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{{Short description|Chief of Air Staff of Pakistan from 1994 to 1997}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [[Air Chief Marshal]]
| name = Abbas Khattak
| native_name = {{nq|عباس خٹک}}
| native_name_lang =
| honorific_suffix = {{small|[[Nishan-e-Imtiaz|NI(M)]]&ensp;&ensp;[[Hilal-e-Imtiaz|HI(M)]]&ensp;&ensp;[[Sitara-e-Imtiaz|SI(M)]]&ensp;&ensp;[[Sitara-e-Basalat|SBt]]}}
| image =
| caption =
| office = [[Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Air Staff]]
| term_start = 8 November 1994
| term_end = 7 November 1997
| predecessor = ACM [[Farooq Feroze Khan]]
| successor = ACM [[Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi]]
| president =
| primeminister =
| office2 = [[President (corporate title)|President]] of [[Pakistan Squash Federation]]
| term_start2 = 1997
| term_end2 = 1998
| predecessor2 =
| prior_term2 =
| pronunciation =
| birth_name = Mohammad Abbas Khattak
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1943|07|16}}
| death_date = 
| birth_place = [[Jehangira]], [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–2010)|NWFP]] in [[British Indian Empire|British Sub continent]]<br />{{small|(Present-day in Peshawar, [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa]] in [[Pakistan]])}}
| death_place =
| alma_mater =
| nickname = ''Muhammad Abbas Khattak''
| allegiance = {{flag|Pakistan}}
| branch = {{air force|PAK}}
| serviceyears = 1960 – 1997
| rank = [[File:ACM.png|10px]] [[Air chief marshal|Air Chief Marshal]]
| unit = [[List of Pakistan Air Force squadrons#Training Squadrons|No. 19 Squadron]]<ref name="ISPR (Air Force Division)" /><br />{{small|([[Service number|S/No.]] '''[[Pakistan Air Force|PAK/]]4385{{rp|430}}'''<ref name="The Gazette of Pakistan">{{cite book|title=The Gazette of Pakistan|date=1980|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=98pPAQAAMAAJ&q=Abbas+Khattak+|access-date=6 January 2018|language=en|author1=Pakistan }}</ref>)}}
| commands = {{unbulleted list|[[Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Pakistan)|DCAS (Operations)]]|[[Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Pakistan)|DCAS (Training)]]|[[Air officer commanding|AOC]] [[PAF Base Masroor|Southern Air Command]]}}
| battles = {{unbulleted list|[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]|[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]}}
| battles_label =
| mawards = {{unbulleted list|[[File:Nishan-e-Imtiaz.png|40px]] [[Nishan-i-Imtiaz|Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military)]]|[[File:Hilal-e-Imtiaz.png|40px]] [[Hilal-i-Imtiaz|Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military)]]|[[File:Sitara-e-Imtiaz.png|40px]] [[Sitara-i-Imtiaz|Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military)]]|[[File:Sitara-e-Basalat.png|40px]] [[Sitara-i-Basalat|Sitara-e-Basalat]]|[[File:Order of Military Merit (Jordan) - Knight.png|40px]] [[Order of Military Merit (Jordan)]]}}
| relations =
| laterwork =
| signature =
| website = 
}}

'''Mohammad Abbas Khattak''' {{small|{{small|[[Nishan-e-Imtiaz|NI(M)]] [[Hilal-e-Imtiaz|HI(M)]] [[Sitara-e-Imtiaz|SI(M)]] [[Sitara-e-Basalat|SBt]]}}}} ({{langx|ur|{{nq|عباس خٹک}}}} ; born: 16 July 1943) is a [[Four-star rank|four-star]] rank [[air force officer]] in the [[Pakistan Air Force]] who served as the [[Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Air Staff]] (CAS) from 8 November 1994 until his retirement on 7 November 1997.<ref>''The Story of the Pakistan Air Force 1988-1998: A Battle Against Odds'' (Oxford University Press, 2000)</ref><ref>{{Cite book
| last =Cheema
| first =Pervaiz Iqbal
| title =The Armed Forces of Pakistan:Air Chiefs
| publisher =New York University Press
| year =2002
| pages =199/200
| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=cw_gduyRv5oC&pg=PA199
| isbn =0-8147-1633-4}}</ref>

