Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu took charge as the new air chief of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) at an impressive change of command ceremony on Friday.
On the occasion, outgoing air chief Mujahid Anwar Khan pinned badges on the new air chief and presented him with the command sword. The outgoing air chief also reviewed guard of honour. A formation of JF-17 fighter jets presented a salute to him.
In his farewell address, outgoing air chief said that serving Pakistan Air Force for over four decades has been a privilege, honour and a matter of immense satisfaction for him.
He said that PAF is a strong element of national defence and pride of the nation. The outgoing air chief said that the air force once again lived up to the expectations of the nation and proved to be guardians of blue skies in the operation Swift Retort. He said, “Our response was timely and well calibrated which kept the adversary at bay.”
Khan said that despite testing times, the PAF has made great strides on its journey to excellence and continued transformation for the Next Generation Air Force 2047. He said, “Our vision requires relentless pursuit in the years and decades to come.”
Congratulating Sidhu on his appointment as the air chief, Khan said that his successor is a sound professional with extraordinary leadership qualities. He expressed the confidence that during his tenure, the PAF will scale to new heights of excellence.
Earlier on Wednesday, the government appointed Sidhu as the new chief of the air staff.
He hails from Sidhu village in Punjab’s Gujrat district and was serving as deputy chief of air staff admin at the Air Headquarters in Islamabad before the new appointment.
Sidhu joined the GD (Pilot) branch of the PAF in 1986 as a fighter pilot. He has also served in fighter squadrons, operational airbases and regional commands. He attended Combat Commanders School, Air War College and Royal College of Defense Studies in the United Kingdom for higher studies.
He has also served as Assistant chief of the air staff (operations research and development), assistant chief of air staff (training officers) and director general of projects at Air Headquarters Islamabad.
Sidhu also served as additional secretary in the ministry of defence. He was awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz (military) and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (military) in recognition of his services.
