Air Chief Marshal Nur Khan (Urdu: نور خان‎, born Malik Nur Khan (Urdu: ملک نور خان) ‎; ‎ 22 February 1923 -- 15 December 2011) HS, HQA, SPk HJ, was a high-profile military official who represented the Pakistan Air Force as its Air Commander-in-Chief in the ruling military governments of Field Marshal Ayub Khan and General Yahya Khan from 1965 till 1969. Nur Khan was a hero of the 1965 air war as the air chief who led a smaller but better trained and equipped Pakistan Air Force to achieve parity over the Indian Air Force (which was three times the PAF’s strength in numbers) from the very first day of the 1965 war. Nur Khan was widely respected, not only for his integrity but also for his sharp intelligence and outstanding management abilities that largely benefited the Pakistan’s military. Following his retirement from the PAF, Nur Khan was appointed by the military government as the Governor of West Pakistan in 1969 but soon resigned in 1970, after mounting serious disagreements with the military government and was finally forced out of the military government by president General Yahya Khan in 1971. In 1976, he joined hands with then-Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who appointed him as President of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF); and in 1980, he became Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after General Zia-ul-Haq requested him to take control of the country’s cricket administration. He presided over both the Hockey Federation and Cricket Board until 1984, leading the Pakistani hockey team to a gold medal in the Los Angeles Olympics. In 1985, Nur Khan participated in 1985 parliamentary elections for a technocratic seat and also contested on Pakistan Peoples Party’s platform on 1988 parliamentary elections but conceded his defeat that eventually led to end his short political-technocratic career once and for all.

• published: 29 Sep 2015
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