imported>Metamentalist at 18:41, 9 May 2025

2025-05-09T18:41:44Z

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{{short description|Pakistani air force officer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [[Air Marshal]]
| name = Zafar Ahmad Chaudhry
| native_name = {{nq|ظفراحمد چودھری}}
| honorific_suffix = [[Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam|SQA]]
| image = Air Marshal Zafar Chaudhry.jpg
| office = 1st [[CAS of the PAF|Chief of Air Staff Pakistan Air Force]]
| term_start = 3 March 1972
| term_end = 15 April 1974
| predecessor = '''Office Established''' {{small|([[C-in-C of the PAF]] [[Air Marshal Abdur Rahim Khan]])}}
| successor = Air Chief Marshal [[Zulfiqar Ali Khan]]
| deputy = [[Eric G. Hall]] (1972) [[Saeedullah Khan]] (1972-73) Chaudhary Rab Nawaz (1973-74)
| office2 = [[Managing Director]] of [[Pakistan International Airlines]]
| term_start2 = 1971
| term_end2 = 2 March 1972
| birth_name = Zafar Ahmad Chaudhry
| birth_date = {{birth date|1926|08|19|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Sialkot]], [[Punjab, British India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2019|12|17|1926|8|19|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Lahore]], [[Pakistan]]
| resting_place =
| resting_place_coordinates =
| branch = {{air force|British Raj}} {{air force|PAK}}
| serviceyears = 1945–1974
| rank = [[File:UK-Air-OF8.svg|35px]] [[File:US-O9 insignia.svg|30px]] [[Air Marshal]]
| unit = [[No. 7 Squadron IAF|No. 7 Squadron, RIAF]] {{small|([[Service number|S/No.]] RIAF. 3095)}}
| commands = [[Pakistan Air Force Academy]] [[PAF Base Sargodha]] [[Assistant Chief of Air Staff|ACAS (Air Operations)]] [[List of Pakistan Air Force Bases|No. 38 (Tactical) Wing]]
| battles = [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]
| mawards = [[Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam]]
}}

'''Zafar Ahmad Chaudhry'''{{efn|[[Urdu]]: {{nq|ظفر احمد چودھری}}}} (19 August 1926 – 17 December 2019) was a Pakistani former airline executive, [[three-star rank]] officer, and [[human rights]] activist who served as the first [[Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Air Staff]] of the [[Pakistan Air Force]], appointed by [[President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] in 1972 and resigned in 1974.

==Early life and education==
Zafar Ahmad Chaudhry was born in [[Sialkot]], [[Punjab, British India]] on 19 August 1926 to a [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] [[Arain]] family belonging to the [[Ahmadiyya Movement]].<ref name="ISPR (Pakistan Air Force)">{{cite book|last1=Hussain|first1=Syed Shabbir|last2=Qureshi|first2=M. Tariq|title=History of the Pakistan Air Force, 1947–1982|date=1982|publisher=ISPR (Pakistan Air Force)|location=Islamabad, Pakistan|page=217|isbn=978-0-19-648045-9|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aa8jAAAAMAAJ&q=born+Sialkot|access-date=15 January 2018|language=en|format=google books}}</ref><ref name="Indian Air Force Database">{{cite web|last1=Indian Air Force|first1=IAF|title=Service Record for Air Marshal Zafar Ahmed Chaudhry 3095 GD(P) at Bharat Rakshak.com|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/3095|website=Bharat Rakshak|publisher=Indian Air Force Database|access-date=15 January 2018}}</ref>

He enrolled at the [[University of the Punjab|Punjab University]] in Lahore, and graduated with [[bachelor's degree]] in 1944, and then joined the [[Royal Indian Air Force]].<ref name="Dawn Newspapers, 2002">{{cite news|last1=Naqvi|first1=Ashfaque|title=Features: Zafar Ahmad Chaudhry|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1063652|access-date=15 January 2018|work=DAWN.COM|publisher=Dawn Newspapers|date=28 September 2002}}</ref><ref name="ISPR (Pakistan Air Force)"/>

