Air Marshal Asghar Khan (retired) has passed away at age 96, leaving a deep mark on the national life as a soldier, administrator, and politician. He became the first Pakistani chief of Pakistan Air Force at only age 35, turning it into a modern and formidable force. Following his retirement he took over as president of the national carrier, PIA. There again setting best standards of efficiency and reliability. In a well-deserved recognition of his great service to the Air Force he has been given a state funeral. The national flag flew at half-mast on the day he was laid to rest.
Asghar Khan was a man with a mission. He was not the one to sit idle or to get discouraged despite many disappointments he was to face in the next career he chose for himself. In 1970, he formed his own political party, Tehrik-e-Istaqlal, but did badly in the elections. In fact, despite having a progressive manifesto, his party never attained electoral success. That though did not dishearten him. He stayed in the opposition all his political life. He was also one of the strongest critics of PPP leader Zulifqar Ali Bhutto's government. Nevertheless, his reputation of being an upright politician took a hit in the 1977 PNA movement against the Bhutto government, when he wrote a controversial letter to chiefs of the military services, urging them to renounce their support for the "illegal regime of Bhutto". He also urged the military leadership to differentiate between a "lawful and unlawful" command... and save Pakistan". The movement ended in military takeover, although he had sought to clarify that "nowhere in the letter had I asked for the military to take over, and he written that letter in response to a news item that he had read in which a major shot a civilian "showing him the 'V' sign". He would actively oppose General Zia regime, playing a prominent role in the 1983 the movement for the restoration of democracy, and stay away from the '85 party-less elections.
The Air Marshal earned widespread respect for taking principled positions on issues of the times he lived in. From among prominent politicians, only he alongside Abdul Wali Khan took issue with the way the then military regime handled the East Pakistan crisis that led to the country's breakup. He 1996, he filed a case in the Supreme Court against ISI for distributing Rs 140 million among opposition politicians aimed at preventing Benazir Bhutto from winning the next general elections. After 16 long years, the apex court gave its verdict in 2012, ordering legal proceedings against the former army chief General Mirza Aslam Beg, ISI head under him Lieutenant General Assad Durrani, two other senior army officers as well as the late president, Ghulam Ishaque Khan. Although the government failed to take the follow-up action, by relentlessly pursuing the case Khan managed to expose the dirty games some in this country have been playing, creating distortions in the political process. He also authored quite a few books, including his autobiography "My Political Struggle", and till the fag end of his life pursued various human rights issues. Asghar Khan lived his life with dignity and honour, for which he will be remember for long.
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