Chief of the Air Staff (Pakistan)

Chief of the Air Staff
رئیسِ عملۂ پاک فضائیہ
Air Force Ensign of Pakistan
since 19 March 2021
Ministry of Defence
(Air Force Secretariat-II at MoD)
 Pakistan Air Force[1]
AbbreviationCAS
Member ofJoint Chiefs of Staff Committee
National Security Council
Reports to Prime Minister of Pakistan
Minister of Defence
ResidenceAir Headquarters, Islamabad
SeatAir Headquarters
Nominator Prime Minister of Pakistan
Appointer President of Pakistan
Term length3 years
renewable only once
PrecursorCommander-in-Chief
FormationMarch 3, 1972; 52 years ago (1972-03-03)
First holderAir Marshal Zafar Chaudhry
SuccessionOn basis of seniority, subjected to the decision of the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Unofficial namesAir chief
DeputyVice Chief of the Air Staff
SalaryAccording to Pakistan Military officer's Pay Grade (apex Scale)
WebsiteOfficial website

The Chief of the Air Staff (Urdu: سربراہ پاک فضائيہ) (reporting name: CAS) is a military appointment and a statutory office held by an Air Chief Marshal in the Pakistan Air Force, who is appointed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan and final confirmation by the President of Pakistan.[2] The CAS is the highest-ranking officer of the Pakistan Air Force and only pilots are appointed in this post.

The Chief of the Air Staff is a senior most military appointment in the Pakistani military who is a senior member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee in a separate capacity, usually providing necessary consultation to the Chairman joint chiefs to act as a principal military adviser to the Prime Minister and its civilian government in the line of defending and guarding the nation's airspace and aerial borders.[3]: 40 [4]

The Chief of the Air Staff exercise its responsibility of command and control of the operational, administration, combatant, logistics, and training commands within the Air Force.[3]: 140  Due to its statute, the Chief of the Air Staff maintain its importance of providing the strategic control and final decision-making issues relating the nation's national security.[4]

The appointment, in principle, is constitutionally subjected for three years but extensions may be granted by the President upon recommendations and approvals from the Prime Minister. The Chief of the Air Staff is based at the Air Headquarters, and the current Chief of the Air Staff is the Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Baber.[2]

  1. ^ MoD, Ministry of Defence. "Organogram of MoD" (PDF). mod.gov.pk/. Ministry of Defence Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b Mateen Haider; Irfan Haider (18 March 2015). "Air Marshal Sohail Aman appointed as new air chief". DAWN.COM. Dawn Newspaper, Islamabad. Dawn Newspapers. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b Cheema, Pervaiz Iqbal (2002). "Defence Administration". The Armed Forces of Pakistan (google books) (1st ed.). New York, U.S.: NYU Press. p. 225. ISBN 9780814716335. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  4. ^ a b Usman, Shabbir (2003). "Command & Structure control". pakdef.org. PakDef Military Consortium. Retrieved 25 July 2017.