== Military career ==

=== Early career and training (1945–1950s) ===
In 1945, Chaudhry was [[Commissioned officer|commissioned]] in the [[Royal Indian Air Force]] as a [[pilot officer]], and was inducted in [[No. 7 Squadron, Indian Air Force|No. 7 Squadron]] in 1946.<ref name="Indian Air Force Database" /> After the [[Partition of India|partition]] of [[India]], he subsequently went to join the [[Royal Pakistan Air Force]], and qualified as an instructor on the North American T-6G Harvard.<ref name="Ferozsons, 2001">{{cite book|last1=Ahmad|first1=S. M.|title=A Lucky Pilot: Memoirs of Retired Wing Commander Lanky Ahmad|date=2001|publisher=Ferozsons|location=Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan|isbn=9789690013712|pages=28–29|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ooLfAAAAMAAJ&q=zafar+chaudhry+|access-date=15 January 2018|language=en-pk|format=googleboosk|chapter={{small|Pakistan's Share of Aircraft from Undivided India}}}}</ref> He was further educated at the [[RAF Staff College, Andover|RAF Staff College]] in [[Andover, Hampshire|Andover]], [[Hampshire, UK|Hampshire]], in the United Kingdom before being directed to attend the [[Joint Service Defence College]] of the [[British Army]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Ilmi Encyclopaedia of General Knowledge|date=1979|publisher=Ilmi Kitab Khana|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TqAEAAAAYAAJ&q=zafar+chaudhry+commissioned|access-date=15 January 2018|language=en|page=335}}</ref> He later secured his qualification from the [[Imperial Defence College]] before returning to Pakistan.<ref>{{cite book|title=World Defence Who's who|date=1974|publisher=Macdonald and Jane's|isbn=9780356080031|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5BkxAQAAIAAJ&q=zafar+chaudhry+commissioned|language=en|page=38}}</ref>

=== Operational roles and command appointments (1960s) ===
In 1965, [[Air Commodore]] Chaudhry served in the [[Air Headquarters (Pakistan Air Force)|Air Headquarters]] as a Director Air Operations, taking responsibility for planning combat [[Indo-Pakistani Air War of 1965|aerial operations]] against the [[Indian Air Force]] during the [[Indo-Pakistani war of 1965|second war]] with India.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fricker|first1=John|title=Battle for Pakistan: The Air War of 1965|date=1979|publisher=I. Allan|isbn=9780711009295|page=122|language=en}}</ref> In 1969, Chaudhry was appointed station commander of the [[PAF Base Sargodha|PAF Station Sargodha]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Shaheen: Journal of the Pakistan Air Force|journal=Shaheen: Journal of the Pakistan Air Force|date=1984|volume=31|issue=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=daC4AAAAIAAJ&q=Zafar+Chaudhry|access-date=15 January 2018|publisher=Air Headquarters.|language=en|page=24}}</ref>

=== Secondment and civil aviation role (1971–1972) ===
In 1971, [[Air vice-marshal|Air Vice-Marshal]] Chaudhry was sent on [[secondment]] and was appointed [[managing director]] of the [[Pakistan International Airlines]], which he directed until 1972.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Roadcap|first1=Roy Reginald|title=World Airline Record|date=1972|publisher=Roy R. Roadcap & Associates|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KrhTAAAAMAAJ&q=zafar+chaudhry+Pakistan+International+Airlines+1970|access-date=15 January 2018|language=en|pages=134–135}}</ref>

=== Chief of Air Staff and reforms (1972–1974) ===
On 3 April 1972, [[Air Marshal]] Chaudhry was appointed first [[Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Air Staff]] and took over the command of the [[Pakistan Air Force]]. In 1973, he authorised the [[Air Intelligence (Pakistan)|Air Intelligence]] to conduct inquiries for the [[court-martial]] of several senior air force officers for their alleged political role in de-stabilising the civilian government.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Khan|first1=Inamul Haque|author-link1=Inamul Haque Khan|title=Memoirs of Insignificance|date=1999|publisher=Dar-ut-Tazkeer|pages=95–96|language=en}}</ref>

This decision sparked controversy between the [[Pakistan Air Force|Air Force]] and the civilian government. Eventually, the decision was reversed upon being determined that the investigation was opened for inappropriate reasons, allowing the alleged officers to continue their military service in 1974.<ref name="Springer, 2000">{{cite book|last1=Rizvi|first1=H.|title=Military, State and Society in Pakistan|date=2000|publisher=Springer|isbn=9780230599048|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZwGIDAAAQBAJ&dq=zafar+chaudhry+resigned&pg=PA144|access-date=15 January 2018|language=en|page=144}}</ref> Upon learning of this development, Chaudhry immediately tendered his resignation.

