Zaheer Ahmad Babar

Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu (born 16 April 1965) is a Pakistani military officer who has served as the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force since 2021. In service since 1986, Babar took over command of the Pakistan Air Force from his predecessor ACM Mujahid Anwar Khan.

Zaheer was granted a one-year extension to his tenure on 17 March 2024, making him the second chief in Pakistan Air Force history to receive such an extension after Anwar Shamim, who received an extension during the military government of General Zia Ul Haq in 1981.

In November 2024, the Government of Pakistan revised the tenure of the service chiefs of the Pakistan Armed Forces from three to five years, which consequently extended Sidhu's term as Air Chief until March 2026.

On 5 December 2025, Sidhu's term as Air Chief was once again extended for the period of two years till March 2028.

Under Sidhu's command, Pakistan Air Forces has carried out five cross-border airstrikes against various terror groups involved in the activity against Pakistani state. This includes 2022 Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, 2024 Pakistani airstrikes in Iran, March 2024 Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan and December 2024 Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, 2025 PAF Airstrikes in Afghanistan. Under Air Chief's Sidhu's watch PAF drone and jets also seen action during 2025 Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict.

In October 2025 PAF carried out precision strikes on various Taliban military camps across Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the Afghan bordering provinces of Khost, Kunar, Paktika and Paktia while also striking deeper Taliban locations in Kabul and Kandahar who have been actively supporting terrorist groups against Pakistan. It was first time in the history of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations that Pakistani jets attacked Afghanistan's capital Kabul. The PAF's October 2025 airstrikes reportedly targeted chief of anti-Pakistan TTP who narrowly escaped PAF strikes.

Early life and education Babar Sidhu was born on 16 April 1965 into a Punjabi Jat family of the Sidhu clan.

His father Hakeem Ghulam Muhammad was a religious scholar and the family originally hails from the Sidh village in the Gujrat District of Punjab. His brother Chaudhary Naseer Ahmed Abbas was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from the Constituency NA-65 Gujrat-IV on the ticket of Pakistan Muslim League (N) in 2024 Pakistani general election.

For his higher studies has attended the Combat Commanders School, the Air War College and the Royal College of Defense Studies in the United Kingdom.

Awards and decorations In recognition of his services, he has been awarded with Tamgha-i-lmtiaz (Military), Sitara-i-lmtiaz (Military), Hilal-i-lmtiaz (Military) and Nishan-i-lmtiaz (Military).

Chief of the Air Staff

Appointment Babar Sidhu was serving as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Administration) at the Air Headquarters in Islamabad before being appointed as Chief of Air Staff on 17 March 2021.

Controversies surrounding the appointment According to a white paper published in November 2023, Babar Sidhu was not the most senior officer in his batch. However, he received assistance in rising to the top position in the air force by then Director General of the ISI Faiz Hameed and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. This support was attributed to his Chakwal background and belonging to the Jatt community, which is the same clan as General Bajwa. It also claimed that Babar Sidhu retirement approaching in March 2024, but he was reportedly lobbying for an extension. In March 2025, his tenure was extended for another year due to his outstanding performance, revival of airforce as second to none, acquisition of J-10C. Subsequently, the Government amended the constitution extending the service of all service chief. This resulted in his extension of his tenure from March 2024 to March 2026.

He has been targeted by F-16 Mafia for disparaging compaign because he is first Mirages pilot who has been promoted to Air Chief.

Tenure extension On 17 March 2024, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif extended Babar Sidhu's tenure by one year, just a day before his scheduled retirement.

Reactions and criticism Ayesha Siddiqa, in an article for The Friday Times, expressed concerns regarding the approval of a one-year extension for Sidhu. She highlighted potential implications on the Air Force's reputation for professionalism. Additionally, she noted speculations within certain circles regarding the influence of Chaudhary Naseer Ahmed Abbas, Sidhu's brother's affiliation with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in securing the extension.

Controversies

Aircraft flown Controversially, the Indian media has asserted that he had not piloted F-16s but only Mirage III and V aircraft.

According to a petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in March 2025 by Advocate Inamur Rahim on behalf of Shazia Javad, the wife of retired Air Marshal Jawad Saeed, Saeed was abducted from his residence in January 2024 and subsequently held in illegal custody by PAF authorities without due process of law. A PAF spokesperson claimed that Saeed had been sharing sensitive information with his brother, who resides in the United States. However, Shazia Javad told the BBC that the court martial proceedings were initiated in retaliation for a white paper authored by her husband which detailed Sidhu's overreach of authority and corruption, and said "this is retaliation for daring to question the air chief's excesses".

In April 2025, a PAF tribunal sentenced Javad Saeed to 14 years' imprisonment, a term later reduced to four years by Sidhu. The IHC was also informed that Saeed had been detained at an officers' mess.

Awards and decorations Babar has been awarded the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military), Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military), Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military) and the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Military). He was further awarded the Hilal-i-Jur'at following his contributions in the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict.

Foreign decorations Foreign AwardTurkish Legion of Merit Order of King Abdulaziz The Order of Bahrain, 1st Class

Effective dates of promotion