M.
Asghar Khan
M.
Asghar Khan was born in Jammu, Kashmir in 1921, and was educated
at the Prince of Wales's Royal Indian Military College Dehra Dun.
He joined the Indian Military in 1939 and was commissioned in
the 'Royal Deccan Horse' in 1940. On Partition he was posted as
Commandant of the RPAF Flying Training School, now the PAF College,
Risalpur. He commanded the Pakistan Air Force from 1957-1965 and
was its first Pakistani Commander-in-Chief
and
was President of PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) from 1965
to 1968.
The author entered the political arena in 1968, and led a movement
for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan. He renounced the
awards of Hilal-i-Pakistan and Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam in January
1969 as a mark of protest against the government's policy of suppression.
M. Asghar Khan formed his own political party, the Tehrik-i-lstaqlal,
in 1972. He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan in
the General Elections held in 1977. He stepped down as President
of Tehrik-i-Istaqlal in December 1995.
M. Asghar Khan is the author of a number of books, Pakistan at
the Cross Roads, Generals in Politics, and Islam, Politics and
the State-The Pakistan Experience.
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