Sayed Sajad Haider | |
|---|---|
| سید سجاد حیدر | |
 Sajad in the 1960s | |
| Director Joint Warfare General Headquarters (Pakistan Army) | |
| In office 1977 – 25 May 1980 | |
| Pakistan Air Attaché to Washington & Ottawa | |
| In office September 1974 – 1976 | |
| Preceded by | Eric G. Hall |
| Director of Flight Safety AHQ (PAF) | |
| In office February 1973 – September 1974 | |
| Commander No 33 Wing | |
| In office 12 September 1971 – February 1973 | |
| Officer Commanding No. 14 Squadron PAF | |
| In office 14 April 1969 – 31 December 1970 | |
| Preceded by | MG Tawab |
| Officer Commanding No. 19 Squadron PAF | |
| In office October 1963 – June 1967 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sayed Sajjad Haider 26 December 1932 (age 91) Sargodha, British India |
| Spouses | Iffat
(m. 1960; div. 1969)Tahira
(m. 1970; div. 1971)Faryda
(m. 1980; div. 1989) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
|
| Education | Mission School Quetta Islamia School Quetta St. Francis' Grammar School FC College RPAF Academy PAF Staff College German Air Force Officer Training School Advanced Jet Course (USA) Fighter Leaders' School, Mauripur Joint Service Defence College National Defence College, Islamabad Quaid-i-Azam University (MSc) |
| Known for | Leading the attack on India's Pathankot Air Base during the Indo-Pakistani Air War of 1965 |
| Nickname(s) | Nosey Haider Saviour of Lahore |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  Pakistan Air Force |
| Years of service | 1952–1980 |
| Rank |   Air Commodore |
| Commands | SASO Air Defence Command Air Attache to Washington Director Flight Safety No. 33 Wing No. 14 Squadron PAF Air Def Ops Comd, Peshawar Staff Ops Officer, Sargodha No. 19 Squadron PAF |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Golden Eagle Award (1958)[a] Caterpillar Club (1961) Sitara-e-Jurat (1965) (6) Green Endorsements[b] |
Air Commodore Sajad Haider SJ (Urdu: سید سجاد حیدر; born 26 December 1932) also known by his aliases as Nosey Haider[c] and Saviour of Lahore, is a retired Pakistani fighter pilot and former one-star rank officer in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). He is best known for leading a devastating Blitzkrieg on the Pathankot airbase in India on 6 September during the Indo-Pakistani air war of 1965. Haider personally destroyed four Indian aircraft, 11 Indian tanks and damaged another three. The formation destroyed a total of 13 Indian aircraft including 2 MiG-21s. The following day, Haider led his pilots to Srinagar Air Force Station where they destroyed another three aircraft. He is also an author, columnist, businessman, defence analyst, political commentator, and philanthropist.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Haider's career was marked by a series of significant events, three of which stood out due to false accusations and political intrigue. The initial incident involved unfounded charges of treason and mutiny amid an alleged coup against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's regime. Crucially, the coup charges were exposed as manipulated accusations orchestrated by Chief of Air Staff of the PAF Zafar Chaudhry who was later fired, Saeedullah Khan and Khaqan Abbasi. This orchestrated effort targeted not only Sajad but also implicated 13 other PAF officers. Despite navigating through a labyrinth of false accusations, Sajad and the rest of the officers were eventually exonerated after investigations exposed the manipulative tactics at play. The second instance transpired in Washington, where an American corporate executive offered him a bribe. Sajad refused and told him "Get out of my office. I will have your company blacklisted," the executive was fired after the head of the company found out and personally apologized to Sajad. Subsequently, a SAVAK operative from the Iran embassy with a direct hotline to the Shah of Iran had fabricated a falsehood with the help of the American, alleging that Sajad had defamed the Shah, which resulted in diplomatic tensions between Pakistan-Iran, with the Shah requesting Bhutto to remove him from his position. Afterwards, it was revealed that the executive along with several Pakistani, Iranian, and Americans created the falsehood as they wanted to make money from shady defence deals being offered to the Pakistan Air Force.[11]
Challenges persisted within the PAF, illustrating a complex bureaucratic landscape and personal rivalries that continued to influence and shape his career. Sajad writes that the Americans coerced President Ayub Khan to let them establish a spy base at Badaber in Peshawar where Lockheed U-2 fighter planes operated from. That to Sajad is the beginning of Pakistanis taking American dictation, "We traded our sovereignty for preservation of a dictator (Field Marshal Ayub Khan) and we've never looked back. The Americans have always let down Pakistan."[11] He further states that he was very close friends with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto but would never forgive him for his role in the separation of East Pakistan.[12][3][13][14]
