Nur Khan

Malik Nur Khan
6th Governor of West Pakistan
In office
1 September 1969 – 1 February 1970
PresidentYahya Khan
Preceded byYusuf Haroon
Succeeded byAttiqur Rahman
Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force
In office
23 July 1965 – 31 August 1969
PresidentAyub Khan
Preceded byAir Mrshl Asghar Khan
Succeeded byAir Mrshl A. R. Khan
Managing-Director of the Pakistan International Airlines
In office
1959–1965
Preceded byZafar-ul-Ahsan
Succeeded byAir Mrshl Asghar Khan
President of the Pakistan Hockey Federation
In office
1976–1984
Preceded byGen. Muhammad Musa
Succeeded byLt. Gen. K. M. Azhar
Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board
In office
1980–1984
Preceded byLt. Gen. K. M. Azhar
Succeeded byLt. Gen. Safdar Butt
Personal details
Born
Malik Nur Khan

(1923-02-02)2 February 1923
Tamman, Talagang District, Punjab Province, British India
Died15 December 2011(2011-12-15) (aged 88)[1][2]
Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
Resting placeTamman, Talagang District
CitizenshipBritish Raj British India (1923-1947)
 Pakistan (1947–2011)
Political partyIndependent
Pakistan Peoples Party (1987–89)
Alma materRashtriya Indian Military College
ProfessionPolitician
Civilian awardsSitara-e-Shujaat
NicknameMan of Steel[3]
Military service
Branch/service Royal Indian Air Force (1941–1947)
 Pakistan Air Force (1947–1969)
Years of service1941–1970
Rank Air Marshal
UnitNo. 11 Squadron Arrows
CommandsChaklala Air Base
Pakistan Air Force Academy
Deputy Commander-in-Chief (Air Operations)
Peshawar Air Force Base
Masroor Air base
No.1 Tactical Operations Group
Battles/wars
Military awardsHilal-e-Jurat
Hilal-e-Quaid-e-Azam
Sitara-e-Pakistan
Order of Independence
Order of Orange-Nassau
Order of the Cedar

Malik Nur Khan[a] (22 February 1923 – 15 December 2011) was a Pakistan Air Force officer, politician and statesman who served as sixth commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Air Force from 1965 to 1969. He later served as the sixth governor of West Pakistan from 1969 to 1970.

Born into the Awan tribe in Chakwal, he gained commissioned in the Royal Indian Air Force after graduating from Rashtriya Indian Military College in Dehra Dun in 1941.[4] He participated in World War II on the side of the United Kingdom and opted for Pakistan as an aftermath of the partition of British India in 1947. He gained nationwide famed and public notability when he commanded and led Pakistan Air Force in the second war with India in 1965 as well as noted for his aerial skills when he participated on Six-Day War on behalf of Arab countries fighting against Israel. After retiring in 1969, he started his career in national politics and served as Governor of West Pakistan under President Yahya Khan as well as serving cabinet minister in Yahya administration from 1969 till 1970 when resigning over mutual disagreements.[2][5]

During his career in the Air Force and the politics, he took charge of country's sportsmanship when he served as president/chairman of cricket, hockey, and squash where he introduced sport tactics and ideas that helped sporting performances and gained attention at the international venues.[1][6] In addition, he also lobbied and pushed for the establishment of the Asian Cricket Council.[7] Nur Khan, however, is regarded for his sharp intelligence and outstanding management skills that largely benefited the Pakistan's military and the organizations that he presided over.[2]

  1. ^ a b Obituary, daily The Nation
  2. ^ a b c Obituary, The Tribune.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference The Friday Times, S.S. Haider was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Khan, R., 1999, The American Papers: Secret and Confidential India-Pakistan-Bangladesh Documents, 1965–1973, Oxford University Press, p.265.
  5. ^ Obituary, daily The News
  6. ^ A tribute to Nur Khan, The Dawn.
  7. ^ Publishing, Bloomsbury (28 February 2013). The Shorter Wisden India Almanack 2013. A&C Black. ISBN 9789382951018. Retrieved 21 October 2016.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).