- published: 16 Mar 2010
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Air Chief Marshal Abbas Khattak, NI(M), SBt, (born 16 July 1943), is a retired four-star general and air-force officer in the Pakistan Air Force who served as the 14th Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force from 8 November 1994 to 7 November 1997. Air Chief Marshal Khattak, a fighter pilot and an aviator of Pakistan's F-16 Fighting Falcons, was a senior member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan
Born in Peshawar, one of four children, he graduated from Cadet College Hasan Abdal and joined PAF Academy. He entered the Pakistan Air Force on 20 January 1963 in the 35th GD(P) Course. Thereafter, he went to the United States to join the United States Air Force where he got commission from Nellis Air Force Base, North Las Vegas, Nevada. During his career, Khattak took part in two wars. Khattak came back to Pakistan, joining the Pakistan Air Force to participate in Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
In the 1965 war, he was one of the eight fighter pilots who took part in the famous attack on Pathankot airfield led by Squadron Leader Sajjad Haider from the No. 19 Squadron (Sherdils). In 1971, he was based in Sargodha Air Force Base where he, as Wing Commander commanded a small batch of fighter jets. He earned a gallantry award, Sitara-e-Basalat during the 1971 war.