Rizwan Ullah Khan

Air Commodore Raja Rizwan Ullah Khan (13 August 1957 — 20 February 2003), affectionately known as "Razi" by his family and colleagues, was a one-star rank officer of the Pakistan Air Force, an author, and aeronautical engineer. He served as the Personal Staff Officer to Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir. They were killed in an air crash alongside his wife Begum Bilquis Mir, Air Vice Marshals Abdul Razzaq Anjum and Saleem Akhtar Nawaz, and 13 other senior air force officials and crew.

During his career, Khan was the Chief Instructor at the Combat Commanders' School (CCS), commanded the No. 11 Sqn (1995—1997), and served as Deputy Director and then Director Operations Research & Development at the Directorate of Plans, Air Headquarters. He also commanded the Combat Commanders' School from July 2001 to July 2002. He was a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Pakistan Engineering Council.

Personal life At the time of Rizwan's death, his brother Imran Ullah Khan was a tanker captain in Houston, Texas and their sister Nabeela, a medical doctor, worked for Fauji Foundation. He was appointed as the Personal Staff Officer of Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir in August 2002.

Death in air crash A civilian PIA Fokker F27 in flight. A similar but military F27 was involved in the 2003 crash. On 20 February 2003, Air Commodore Raja Rizwan Ullah Khan and Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir boarded a Fokker F-27 aircraft operated by the Pakistan Air Force, along with the air chief's wife Bilquis Mir and 14 senior air force officers and crew from Chaklala airbase for a routine flight to Northern Air Command PAF Base Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the annual inspection of the base and to review annual preparations and readiness.

The plane lost contact with military radars at the Northern Air Command and crashed after hitting the highest peak of the mountain at the Tolanj mountain range in Kohat District due to extreme fog and winter temperature. Among the casualties were other high-ranking officials of the PAF, including Air Commodore Rizwan, Personal Staff Officer to Mushaf Ali Mir and two Principal Staff Officers – Air Vice Marshal Abdul Razzaq Anjum, DCAS (Training & Evaluation) and Air Vice Marshal Saleem Nawaz, DCAS (Administration) – and the air crew.

The Government of Pakistan honoured them with a state funeral which was attended by over 75,000 people along with foreign dignitaries. Citizens lined the streets from Chaklala to Islamabad and as their coffins passed, many were crying openly. Air Commodore Raja Rizwan Ullah Khan and Air Vice Marshal Saleem Akhter Nawaz were buried next to each other in Islamabad.

The Pakistan Air Force Flight Safety and CAA ruled out sabotage and termed the crash an accident.

Further military insights revealed in the 2015 parliamentary committee noted that the aircraft was faulty and was first identified as such by the Pakistan Navy's inspection team as early as 1993. The Pakistan Navy purchased the aircraft for reconnaissance missions before it was transferred to Pakistan Army Aviation Corps in 1993, who then transferred the plane to the Pakistan Air Force in 1994, which never reviewed the inspection protocol to assess the performance of the aircraft.

Books

Awards and decorations Civilian Awards and decorations received as a civilian: National Talent Scholarship after Intermediate Examination, 1975

Military Awards and decorations received in military service: Sword of Honour, PAF Academy, 1978 Best Pilot's Trophy, PAF Academy, 1978 Best Flying Instructor's Trophy, 1982 Distinction in Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace), 1987 Gold Medal in Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace), 1987 Trophy for Best in Engineering Discipline, 1987 Best Aerospace Vehicle Design Certificate, 1987 Best Combat Commander's Trophy, 1993 ACES Top Gun Trophy for No. 11 MR Sqn during Sqn Command, 1996 Sitara-e-Basalat, 1997

(Star of Valour)1997Tamgha-e-Baqa (Nuclear Test Medal)

199810 Years Service Medal20 Years Service MedalTamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-Wiladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam

(100th Birth Anniversaryof Muhammad Ali Jinnah)

1976Hijri Tamgha (Hijri Medal)

1979Tamgha-e-Jamhuriat (Democracy Medal)

1988Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha (Resolution Day)

(Golden Jubilee Medal)

1990Tamgha-e-Salgirah Pakistan (Independence Day

Golden Jubilee Medal)

1997