This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Air Vice Marshal Farooq Umar is a veteran Pakistani fighter pilot.
Muhammad Farooq Umer | |
---|---|
Birth name | Urdu: محمد فاروق عمر |
Nickname(s) | Speedster |
Born | 24 July 1941 Lyallpur, Punjab, British India (now Faisalabad, Pakistan) |
Allegiance | Pakistan |
Service | Pakistan Air Force |
Rank | Air Vice Marshal |
Unit | No. 9 Squadron "Griffins" No. 5 Squadron "Falcons" |
Battles / wars | |
Other work | President of Pakistan Hockey Federation |
Farooq was born in 1941 in the city of Lyallpur, in what was then Punjab, British India. In 1977, the Government of Pakistan renamed the city to Faisalabad in honor of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. Farooq’s father, Mian Muhammad Nurullah, was the first finance minister of Punjab in the 1947-1948 Mandate cabinet.
Farooq Umar was married to Seemeen Farooq from Quetta. They had four children–Syma Farooq, Shehma Farooq, Salaar Farooq and Sonia Farooq–and eight grandchildren–Ahad Farooq, Asad Farooq, Shanze Farooq, Shahmeer Farooq, Shireen Farooq, Anya Ali, Alize Ali and Mariah Farooq.
He was schooled at the Burn Hall, Abbottabad, the Central Model School and the Government College in Lahore. He graduated with a B.Sc. from Karachi University in 1976, an M.Sc. in War Studies from the Quaid-e-Azam University in 1978, and a Ph.D. in International Relations from the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) London in 1983.
While at RCDS, in 1982, he gave a presentation to Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher, regarding Pakistan’s importance for NATO and the need for Pakistan to rejoin the British Commonwealth.
Farooq joined the Pakistan Air Force in 1958 and graduated as a fighter pilot from the Risalpur Academy in 1960, winning Triple honors i.e., the Sword of Honor, the Best Pilot's Trophy and the Academics Trophy. He subsequently won the Jet Conversion Trophy in 1961 and the “Top Gun” award as well as the Roll of Honor from the Fighter leader School in 1971. [1] In 1962, he was posted to the PAF's elite No. 9 Squadron "Griffins" flying the F-104 Starfighters. [2]
He taught at the National Defense College and was the air defense sector commander for Sindh and Baluchistan, Base Commander Lahore, Commandant PAF Staff College Faisal Karachi, Base commander Faisal Air Base Karachi, and director general Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra.
He has been decorated 12 times by the Government of Pakistan, out of which three times he has been Decorated for Courage and Bravery in Combat (Gallantry Award of Sitara-e-Jurrat, Sitara-e-Basalat and Tamgaha-e-Basalat).
During the Rann of Kutch conflict, Farooq flew various sorties and also participated in the Battle of Biar Bet during which he assisted the 24th Cavalry's fight against Indian forces.
During rise in hostilities with India over the Indian administered Kashmir, Farooq's Squadron was deployed at PAF Base Sargodha from where they saw combat. On 1 September 1965, the PAF's Commander in Chief, "Nur Khan" ordered then Flight Lieutenant Farooq Umer to perform a low level sonic boom over the IAF airbase at Amritsar. Farooq did as he was told and took off in his Mach 2 capable Lockheed F-104A Starfighter. As he crossed the international border, he went supersonic and performed a sonic boom over the Indian Air Force's Amritsar Air Force Station. Farooq then reached out to Nur Khan over the radio and informed him about the mission's status to which Nur Khan ordered him to perform another sonic boom over the same Base. Farooq did as he was told but this time the Indians started firing their Anti-Aircraft guns, though the high speeds kept his aircraft safe and he successfully performed the second sonic boom, Farooq was ordered to return to base. Upon reaching back at Sargodha, Farooq learnt that his sonic booms had caught the Indians completely off guard to such extent that the All India radio was reported to have narrated about the Amritsar Air Base being attacked and rocketed/bombed by 8 Pakistani F-86 Sabers. [3] [4]
During the 1971 war, Farooq was serving as a Squadron Leader in the PAF's No. 5 Squadron "eagles" flying Dassault Mirage-3EP strike fighters. He participated in the Operation Chengiz Khan. On 5 December 1971, Farooq shot down two IAF Hawker Hunters over Lyallpur, Punjab. [5] [6] [7]
During the Yom Kippur War, Farooq was amongst several Pakistan Air Force 'volunteers' deployed to various Arab countries in the Middle East to serve as military advisors. Farooq performed air defense operations during the conflict.
