Chief, Pakistan Air Force (PAF Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport... 3-star Air Marshal) |
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| 5 | Air Marshal Air Marshal Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Asghar Khan Asghar Khan Air Marshal Asghar Khan is a Pakistani 3-star rank general and politician who was the first native Air Force Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Air Force. A politician and world war II veteran fighter pilot, at the age of 36, he served as the youngest and first Pakistani head of the Pakistan Air Force... |
July 23, 1957 | July 22, 1965 | HPk, HQA |
| 6 | Air Marshal Air Marshal Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Nur Khan Nur Khan Air Marshal Malik Nur Khan, HJ, HS, HQA, SPk was the Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Air Force from 1965 to 1969. Considered the hero of the 1965 air war - the man who led the Pakistan air force achieve parity over the three times bigger Indian air force on the very first day of the 1965 war - a... |
July 23, 1965 | August 31, 1969 | HJ, HS, HQA, SPk |
| 7 | Air Marshal Air Marshal Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Abdul Rahim Khan Abdul Rahim Khan Air Marshal Abdur Rahim Khan, HJ, HQA, SPk, SBt was a 3-star rank general and air officer who served as the last Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force between 1969 and 1972... |
September 1, 1969 | March 2, 1972 | HJ, HQA, SPk, SBt |
| 8 | Air Marshal Air Marshal Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Zafar Chaudhry Zafar Chaudhry Air Marshal Zafar Ahmed Chaudhry, SQA was the first Chief of Air Staff and a three-star general of the Pakistan Air Force from March 1972 to April 1974. His predecessor, Abdul Rahim Khan, was called Commander-in-Chief... |
March 3, 1972 | April 15, 1974 | SQA |
| Chief of the Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force ((CAS) of PAF Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport... , 4-star Air Chief Marshal) |
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| 9 | Air Chief Marshal Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Zulfiqar Ali Khan Zulfiqar Ali Khan Air Chief Marshal Zulfiqar Ali Khan , NI was a four-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... |
April 16, 1974 | July 22, 1978 | NI(M) |
| 10 | Air Chief Marshal Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Anwar Shamim |
July 23, 1978 | March 5, 1985 | NI(M), SJ Sitara-e-Jurat Sitara-e-Jurat is the third highest military award of Pakistan. It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a Republic; however, it was instituted retrospectively back to 1947... |
| 11 | Air Chief Marshal Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Jamal A. Khan Jamal A. Khan Air Chief Marshal Jamal Ahmad Khan, NI, SJ, SBt, was the 11th Chief of Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force from 6 March 1985 to 9 March 1988. He was the first Vice Chief of the Air Staff in the history of PAF to have eventually been appointed its Chief. He is also the only PAF officer to have... |
March 6, 1985 | March 8, 1988 | NI(M), SJ, SBt |
| 12 | Air Chief Marshal Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Hakimullah Hakimullah Air Chief Marshal Hakimullah, NI, SJ, SBt, was the Chief of Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force from 9 March 1988 to 8 March 1991.... |
March 9, 1988 | March 9, 1991 | NI(M), SJ, SBt |
| 13 | Air Chief Marshal Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Farooq Feroze Khan Farooq Feroze Khan Air Chief Marshal Farooq Feroze Khan, NI, SBt, , is a retired four-star air force officer in the Pakistan Air Force who was the 13th Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force from 1991 to 1994. Air Chief Marshal Farooq Feroze Khan was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from... |
March 9, 1991 | November 8, 1994 | NI(M), SBt |
| 14 | Air Chief Marshal Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Abbas Khattak Abbas Khattak Air Chief Marshal Abbas Khattak, NI, SBt, , is a retired four-star general and air-force officer in the Pakistan Air Force who served as the 14th Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force from 8 November 1994 to 7 November 1997... |
November 8, 1994 | November 7, 1997 | NI(M), SBt |
| 15 | Air Chief Marshal Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi Air Chief Marshal Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi is a retired senior officer of the Pakistan Air Force . He served as the PAF Chief of Air Staff from 1997 to 2000 and led the PAF during the 1999 Kargil War... |
November 7, 1997 | November 20, 2000 | NI(M), SBt |
| 16 | Air Chief Marshal Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Mushaf Ali Mir Mushaf Ali Mir Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir was four-star general of the Pakistan Air Force who served as the chief of air staff of the Pakistan Air Force from 20 November 2000 until his death on February 20, 2003 when the PAF Fokker F-27 he was traveling in, crashed near Kohat, Pakistan... |
November 20, 2000 | February 20, 2003 | NI(M), SBt |
| 17 | Air Chief Marshal Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Kaleem Saadat Kaleem Saadat Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat Rana, NI, , is a retired four-star general who was the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force from 2003 to 2006... |
March 18, 2003 | March 18, 2006 | NI(M) |
| 18 | Air Chief Marshal Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed is a retired four-star general and a career Air Officer in the Pakistan Air Force who commanded, as the chief of air staff of the Pakistan Air Force, from 2006 to 2009... |
March 18, 2006 | March 18, 2009 | NI(M), SBt |
| 19 | Air Chief Marshal Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... Rao Qamar Suleman Rao Qamar Suleman Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, NI, SBt is the current Pakistan Air Force Chief of Air Staff who replaced Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed on 18 March 2009.... |
March 19, 2009 | Present | NI(M), SBt |
See also
- Pakistan Air ForcePakistan Air ForceThe Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
- Chief of the Air Staff (India)Chief of the Air Staff (India)The head of the Indian Air Force is known as the Chief of the Air Staff . The position was held by an Air Commodore , by an Air Vice-Marshal and by an Air Marshal . In 1965, the position was upgraded to that of an Air Chief Marshal...
-for commanders prior to 1947. - Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (Pakistan)
- Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)
- Chief of Naval Staff (Pakistan)Chief of Naval Staff (Pakistan)The Chief of the Naval Staff, abbreviated as CNS, is the highest ranking officer in the Pakistani Navy unless a 4-star naval officer is appointed as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The current Chief of the Naval Staff is Admiral Asif Sandila who commands the Navy. The CNS reports...
- Chief of General Staff (Pakistan)Chief of General Staff (Pakistan)Chief of General Staff, shortly abbreviated as CGS, is the most coveted position within the Pakistan Army. Although four-star Chief of Army Staff is the nominal head of the land forces, CGS is the operational and intelligence lead of the institution...