Arshad Sami Khan

Arshad Sami Khan (Urdu: ارشد سمیع خان; January 8, 1942 – June 22, 2009) was a Pakistani diplomat, civil servant and fighter pilot who at peak of his career attained the highest rank of Federal Secretary.[1] He started his career as a Pakistan Air Force fighter pilot and later served three presidents of Pakistan as their aide-de-camp (ADC) and later went on to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he served three presidents and four prime ministers as chief of protocol. He was later appointed as a diplomatic ambassador of Pakistan to 14 countries. This was followed by his appointment as the first commissioner general of Pakistan. He was also Federal Secretary of Culture and retired as a top BPS-22 grade bureaucratic officer. He was also the father of singer and music composer Adnan Sami.[2][3][4]

Squadron leader

Arshad Sami Khan

Sitara-e-Jurat
Ambassador Arshad Sami Khan
Born8 January 1942
Died22 June 2009 (aged 67)
Allegiance Pakistan
Service/branch Pakistan Air Force
Rank Squadron leader
Battles/warsIndo-Pakistani War of 1965
AwardsSitara-e-Jurat
Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Military Medal of Honour from King Hussain of Jordan
Military Medal of Honour from the Shah of Iran
Military Medal of Honour from Turkey
Special Medal for Services to Humanity from the United Nations
Spouse(s)Naureen Sami Khan
Children2, including Adnan Sami
Other workDiplomat, bureaucrat, author

Personal life

Arshad Sami Khan was born in January 1942 into an ethnic Pashtun family that had migrated from Afghanistan. His paternal grandfather, General Mehfooz Jan hailed from Herat, Afghanistan and was the governor of 4 provinces in Afghanistan, namely Herat, Kabul, Jalalabad and Balkh, under the Reign of King Amanullah Khan. Khan's paternal great-grandfather General Ahmed Jan was the civil and military adviser as well as the physician to King Ameer Abdur Rahman Khan. General Ahmed Jan, the father of Gen. Mafooz Jan, was the conqueror of Kafiristan and named it Nuristan. However, at the time of the revolution during at which Habibullah Kalakani became the first ruler of Persian descent in Afghanistan since Ahmad shah Abdali. Habibullah Kalakani with the support of the General Afghan population removed King Amanullah for his failure to bring any positive or foundational changes in Afghanistan that Khan's paternal grandfather, General Mehfooz Jan was executed, and as a result the family had to migrate to Peshawar which was a part of British India at that time.[1][5][6]

Pakistan Air Force

Khan decided in his early years to follow the military traditions of his forefathers and joined the Pakistan Air Force. He became a national hero and was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat, Pakistan's third highest military medal of honour for bravery. His name is honoured at the Pakistan Air Force Museum in Karachi.[7] He was also the youngest recipient of the prestigious "Best Fighter Pilot's Trophy".

Khan also had the distinction of serving three presidents of Pakistan as their aide-de-camp (ADC); namely presidents Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

He retired from the Air Force in 1972 and joined the Foreign Service on the behest of President Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Ambassador

Arshad Sami Khan was appointed Pakistan's first ambassador to Estonia in August 1993 along with serving as ambassador to three other Scandinavian countries simultaneously: Sweden, Denmark and Norway.[8] He served as Ambassador of Pakistan to ten other countries.

He was the chief of protocol to presidents Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Wasim Sajjad and Farooq A. Leghari and also served as Chief of Protocol to Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi and Nawaz Sharif. Khan went on to become the first Commissioner General of Pakistan (appointed by Benazir Bhutto) and then a Federal Secretary to the Government of Pakistan.[9] On the occasion of Independence Day on 14 August 2012, the President of Pakistan posthumously conferred Khan the third highest Civilian Award of Sitara-i-Imtiaz to honour his services to Pakistan.

Author

Khan wrote a book about his experience as an aide-de-camp entitled Three Presidents and an Aide, which was released in March 2008 and went on to become a best-seller in South Asia.[10] The book is a candid eyewitness account of historical events, seen from within the 'ring-side' that occurred during the reign of three presidents: Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. No publisher in Pakistan was willing to publish the book. It was therefore published and released in India, launched by former Indian prime minister I.K. Gujral to rave reviews and sales.

Illness

Khan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1989. Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had him flown to London, where he was operated at Cromwell Hospital. However, within three months of the operation thereafter, he resumed working in the Foreign Office, continuing his ambassadorial assignments around the world while battling cancer for 20 years. He died on 22 June 2009 at 'Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani' Hospital in Mumbai. His burial ceremony took place in Islamabad with military honours, including a 21-gun salute.[11]

Awards

Sitara-e-Jurat citation

For his actions during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Sami was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat, the third highest award of Pakistan.

His Sitara-e-Jur'at citation read as follows:

CITATION

Flight Lieutenant Arshad Sami Khan

19 SQUADRON PAK/4127

Flight Lieutenant Arshad Sami Khan flew the maximum combat missions during the war with India. His enthusiasm and aggressive spirit was of the highest order and was responsible to ignite the spirit of competition amongst other pilots in its most effective form. He led formations in the battle area with exemplary determination and brought back excellent results. He has been credited with one aircraft,15 tanks and 22 vehicles destroyed and 8 tanks and 19 vehicles damaged and 2 heavy guns destroyed. He never looked tired or apprehensive in the face of heavy odds but kept on inflicting maximum damage to the enemy as his only objective. For his outstanding devotion to duty and bravery, Flight Lieutenant Arshad Sami Khan was awarded Sitara-i-Juraat.[12][13]

References
  1. Adnan Sami: I respect my earlier two wives for the times we shared and for being a part of my life
  2. Squadron Leader Arshad Sami Khan Archived 25 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 April 2011
  3. PM visits residence of Arshad Sami to condole his death Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 April 2011
  4. Musician leaves for Pakistan
  5. The History of Afghanistan: Fayz Muhammad Katib Hazarah's Siraj Al-tawarikh, Includes Conclusion Volume 3 (tatimmah) September 1896-May 1897 by Robert McChesney (Editor), Mohammad Mehdi Khorrami (Editor) ISBN 978-9004307575
  6. Adnan Sami: Fastest fingers first
  7. "PAF Museum". Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  8. Estonia and Pakistan Bilateral Relations Archived 22 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Retrieved 21 April 2011
  9. Arshad Sami Khan — an ambassador of love and humanity Archived 25 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Three Presidents & an Aide, ISBN 978-8182743434
  11. "Squadron leader Arshad Sami passes away". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  12. "1965 GALLANTRY AWARDS". Pakistan Air Force Museum. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  13. Colonel Azam Qadri (Retd); Group Captain Muhammad Ali. Sentinels in the sky (PDF). pp. 268–274.
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