Sajad Haider retired from the PAF in 1980 following an act of dissent against President Zia-ul-Haq and his authoritarian regime (see his dissent against Zia). During a top-secret address at the GHQ (Pakistan Army) in November 1979, where Zia outlined the continued military rule, Haider seized the moment to express his concerns when Zia hesitantly allowed him to speak. He criticized the intelligence agencies for manipulating the truth, highlighted the stifled press, and conveyed his disillusionment with the military's conduct towards civilians. Despite warnings from colleagues about the consequences, Haider chose to speak out to Zia-ul-Haq's face. Unwilling to serve under Zia's rule, he opted to retire, leaving behind a distinguished career and embarking on a new life with minimal resources. Haider remained engaged in advocating for the PAF's well-being while candidly critiquing its policies, emphasizing his passion for the institution despite the challenges he faced towards the end of his career.[15]
After retirement, he started his own defence, aviation and communication company, Cormorant. He decided to shutdown the company in 1990, after being targeted and offered kickbacks by two Pakistan Army generals at the Defence Procurement Division including the Director General.[16] In September 2020, Haider gave an interview to TCM Originals discussing the 1965 Pathankot strike.[17] Additionally, he is a staunch supporter of Imran Khan and donated to his fundraiser for the affectees of the 2022 Pakistan floods for which Imran thanked him.[18][19][20] In 2023, he was holding a placard in support of Imran Khan, when an Islamabad Police Officer appointed by Nawaz Sharif approached him and began misbehaving, undermining the Commodores efforts during the 1965 war by parroting him in a taunting way.[12]
- ^ "History reaching into the present in Waziristan". brecorder. 2 May 2004.
- ^ a b "Nosy Haider sets the record right". Dawn. 4 August 2005.
Popularly known as 'Nosy Haider' for leading a devastating blitzkrieg against the Pathankot airbase, Sajjad said in a statement that the Indian Air Marshal Raghavendran, nowhere in his article asserts, quote that "PAF attacked only targets of 'opportunity', enabling the IAF to be up and fighting the next day." In fact what Air Marshal Raghavendran wrote is exactly the opposite. The Indian Air Marshal actually mocks his commanders for a stupid plan, "I (Air Marshal Raghavendran) rushed across to the offices of the Mystere squadron commanders to find out which enemy airfields they had struck. Surprise and shock — no airfields had been attacked — they had gone after targets of opportunity!! I just couldn't believe it".
- ^ Hussain, Syed Shabbir; Tariq Qureshi, M. (1982). History of the Pakistan Air Force, 1947-1982. Pakistan Air Force. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-19-648045-9.
- ^ "Excellence in Air Combat: PAF's Forte". Defence Journal. April 2002. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017.
- ^ "A HERO FADES AWAY". Defence Journal. March 1999. Archived from the original on 1 November 2017.
- ^ "THE END OF A LEGEND". Defence Journal. March 1999. Archived from the original on 24 August 2016.
- ^ Brigadier Samir Bhattacharya (December 2013). Nothing But! Book Three: What Price Freedom. Partridge. ISBN 978-1-4828-1626-6.
- ^ "Strike at Pathankot War Diaries Episode 6". YouTube. 23 September 2020.
- ^ India's Wars: A Military History, 1947–1971. Naval Institute Press. 2017. ISBN 978-1-68247-242-2.
- ^ a b "Don't you ever say die". Dawn. 17 May 2009.
- ^ a b "Pakistanis angry after 1965 war hero and Imran Khan supporter mistreated by Islamabad Police". www.msn.com. 16 May 2023.
- ^ "26 ex-army officers allowed to appear on media as defence analysts". Dawn. 16 April 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Bahaaristanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ MANSOOR SHAH, The Gold Bird - Pakistan and Its Air Force, Observations of a Pilot, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2002, p.303.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Falconwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Strike at Pathankot: War Diaries: Episode 6". TCM Originals. 23 September 2020.
- ^ "Pakistan Airforce Hero Sajjad Haider Donation Imran Khan Telethon Live" (video). youtube.com. BOL Network. 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Air Commodore Sajjad Haider: 'I Will Vote For Imran Khan Wearing My Military Uniform'". YouTube. 5 February 2024.
- ^ "Air commodore Sajjad Haider Wearing His War Uniform To Cost A Vote From Imran khan". YouTube. 8 February 2024.
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