Abbas Khattak


Mohammad Abbas Khattak , is a four-star rank air force general in the Pakistan Air Force who tenured as the Chief of Air Staff from 8 November 1994 until 7 November 1997.

Biography

Abbas Khattak was born in Peshawar, NWFP in India, on 16 July 1943. 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. He passed out with the class of 35th GD, and gained commission on 20 January 1963 in No. 19 Squadron Sherdils.
P/Off. Khattak was trained to fly the F-86 Sabre and took participation in the various combat missions during the second war with India in 1965. During this time, 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 commanded by then-Squadron-Leader Sajjad Haider. In 1970–71, Sq-Ldr. Khattak was posted with the Eastern Command in East-Pakistan, leading several mission against the Indian Air Force but was reposted in Sargodha Air Force Base before his country's surrender in Eastern Front of the third war with India in 1971.
After the war, Wg-Cdr. Khattak was directed to attend the war course at the National Defence University in Islamabad.
In 1988, Air-Commodore Khattak was appointed as an AOC of the Southern Air Command, serving until 1990. In 1991, AVM Khattak was eventually posted at the Air AHQ in Islamabad as an DCAS, where he played a pioneering role in aviation and flight safety programs. In 1994, Air-Marshal Khattak was promoted to DCAS at the Air AHQ in Islamabad.

Chief of Air Staff

On 8 November 1994, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto approved the promotion papers of Air-Mshl. Khattak to be promoted to the four-star rank, Air Chief Marshal. This promotion was controversial since Air Mshl. Khattak superseded two senior air officers: Air-Mshl. Shafique Haider, and Air Mshl. Dlavar Hussain.
During his tenureship as an air chief, ACM Khattak made attempts to acquire the Mirage-2000 from Qatar but vetoed the acquisition of MiG-29F and the Su-27 aircraft from the Eastern Europe, despite the strong backing of the then- Chairman joint chiefs, ACM Feroze Khan, due to their poor war performances. During his tenure, Pakistan worked with China to develop the K-8 Karakorum. After his retirement he was succeeded by Air Chief Marshal PQ Mehdi.
He is married and has two sons.