Farooq Feroze Khan | |
|---|---|
| فاروق فيروز خان | |
| 8thChairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee | |
| In office 10 November 1994 – 9 November 1997 | |
| Preceded by | GeneralShamim Alam Khan |
| Succeeded by | GeneralJehangir Karamat |
| 6thChief of Air Staff | |
| In office 9 March 1991 – 8 November 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Hakimullah Khan Durrani |
| Succeeded by | Abbas Khattak |
| Managing Director Pakistan International Airlines | |
| In office 1990 – 9 March 1991 | |
| President Pakistan Hockey Federation | |
| In office 1990 – 9 March 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Azim Daudpota |
| Succeeded by | Nawaz Tiwana |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1939-08-17)17 August 1939 |
| Died | 9 October 2021(2021-10-09) (aged 82) |
| Parent |
|
| Education | St. Patrick's High School, Karachi PAF College Sargodha PAF Academy USAF Academy |
| Nickname(s) | Feroze Khan, Jr. Feroz Starfighter Feroz Khan II |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  Pakistan Air Force |
| Years of service | 1956–1997 |
| Rank |   Air Chief Marshal |
| Unit | No. 9 Squadron PAF |
| Commands | Vice Chief of Air Staff DCAS (Air Operations) ACAS (Plans) AOCSouthern Air Command AOCCentral Air Command |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 |
| Awards | See list |
Farooq Feroze Khan[a] (17 August 1939 – 9 October 2021), also known asFeroze Khan, was a Pakistanifour-starair officer who served as the sixthChief of Air Staff of thePakistan Air Force from 1991 to 1994 and eighthChairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1994 to 1997.[1]
His career in the Air Force is subjected to distinction as he was the onlyair force officer whose career spanned more than 40 years ofmilitary service.: 355 [2] As of 2025, he is also the only Air Force officer to be appointedChairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.[3][4]
Farooq Feroze Khan was born inBombay on 17 August 1939.: 355–356 [2]: 56–57 [6] His family belonged to theBurki tribe ofOrmur ethnicity, hailing fromJalandhar.: 357 [2] His father,Feroze Khan, Sr., was a professionalfield hockey player who won theOlympic gold medal for India and after thePartition of British India in 1947, played for thePakistan National Hockey Team.: 357 [2]
Feroze was educated at thePAF Public School Sargodha where he completed hisSenior Cambridge, and joined thePakistan Air Force in 1956.: 73–74 [7]: 355–357 [2][8][9] He was sent to attend thePAF Academy inRisalpur, but later selected as one of few cadets to attend theUnited States Air Force Academy inColorado.: 355–357 [2] Upon completing thepilot training program from theUSAF Academy, Feroze commissioned as aPilot officer in theNo. 9 Squadron PAF on January 1959.: 72 [10]
In theUnited States, he trained as afighter pilot on theF-104 Starfighter.: 82 [5] He was known for hisskills while maneuvering the aircraft in a combat mode from asubsonic tosupersonic speed.: 82 [5] While in theUnited States,Flt-Lt. Feroze Khan served as anexchange officer with theUnited States Air Force, completing several years of aerial combat training with American pilots.: 72–148 [11] Upon returning in the 1960s, he was attached to theRoyal Air Force as amilitary liaison officer, and flew British aircraft.: 355 [2]
In 1965,Squadron Leader Feroze flew on hisF-104 Starfighter onvarious combat missions against theIndian Air Force during theIndo-Pakistani Air War of 1965.: 82–83 [5] After the war,Sq-Ldr. Feroze was sent to join theNo. 5 Squadron PAF, which later formed the PAF'saerobatics team,Sherdils, where he displayed his skills while flying theF-104, alongside theF-86 Sabre flown byFlight lieutenantCecil Chaudhry.[12]
In 1966–67, Squadron Leader Feroze was among the first group of fighter pilots who were sent toFrance for their conversion from AmericanF-104 Starfighters to FrenchDassault Mirage III's.: 83–84 [5] After his conversion, Sqn. Ldr. Feroze was posted as anair adviser to theEastern Air Command inEast Pakistan, providing mission support to conductcombat air patrol near theKalaikunda Air Force Station near theEastern front ofIndia.: 204–205 [11]
In 1971, Sqn. Ldr. Feroze, now flying the Mirage-III, participated inpreemptive airstrikes inIndia, which eventually led to thethird war withIndia.: 83–85 [5]
Farooq Feroze died due tocardiac arrest in Islamabad on 9 October 2021 at the age of 82.[13][14]