It was during this time that Farooq was advisor to Colonel Gaddafi's air force in Libya.
After thirty-five years in the air force, he was assigned to the Government of Pakistan and was asked to set up Shaheen Air. He was then made the CEO and managing director of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIAC) and given Grade-M1 (equivalent to three-stars).
Farooq served as the president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation from 1993–96. [8] Until he was the elected President of Majlis-e-Quaid-e-Azam, President AFOS (Falcon Enclave), Vice President PAFROA Punjab and Patron in Chief Al-Shaoor Welfare Association (All Honorary).
Farooq also presides the AVM Farooq Foundation, which provides inspirational material to the youth and general public. He wrote a book titled "Learn The Secrets of Success" containing the rules of self-motivation and determination to achieve goals. The first edition of the book was published in September 2013 followed by the second edition in November 2013. The preface of the book was written by Muhammad Mahmood Alam, a war veteran and flying ace of the 1965 War. [9]
Malik Nur Khan was a Pakistan Air Force officer, politician and statesman who served as sixth commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Air Force from 1965 to 1969. He later served as the sixth governor of West Pakistan from 1969 to 1970.
Air Marshal Mohammad Asghar KhanNT HPk HQA PM (GCCT) MA recognized as the Father of the Pakistan Air Force and known as Shaheen-e-Pakistan and Night Flyer, held the distinction of being the first native and second Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force. He became the world's youngest Air Vice Marshal at 36 and Air Marshal at 37 years old. Additionally, he was an airline executive, sports administrator, prominent politician, Member of the 6th National Assembly of Pakistan, author, and the first pilot from the Indian subcontinent to fly a fighter jet, the Gloster Meteor III. As chief, Asghar Khan significantly dismissed the notion held by the leadership of West Pakistan, that Bengalis were physically unfit for army recruitment. He abolished this standard in the PAF, arguing that height and chest measurements were irrelevant to combat effectiveness.
Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali MirNI(M), HI(M), SI(M), SBt was a Pakistani four-star air officer who served as the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), appointed on 20 November 2000 until his accidental death in a plane crash on 20 February 2003.
Pakistan Air Force Base, Nur Khan is an active Pakistan Air Force airbase located in Chaklala, Rawalpindi, Punjab province, Pakistan. The former Benazir Bhutto International Airport forms part of this airbase.PAF College, Chaklala, an institute for Aviation Cadets of the college, and Fazaia Inter College Nur Khan are also located on the base.
Pakistan Air Force Museum Faisal is the official museum of the Pakistan Air Force located on the south-western edge of PAF Base Faisal near Karsaz Flyover on Shahrah-e-Faisal at Karachi. The museum is the only military aviation museum in Pakistan, with more than 50 aircraft, radars and missiles on display. The museum draws thousands of visitors each day making it one of the most frequently visited tourist attractions in Karachi.
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. It is awarded for gallantry or distinguished service in combat; and can be bestowed upon officers, junior commissioned officers, petty officers, warrant officers, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and equivalents in the Pakistan Army, Navy, Air Force, and various paramilitary forces under federal control, such as the Frontier Corps, the Frontier Constabulary, and the Pakistan Rangers. It may be considered to be roughly equivalent to the Military Cross and the Silver Star.
During the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965, the Indian and Pakistani Air Forces engaged in large-scale aerial combat for the first time. In the air war, which took place in September, both air forces conducted thousands of defensive and offensive sorties over Indian and Pakistani airspace. Both India and Pakistan claimed victory in the air war; Pakistan claimed to have destroyed 104 Indian aircraft and lost 19, and India claimed to have destroyed 73 Pakistani aircraft and lost 35 of its own. The air war ended in a stalemate.
Air Marshal Abdur Rahim Khan was a three-star air officer who served as the last Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force under President Yahya Khan, from 1969 until 1972.
Air Chief Marshal Farooq Feroze KhanNI(M) HI(M) SI(M) SBt LoM, best known as Feroze Khan, was a Pakistani military officer who served as the 6th four-star air officer in the Pakistan Air Force and also served as the 8th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, appointed in 1994 and retiring in 1997.
