Saeedullah Khan

Air Vice Marshal Saeedullah Khan TQA
سعید اللہ خان
Portrait, c. 1964
Deputy Chief of Air Staff Pakistan Air Force
In office 22 June 1972 – 29 June 1973
Pakistan Air Attaché to Washington
In office January 1970 – May 1972
Succeeded by	Eric G. Hall
Deputy Managing Director Pakistan International Airlines
In office 29 August 1969 – January 1970
Command and staff positions 11th Commandant PAF Academy In office February 1968 – 28 August 1969 Succeeded by Michael John O'Brian Deputy Commandant PAF Staff College In office January 1964 – September 1964 Commander PAF Station Sargodha In office 12 January 1962[1] – December 1963 Preceded by Masroor Hosain Succeeded by Zafar Masud Commander No 33 Air Supply Wing In office May 1961 – 11 January 1962 Commander No 32 Fighter Ground Attack Wing In office 5 May 1958 – 24 October 1958 Commander No. 2 Squadron PAF In office 19 July 1956 – 10 April 1957 Commander No. 9 Squadron PAF In office September 1953 – December 1955
Personal details
Born	(1926-07-23)23 July 1926 Bhagalpur, British India
Died	26 January 2002(2002-01-26) (aged 75) Lahore, Pakistan
Relatives	Khalifa Mohammad Asadullah (father-in-law)
Education	Government College, Lahore No. 1 (I) SFTS RAF Central Flying School RAF Staff College, Andover[2]
Military service
Branch/service	Royal Indian Air Force (1945-47)  Pakistan Air Force (1947-73)
Years of service	1945–73
Rank	Air Vice Marshal
Commands	Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Attaché to Washington PAF Academy Director Operations 1965 War Deputy Commandant PAF Staff College PAF Station Sargodha No. 33 Air Supply Wing No. 32 FGA Wing No. 2 Squadron PAF No. 9 Squadron PAF
Battles/wars	World War II Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Air war operations
Awards	Tamgha-e-Quaid-e-Azam (1963)

Air Vice Marshal Saeedullah Khan TQA (Urdu: سعید اللہ خان; 23 July 1926 – 26 January 2002) was a two-star rank air officer of the Pakistan Air Force. He was a pioneering officer of the PAF, serving as the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff from June 1972 to June 1973 before retiring. In this role, he was one of the right-hand men of CAS of the PAF Zafar Chaudhry, alongside ACAS Operations Khaqan Abbasi and Director Air Intelligence Mufti.^[3][4]

In the book, Flight of the Falcon, Sajad Haider writes that Saeedullah and Khaqan were involved in a witch-hunt against PAF officers, including Sajad himself, attempting to implicate them in the Attock conspiracy at the behest of Zafar Chaudhry. Haider and other PAF officers discovered with great awe and excitement that Prime Minister Bhutto sacked Saeedullah Khan, Khaqan Abbasi, and Zafar Chaudhry from their duties due to allegations of intrigue and witch-hunting. Saeedullah and Khaqan were not allowed to attend their offices and were unceremoniously and prematurely retired when the PAF command changed under Bhutto. Sajad further notes that Saeedullah Khan retired "into oblivion", playing the stock market with Hamid Qureshi, a 1965 War drop-out. Khan later worked for a rogue financial company involved in illicit financial dealings. Sajad writes that despite being financially honest, Saeedullah Khan was likely a victim of circumstances.^[5]

In July 1998, Saeedullah was among 63 retired Pakistani, Indian, and Bengali armed forces personnel who signed an agreement urging Pakistan and India to refrain from developing nuclear weapons. Instead, they advocated for limiting nuclear research and development strictly to peaceful and beneficial purposes. They also called for Pakistan and India to resolve their disputes through peaceful means and address their real problems of poverty and backwardness, rather than wasting their scarce resources on acquiring means of destruction.^[6][7]

Air Chief Marshal Anwar Shamim recalled, "I learnt a lot especially from Group Captain Saeedullah Khan. He was well read, knowledgeable, and had excellent grasp of what the PAF needed for the future. He was firm and demanded hard work from his subordinates. He was a thorough gentleman and dedicated family man. He was a well-dressed officer and also appreciated those who dressed up well. In fact, he was what one would truly call an officer and gentleman."^[8]