== Biography ==

Abbas Khattak was born in [[Peshawar]], [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–2010)|NWFP]] on 16 July 1943.{{rp|355}}<ref name="Shaheen Foundation, 2000">{{cite book|last1=Shaikh|first1=A. Rashid|title=The Story of the Pakistan Air Force, 1988-1998: A Battle Against Odds|date=2000|publisher=Shaheen Foundation|location=Karachi, Sindh, Pk.|isbn=9789698553005|pages=414|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FbLfAAAAMAAJ&q=1943|access-date=5 January 2018|language=en-pk|format=google books}}</ref> He was educated at the [[Cadet College Hasan Abdal]], and joined the [[Pakistan Air Force]] in 1960, from which he was directed to attend the famed [[Pakistan Air Force Academy]] in [[Risalpur]].{{rp|355}}<ref name="Shaheen Foundation, 2000"/> He [[Passing out (military)|passed out]] with the class of 35th [[General duty clause|GD]]([[Aircraft pilot|P]]), and gained [[Commissioned officer|commission]] on 20 January 1963 in [[List of Pakistan Air Force aircraft squadrons|No. 19 Squadron ''Sherdils'']].<ref name="ISPR (Air Force Division)">{{cite web|title=Feats of Courage|url=http://www.paf.gov.pk/courage.html|website=www.paf.gov.pk|publisher=ISPR (Air Force Division)|access-date=6 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019061646/http://www.paf.gov.pk/courage.html|archive-date=19 October 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{rp|355}}<ref name="Shaheen Foundation, 2000"/>

[[Pilot officer|P/Off.]] Khattak was trained to fly the [[F-86 Sabre]] and took participation in the [[Indo-Pakistani Air War of 1965|various combat missions]] during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|second war]] with [[India]] in 1965.<ref name="ISPR (Air Force Division)"/> During this time, [[Flying officer|F/Off.]] was among the eight fighter pilots who were selected to take part in famous aerial raid on [[Pathankot Air Force Station]] in India, a [[Squadron (aviation)|squadron]] commanded by then-[[Squadron Leader]] [[Sajad Haider]].{{rp|488–489}}<ref name="Partridge Publishing">{{cite book|last1=Bhattacharya|first1=Brigadier Samir|title=NOTHING BUT!|date=2013|publisher=Partridge Publishing|isbn=9781482816266|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iLxnAgAAQBAJ&q=Abbas%20Khattak&pg=PA487|access-date=6 January 2018|language=en-ind|format=googlebooks}}</ref>{{rp|122}}<ref name="Manohar">{{cite book|last1=Mohan|first1=P. V. S. Jagan|last2=Chopra|first2=Samir|title=The India-Pakistan Air War of 1965|date=2005|publisher=Manohar|isbn=9788173046414|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FAhuAAAAMAAJ&q=Abbas+Khattak+sq+ldr|access-date=6 January 2018|language=en}}</ref> In 1970–71, [[Squadron Leader|Sq-Ldr.]] Khattak was posted with the [[Pakistan Armed Forces Eastern Command|Eastern Command]] in [[East Pakistan|East-Pakistan]], leading several mission against the [[Indian Air Force]] but was reposted in [[Sargodha Airbase|Sargodha Air Force Base]] before his country's [[Instrument of Surrender (1971)|surrender]] in [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Eastern Front]] of the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|third war]] with [[India]] in 1971.{{rp|69}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hussaini|first1=Syed Masood Akhtar|last2=Affairs|first2=Pakistan Air Force Directorate of Media|title=Pakistan Air Force over the years|date=2002|publisher=Directorate of Media Affairs, Pakistan Air Force|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NnMSAQAAMAAJ&q=Abbas+Khattak+|access-date=6 January 2018|language=en}}</ref>

After the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|war]], [[Wing Commander (rank)|Wg-Cdr.]] Khattak was directed to attend the war course at the [[National Defence University, Pakistan|National Defence University]] in [[Islamabad]].<ref name="Dateline Islamabad">{{Cite news
| last =Niaz
| first =Anjum
| title =ISLAMABAD DATELINE: Top Gun Vs Double Agents
| newspaper =[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn Newspaper]]
| location =Islamabad
| publisher =[[Dawn Media Group]]
| date =22 November 2008
| url = http://www.dawn.com/news/881550/islamabad-dateline-top-gun-vs-double-agents
| access-date =18 September 2016}}</ref>

