Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed
Encyclopedia
Air Chief Marshal
Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed (Urdu
: تنویر محمود احمد; born 1952) 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. He was replaced by Air Chief Marshal
Rao Qamar Suleman
as Chief Staff on 18 March 2009.
, and did his high school from PAF Public School Sargodha
where he belonged to 15th entry (767 – Fury House). Thereafter, he joined PAF Academy
, Risalpur in 1969 and was commissioned in Pakistan Air Force as a fighter pilot in 15 April 1972 in the 53rd GD(P) Course.
The air marshal is a graduate of Turkish Air War College and National Defence College
, Islamabad from where he did his masters in Strategic Studies.
. He has flown the American F-86 Sabre
and F-16 Fighting Falcon
aircraft and other aircraft of Chinese
and French
origin in the PAF inventory.
The Air Marshal has also served in United Arab Emirates Air Force
as a fighter instructor pilot.
.
At senior staff assignments, the air marshal has the unique distinction of having served as deputy chief of air staff administration and then operations. Before taking over the PAF, he was the vice chief of air staff. He took over as VCAS on 13 October 2003.
Tanvir M. Ahmed was promoted to air vice marshal in January 2000 and to air marshal on 7 August 2002.
The air marshal has also introduced a new rank scheme for the Air Force officers, soon after taking over, which exactly mimics the Turkish Air Force rank insignia.
capability to be able to stop US drone attacks inside Pakistan as a violation of Pakistan sovereignty. However, such military actions need approval from the government, before PAF
goes on to take such action. Saying at one point: "The decision as to whether or not we want to start a war [with the US] will have to be made by the nation and the government."
, Minister of Women and Child Development, apologized on behalf of her ministry for publishing a photograph of a former Pakistan Air Force chief in a government advertisement and said an inquiry will ascertain who was responsible for it. Ahmed, upon learning of the publication, "..wasn't aware about this [and felt it was] an innocent mistake."
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 (Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: تنویر محمود احمد; born 1952) is a retired four-star general and a career Air Officer
Air Officer
An air officer is a Royal Air Force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". The term is also used by many Commonwealth nations who have a similar rank structure to the RAF....
in the Pakistan Air Force
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...
who commanded, as the chief of air staff
Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)
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...
of the Pakistan Air Force
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...
, from 2006 to 2009. He was replaced by 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....
as Chief Staff on 18 March 2009.
Initial training and education
Tanvir Ahmed got his initial education in LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, and did his high school from PAF Public School Sargodha
PAF Public School Sargodha
PAF Public School Sargodha is a Pakistan Air Force operated boarding school located in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan.-History:...
where he belonged to 15th entry (767 – Fury House). Thereafter, he joined PAF Academy
Pakistan Air Force Academy
"RAF Risalpur", "Risalpur Airbase/Airfield" & "Pakistan Air Force/PAF Base Risalpur" redirects here.The Pakistan Air Force Academy also known as PAFA, is an accredited co-educational four-year college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the Pakistan Air Force...
, Risalpur in 1969 and was commissioned in Pakistan Air Force as a fighter pilot in 15 April 1972 in the 53rd GD(P) Course.
The air marshal is a graduate of Turkish Air War College and National Defence College
National Defence University, Islamabad
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the Ministry of Defence of Government of Pakistan, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy...
, Islamabad from where he did his masters in Strategic Studies.
Air Force career
Air Marshal Tanvir is a Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) and a graduate of Combat Commanders School (CCS). He has commanded the CCS Mirage Squadron, No. 38 Wing, PAF Base Sargodha and his alma mater the PAF Academy, RisalpurRisalpur
Risalpur is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 15 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin some 1014 feet above sea level, it is bounded on the south and west by the Kabul and...
. He has flown the American F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
and F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
aircraft and other aircraft of Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
origin in the PAF inventory.
The Air Marshal has also served in United Arab Emirates Air Force
United Arab Emirates Air Force
The United Arab Emirates Air Force is the air force of the United Arab Emirates . Its predecessor was established in 1968, when the Emirates were still under British rule. Since then, it has undergone a continual reorganization and expansion in terms of both capability and numbers of aircraft...
as a fighter instructor pilot.
Staff commands
In staff jobs, the air marshal has served as deputy director in Operations Branch, personal staff officer to two air chiefs, chief project director of F-16 Project and senior air staff officer at Northern Air Command, PeshawarPeshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
.
At senior staff assignments, the air marshal has the unique distinction of having served as deputy chief of air staff administration and then operations. Before taking over the PAF, he was the vice chief of air staff. He took over as VCAS on 13 October 2003.
Tanvir M. Ahmed was promoted to air vice marshal in January 2000 and to air marshal on 7 August 2002.
Chief of Air Staff
He took over as the 18th Chief of Air Staff (CAS) on March 20, 2006, when the previous chief completed his three year term. Among his achievements are the successful induction and upgradation of ex-Libyan Mirage III's to make the 27th squadron of the PAF.The air marshal has also introduced a new rank scheme for the Air Force officers, soon after taking over, which exactly mimics the Turkish Air Force rank insignia.
Criticism of US Drone Attacks inside Pakistan
Air Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmad has expressed PAFPakistan 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...
capability to be able to stop US drone attacks inside Pakistan as a violation of Pakistan sovereignty. However, such military actions need approval from the government, before 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...
goes on to take such action. Saying at one point: "The decision as to whether or not we want to start a war [with the US] will have to be made by the nation and the government."
National Girl Child Day Photograph
Air Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmad appeared in a full-page newspaper advertisement (see External Links below) taken out by the government of India's Ministry of Women and Child Development to mark the National Girl Child Day. Krishna TirathKrishna Tirath
Krishna Tirath is a member of the 15th Lok Sabha of India. She represents the North West Delhi constituency of Delhi and is a member of the Indian National Congress political party....
, Minister of Women and Child Development, apologized on behalf of her ministry for publishing a photograph of a former Pakistan Air Force chief in a government advertisement and said an inquiry will ascertain who was responsible for it. Ahmed, upon learning of the publication, "..wasn't aware about this [and felt it was] an innocent mistake."