Former air chief Asghar Khan passes away at age of 97

ABBOTTABAD: Former Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Asghar Khan passed away on Friday morning after a protracted illness at the age of 97, family sources said.

According to family sources, the funeral prayers of first native Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will be held on Saturday in Newanshehr town of Abbottabad district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Asghar Khan was also founder of Tehrik-e-Istiqlal Pakistan, a political party, which was once a mainstream political party in Pakistan and a member of an opposition alliance that had launched protest movement against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto-led Pakistan People’s Party in late 70s.

The party in its twilight days announced its merger with Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in January 2012.

The former Air Chief Marshal became first Commander in Chief of PAF in 1957 under President Iskander Mirza and later under President Ayub Khan until resigning in 1965.

He formed his political party in 1970.