== Resignation and later life ==
Not known for affluence he took a job in USA selling cars. Later he joined Mr. Babar Ali in Lahore to look after [[WWF–Pakistan|WWF]] in Pakistan.<ref name="Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.">{{cite book|last1=Cloughley|first1=Brian|title=A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections|date=2016|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.|isbn=9781631440397|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3SqCDwAAQBAJ&q=zafar+chaudhry+air+marshal+ahmedi&pg=PT212|access-date=15 January 2018|language=en|page=212}}</ref>

Chaudhry was the last air marshal to command the Air Force, and was succeeded by [[Zulfiqar Ali Khan]], the air force's first [[four-star rank]] officer.<ref name="ISPR (Pakistan Air Force)" /> After his retirement, Chaudhry became an activist, returned to Pakistan, and was one of the founding members of the [[Human Rights Commission of Pakistan]] in the 1980s, subsequently serving on its council.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hrcp-web.org/hrcpweb/hrcp-mourns-loss-of-founder-member-air-marshal-zafar-chaudhry/|title=HRCP mourns loss of founder member Air Marshal Zafar Chaudhry|date=18 December 2019|website=HRCP|access-date=19 December 2019}}</ref>

On 17 December 2019, Chaudhry died of [[cardiac arrest]], aged 93, in [[Lahore]], Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news |title=Former PAF chief Zafar Chaudhry passes away |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1522986/ |work=Dawn |date=18 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Former air chief marshal Zafar Ahmad Chaudhry passes away |url=https://www.samaa.tv/news/2019/12/former-air-chief-marshal-zafar-ahmad-chaudhry-passes-away/ |work=Samaa TV |date=18 December 2019}}</ref>

== Books ==
*''Mosaic of Memory: A Personal Narrative'', 1985. Memoirs.

*''Miracles Do Happen'', 1988. Memoirs.

*''Plaint And Response'', 2012. Translation of [[Urdu poetry]] from [[Muhammad Iqbal|Muhammaq Iqbal]], [[Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa|''Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa'']].

== Awards and decorations ==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam (1957-76).png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Diffa.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War Ribbon.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War.png|width=130}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award‐star|ribbon=Pakistan Independence Medal 1947.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Republic Medal 1956 (Pakistan).png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Ribbon - War Medal.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=QE II Coronation Medal 1953.png|width=130}}
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|'''[[Civil decorations of Pakistan|Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam]]'''
''(SQA)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces|Tamgha-e-Diffa]]'''
''(General Service Medal'')
|'''[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War]]'''
(''War Star 1965'')
|'''[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War]]'''
(''War Medal 1965'')
|-
|'''[[Pakistan Medal|Pakistan Tamgha]]'''
(''Pakistan Medal'')

'''1947'''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces|Tamgha-e-Jamhuria]]'''
(''Republic Commemoration Medal'')

'''1956'''
|'''[[War Medal 1939-1945|War Medal]]'''
'''[[War Medal 1939-1945|1939-1945]]'''
|'''[[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal|Queen Elizabeth II]]'''
'''[[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal|Coronation Medal]]'''

'''(1953)'''
|}

=== Foreign Decorations ===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3" style="background:#006400; color:#FFFFFF; text-align:center" |'''Foreign Awards'''
|-
!'''{{flag|UK}}'''
|'''[[War Medal 1939-1945]]'''
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Ribbon - War Medal.png|width=130}}
|-
!'''{{flag|UK}}'''
|'''[[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal]]'''
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=QE II Coronation Medal 1953.png|width=130}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.paffalcons.com/cas/zafar-chaudhry.php Bio of Air Marshal Zafar Chaudhry]
*[http://www.hrcp-web.org/hrcpDetail_abtHrcp.cfm?catId=222&catName=About%20HRCP About the HRCP]
{{S-start}}
{{S-mil}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Abdul Rahim Khan]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Air Staff]]|years=1972 – 1974}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Zulfiqar Ali Khan]]}}
{{end}}

{{Pakistan International Airlines}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaudhry, Zafar}}
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:Air marshals of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Air Staff, Pakistan]]
[[Category:Indian Air Force officers]]
[[Category:Graduates of Joint Services Command and Staff College]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies]]
[[Category:Military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]
[[Category:Pakistan International Airlines people]]
[[Category:Pakistani Ahmadis]]
[[Category:Pakistani expatriates in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Pakistani human rights activists]]
[[Category:Pakistani military aviators]]
[[Category:People from Sialkot]]
[[Category:University of the Punjab alumni]]

Zafar Chaudhry - Revision history

imported>Metamentalist at 18:41, 9 May 2025