The late Asghar Khan unveiling the plaque of the PAF Academy Risalpur in March 2017, which was re-named after him. Photo: PAF

 

Former chief of air staff Air Chief Marshal Asghar Khan passed away in Rawalpindi on Friday morning, according to family sources.

His funeral will be held after the Friday prayers at a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) base in Islamabad today while burial will be held on Saturday in his native village of Nawa Shehar, Abbottabad, according to his son Ali Asghar Khan. 

In 1957, Khan became the first native Commander-in-Chief of PAF. 

After retiring from the PAF, he became the president of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) which he headed until 1968.

In 1970, Khan founded the Tehreek-e-Istiqlal, but the party could not dent the vote bank of other major parties of the time, such as the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Later, Khan merged his party with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2012.

Among the series of condolence messages on Twitter, PTI leader Imran Khan stated: 

Asghar Khan case 

The late air chief will also be remembered for the famous Asghar Khan case in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.