Wing Commander Mervyn Leslie MiddlecoatSJ & Bar was a Pakistani fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) who was involved in a number of aerial battles during the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani wars, before being shot down on 12 December 1971. He was one of a number of distinguished Pakistani strike and fighter pilots of the period. Before his death he was stationed at Mauripur, Karachi, Pakistan where he flew the F-104 Starfighter.
Group Captain Cecil ChaudhrySJ, SBt, PP was a Pakistani academic, human rights activist, and a veteran fighter pilot. As a flight lieutenant, he fought in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and as a squadron leader in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. During the 1965 war, Chaudhry and three other pilots, under the leadership of Wing Commander Anwar Shamim, attacked the Amritsar Radar Station in a difficult operation. He was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat for his actions during that mission.
Air Chief Marshal Jamal Ahmad Khan AfridiNI(M) HI(M) SJ SI(M) SBt is a retired four-star air officer who served as the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force from 1985 until 1988. He also commanded the United Arab Emirates Air Force from 1977 until 1980.
PAF Air War College Institute is the Pakistan Air Forces academic establishment located at PAF Base Faisal providing training and education primarily to mid-career officers of the air force as well as a limited number of officers from Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Army and allied forces. The college was affiliated with University of Karachi from 1980 to 2005, Air University Pakistan from 2005 to 2007, since then affiliated with the National Defence University, Islamabad along with other staff and war colleges of the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy.
Squadron Leader Peter Christy, SJ, was a PAF bomber pilot and weapon systems officer (WSO). A B-57 Canberra navigator, Squadron Leader Christy was officially declared "missing in action" since December 1971, but widely presumed dead by the Pakistan Armed Forces as of 2004.
Air Commodore Muhammad Mahmood AlamSJ & Bar SI(M), popularly known as M. M. Alam, was a Pakistani fighter pilot and war hero, officially credited by the Pakistan Air Force with having downed five Indian fighter aircraft in under a minute and establishing a world record during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War.
No. 9 Squadron, named the Griffins, is a Pakistan Air Force fighter squadron assigned to the No. 38 Multi-Role Wing of the PAF Central Air Command. The squadron is stationed at PAF Base Mushaf, Sargodha. It was the PAF's first fighter squadron and has been commanded by seven Chiefs of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force. The squadron crest is a red griffin which suggests strength, aggressiveness, and vigilance. Scrolls around the squadron crest display the battle honours Sargodha 65 and Karachi 71.The Griffins are considered as the PAF's most elite unit as well as its most senior.
Samad Ali Changezi was a Flight lieutenant in Pakistan Air Force who fought in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He belonged to the Hazara ethnic minority of Quetta, Pakistan and was a member of the No. 9 Squadron – the Pakistan Air Force's first fighter squadron. He remains among the few confirmed aerial combat casualties involving the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter.
Air Commodore Imtiaz BhattiSJ SI(M) SBt in Gujrat, British India, was a cyclist and a former Air Force pilot of Pakistan. He was the Pakistan cycling champion during his student days at Punjab Agriculture College, Lyallpur in late 1940s and early 1950s. He set national cycling records and represented Pakistan in the individual and team road race events at the 1952 Summer Olympics where he was placed 1st among the Asian cyclists and 25th in the world in the 1000 m time trial. Bhatti a veteran of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 flew 34 combat missions, the maximum from Pakistan during the war and is credited with confirmed downing of two Indian planes and damaging a third, in addition to participating in raids that destroyed the Amritsar radar and various other air defence and ground support missions.
Air Marshal Shahid Lateef (Urdu: شاہد لطیف; HI, SI, SBt, is a retired Pakistan Air Force three-star air marshal, geostrategist and military strategist, and political commentator. Lateef is from Pakistan city of Sahiwal.
Shahpar is a Pakistani television series first broadcast on Pakistan Television Corporation in 1997. It is directed by Qaiser Farooq and Syed Shakir Uzair, and written by Mustansar Hussain Tarar. The series chronicles the journey of three army cadets fighter pilots played by Faisal Rehman and real-life Pakistan Air Force officers, Flight Lieutenant Sarfaraz Usman and Flight Lieutenant Arif Kazmi.