In 1988, [[Air Commodore|Air-Commodore]] Khattak was appointed as [[Air officer commanding|AOC]] of the [[PAF Base Faisal|Southern Air Command]], serving until 1990.{{rp|48}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Shaheen: Journal of the Pakistan Air Force|date=1988|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uV8owzvrKrkC&q=Air+Cdre+Khattak|access-date=6 January 2018|publisher=Air Headquarters|language=en}}</ref> In 1991, [[Air vice-marshal|AVM]] Khattak was posted to the [[Air Headquarters (Pakistan)|Air Headquarters]] (AHQ) in Islamabad as [[Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Pakistan)|DCAS (Training)]], where he played a pioneering role in aviation and flight safety programs.{{rp|327}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Jane's Defence Weekly|date=July 1991 |publisher=Jane's Publishing Company|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h6xDAQAAIAAJ&q=Khattak|access-date=6 January 2018|language=en}}</ref> In 1994, [[Air Marshal|Air-Marshal]] Khattak was promoted to [[Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Pakistan)|DCAS (Operations)]] at AHQ.{{rp|206}}<ref name="Springer">{{cite book|last1=Siddiqa-Agha|first1=A.|title=Pakistan's Arms Procurement and Military Buildup, 1979-99: In Search of a Policy|date=2001|publisher=Springer|isbn=9780230513525|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=beJ8DAAAQBAJ&q=Abbas%20Khattak%20DCAS%20(Ops)&pg=PA206|access-date=6 January 2018|language=en}}</ref>

== Chief of Air Staff ==

On 8 November 1994, [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Benazir Bhutto]] approved the promotion papers of Air-Mshl. Khattak to be promoted to the [[Four-star rank|four-star]] rank, [[Air Chief Marshal]]. This promotion was controversial since Air-Mshl. Khattak superseded two senior [[air officer]]s: Air-Mshl. Shafique Haider (the [[Vice Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)|Vice Chief of the Air Staff]]), and Air-Mshl. [[Dilawar Hussain (air marshal)|Dilawar Hussain]] ([[Chairman]] [[Pakistan Aeronautical Complex|PAC]]).{{rp|49–50}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Globe|date=1994|publisher=Afzal Mahmood|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzhnAAAAMAAJ&q=Director+general|access-date=6 January 2018|language=en}}</ref> The reason this appointment was highly controversial is because the departing Chief of Air Staff Farooq Feroze Khan struck a deal behind closed doors with Benazir and Zardari to appoint him as the Joint Chief of Staff and in exchange he would allow Zardari to promote Khattak as the Chief of Air Staff. Khattak and Zardari have been accused of receiving millions of dollars in kickback from a Mirage deal.<ref>former Air Force employee</ref>

During his tenureship as [[Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)|air chief]], ACM Khattak made attempts to acquire the [[Mirage 2000|Mirage-2000]] from [[Qatar]] but vetoed the acquisition of [[Mikoyan MiG-29|MiG-29F]] and the [[Sukhoi Su-27|Su-27]] aircraft from the [[Eastern Europe]], despite the strong backing of the then-[[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|Chairman joint chiefs]], ACM [[Farooq Feroze Khan|Feroze Khan]], due to their poor war performances.{{rp|58–60}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Air Force Chief says that F-16s "Not Indispensable"|date=1994|publisher=Daily Report: Near East & South Asia, The Service|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=92dPTgGKdosC&q=Farooq+Feroze+Khan+mig+29|access-date=5 January 2018|language=en}}</ref> During his tenure, Pakistan worked with [[China]] to develop the [[Hongdu JL-8|K-8 Karakorum]].<ref>[http://www.pacom.mil/forum/SPRING_97/Chiefcon_r.html Asia Pacific Defense Forum Spring 1998] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828103454/http://www.pacom.mil/forum/SPRING_97/Chiefcon_r.html |date=28 August 2007 }}</ref> After his retirement he was succeeded by Air Chief Marshal [[Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi|PQ Mehdi]].