After thethird war withIndia in 1971,Wing-Commander Feroze joined the faculty of theCombat Commanders' School in Sargodha, instructing pilots on the methods ofcombat flight.: 360 [2] During this time,Wg-Cdr. Feroze was posted in thePakistan Armed Forces–Middle East Command, briefly commanding afighter wing in theUnited Arab Emirates Air Force for nearly three years.: 73 [15]
In 1982–83,Air-Commodore Feroze was elevated as thebase commander of thePAF Base Sargodha, witnessing the introduction of American-builtF-16s.: 43 [16] In 1984–85,Air-Cdre. Feroze was promoted to thetwo-star promotion whenAir Vice-Marshal Feroze was appointedAOC of theSouthern Air Command based inKarachi, and later as theCentral Air Command based inSargodha.: 73–74 [7] In 1988, Air Vice Marshal Feroze, serving as theDeputy Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) was elevated to thethree-star rank when he was appointed theVice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) under Air Chief MarshalHakimullah Khan Durrani.: 72 [17] During this time,Air-Marshal Feroze took an interest and participated in board of inquiry that investigated themysterious circumstances involved in the death ofPresidentZia-ul-Haq.: 156–162 [18]
In 1990,Air-Mshl. Feroze was taken onsecondment byPrime MinisterBenazir Bhutto asManaging Director of thePakistan International Airlines, until 1991.: 81 [19]
On 9 March 1991, Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif promotedAir-Mshl. Feroze to thefour-star rankofAir Chief Marshal (ACM) and the newChief of Air Staff (CAS).: 23 [20] ACM Feroze assumed the command of the Air Force at a difficult time, when themilitary embargo by theUnited States on a suspicion of acovert nuclear weapons program was enforced.: 356–357 [2] During this time, helaunched the program to acquire the license to reproduce theAustralian Mirage-III and induction ofF-7P fromChina at thePakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).: 356–357 [2]
In 1994, ACM Feroze was given a one-year extension to continue serving as air chief.: 473 [21]
In 1994, the extension made him the most seniormilitary officer in thePakistani military but this became a subject of controversy in the Air Force, when many seniorair officers showed resentment towards this decision taken by theBenazir Bhutto Government.: 17 [22]: 48 [23] Upon the retirement of Gen.Shamim Alam Khan on 8 November 1994, Prime MinisterBenazir Bhutto approved ACM Feroze toChairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee—this was the first time the chairmanship was rotated to the Air Force since its inception in 1976.: 48–49 [23]
As Chairman Joint Chiefs, ACM Feroze attempted to procure theMiG-29F and theSukhoi Su-27 aircraft from theEastern Europe as well asMirage 2000 fromQatar, with a view to replacing theF-16s but this was met with strong opposition fromACMKhattak, theair chief, who was unimpressed with the war performances of Russian fighter jets.: 58–60 [24] In 1995, Gen. Feroze Khan also provided his crucial military support and political advocacy for the development of theShaheen program with a view to keeping the second-strike capability.: 89 [3]
His tenure as Chairman joint chiefs is criticized by the defense observer in the country for not being able to take steps in strengthening the role ofJoint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and was largely seen as ineffective and unable to provide any military or political advice toPrime MinisterBenazir Bhutto and her administration on a longer extension— the void was filled by then-army chief, Gen.Jehangir Karamat.[25]
Critics observed thatACM Feroze's preference of "flying solo" and his nature of working alone further complicated the matters in the military that required the comprehensivecollaboration andteamwork in national security issues.[25] According to the critical paper penned by defense analyst,Ikram Sehgal, "ACM Feroze marked ineffectiveness in the post of Chairman and its institution."[25]
Upon retiring on 9 November 1997, Gen.Jehangir Karamat was eventually appointed to replace him and who took the role of theJoint Chiefs of Staff Committee to new heights and took thefour-tiered military into a responsive and efficient fighting machine in the 21st century.[25] His uniform was placed in thePAF Museum, Karachi, where he was retired in his estate.: 355 [2]
 | |||
 |  | ||
 |  |  |  |
.png) |  | .png) | .png) |
.png) | .png) |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
_-_Grand_Cordon.png) |  |  | .png) |
{{cite news}}:|last1= has generic name (help)| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief of Air Staff 1991–1994 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee 1994–1997 | Succeeded by |
