AIR MARSHAL A RAHIM KHAN, HJ, SQA

Commander-in-Chief, PAF

1 Sep 69 – 2 Mar 72

Born in 1925, Air Marshal Rahim Khan was commissioned in the IAF at the age of 18 and posted to No 7 Squadron. During his post-independence service in the PAF, he was the first commander of No 11 Sqn, its only jet squadron. In later years he commanded Mauripur base as well as the PAF Staff College and held appointments as chief of operations and later, administration, in Air Headquarters. In between, he also qualified courses at the RAF Staff College, Andover and the Imperial Defence College in London.

During his tenure as C-in-C which commenced when he was 44 years of age, he was responsible for the introduction of concrete pens for aircraft at all bases, a measure which vastly diminished their vulnerability. He also implemented a partial reversion from centralized to squadron maintenance, which has proved operationally beneficial over the years.

Rahim Khan’s finest hour was his virtually lone struggle to save the nation from defeat in 1971. His crusade for opening an offensive in the west, which was not to be, was an inspiring manifestation of the courage and honour which the PAF has always upheld paramount.

From: The Story of The Pakistan Air Force – A Saga of Courage and Honour