He is married and has two sons.<ref name="Dateline Islamabad" />

== Awards and decorations ==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| colspan="4" |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=PAF GDP Red.png|width=250}}
|-
|
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Nishan-e-Imtiaz.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Hilal-e-Imtiaz.png|width=130}}
|
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Imtiaz.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Basalat.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=Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War.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=Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=10 years Service Medal.png|width=130}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=20 years Service Medal.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=30 years Service Medal.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Hijri Tamgha.png|width=130}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Jamhuriat Tamgha 1988.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha Pakistan.svg|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Independence Day Golden Jubilee Medal, 2006.svg|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Order of Military Merit (Jordan) - Knight.png|width=130}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| colspan="4" |'''[[Pakistan Air Force|PAF]]''' GD(P) Badge '''RED''' (More than '''3000''' Flying Hours)
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Nishan-e-Imtiaz]]'''
'''[[Nishan-e-Imtiaz|(Military)]]'''

''(Order of Excellence)''
| colspan="2" |[[Hilal-i-Imtiaz|'''Hilal-e-Imtiaz''']]
'''[[Hilal-i-Imtiaz|(Military)]]'''

''(Crescent of Excellence)''
|-
|'''[[Sitara-i-Imtiaz|Sitara-e-Imtiaz]]'''
'''[[Sitara-i-Imtiaz|(Military)]]'''

''(Star of Excellence)''
|'''[[Sitara-e-Basalat]]'''
''(Star of Good Conduct)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces|Tamgha-e-Diffa]]'''
''(General Service Medal)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War]]'''
''(War Star 1965)''
|-
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War]]'''
''(War Star 1971)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War]]'''
''(War Medal 1965)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War]]'''
''(War Medal 1971)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Long service medals|10 Years Service Medal]]'''
|-
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Long service medals|20 Years Service Medal]]'''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Long service medals|30 Years Service Medal]]'''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Commemorative medals|Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-]]'''
'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Commemorative medals|Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam]]'''

''(100th Birth Anniversary of''

''[[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]])''

'''1976'''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Commemorative medals|Hijri Tamgha]]'''
''(Hijri Medal)''

'''1979'''
|-
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Commemorative medals|Jamhuriat Tamgha]]'''
''(Democracy Medal)''

'''1988'''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Commemorative medals|Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha]]'''
''(Resolution Day''

''Golden Jubilee Medal)''

'''1990'''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Commemorative medals|Tamgha-e-Salgirah Pakistan]]'''
''(Independence Day''

''Golden Jubilee Medal)''

'''1997'''
|'''[[Order of Military Merit (Jordan)|The Order of Military Merit]]'''
[[Order of Military Merit (Jordan)|'''(Grand Cordon)''']]

'''([[Jordan]])'''
|}

=== Foreign Decorations ===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3" style="background:#006400; color:#FFFFFF; text-align:center" |'''Foreign Awards'''
|-
!'''{{flag|Jordan}}'''
|'''[[Order of Military Merit (Jordan)|The Order of Military Merit (Grand Cordon)]]'''
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Order of Military Merit (Jordan) - Knight.png|width=130}}
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[History of the Pakistan Air Force]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090225095224/http://paffalcons.com/cas/index.php PAF s' Chief of Air Staffs]
*[http://www.defencejournal.com/2000/sept/pathankot.htm Devastation of Pathankot] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930012945/http://www.defencejournal.com/2000/sept/pathankot.htm |date=30 September 2007 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070819025043/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1965War/SR-Pathankot.html The Day the PAF Got Away]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070912073728/http://www.ccha.edu.pk/alumni.htm Alumni of Cadet College Hasan Abdal]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Farooq Feroze Khan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Air Staff]]|years=1994 – 1997}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi]]}}
{{end}}

{{Military of Pakistan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khattak, Abbas}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:People from Peshawar]]
[[Category:Pashtun military personnel]]
[[Category:Cadet College Hasan Abdal alumni]]
[[Category:Pakistan Air Force Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Pilots of the India–Pakistan war of 1965]]
[[Category:Pilots of the India–Pakistan war of 1971]]
[[Category:National Defence University (Pakistan) alumni]]
[[Category:Chiefs of the Air Staff (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Aviation safety pioneers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Jordan)]]

Abbas Khattak - Revision history

Satarupa at 06:40, 25 March 2026