Air Marshal Asghar Khan passes away

Former air chief and senior politician Asghar Khan has passed away, Geo TV quoted family sources as saying on Friday.

A spokesman for the  Pakistan Air Force  confirmed that the first Commander-in-chief of the  PAF Asghar Khan has passed away.

Funeral prayers of  Khan would be offered at the Pakistan Air Force  base  in Islamabad today while he would be  laid to rest in a village in his hometown  of Abbottabad .

According to Geo TV, Air Chief Sohail Aman expressed grief over his death and applauded his efforts to transform the PAF .

"COAS  expresses his grief on sad demise of ex Air Chief, Air Marshal Asghar Khan, Retired. An iconic soldier who will be remembered for his historic contributions for laying foundations of a strong Pakistan Air Force. May Allah bless his soul-Amen," Director General ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor said in a tweet.

Asghar Khan joined politics after his retirement from the Air Force, playing  a major role in opposition to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto from 1971 to 1977. 

During the 1977 elections,  Khan allied his party, the Tehreek-i-Istiqlal with the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) against the People's Party. 

He contested two seats, one from Karachi and the other from Abbotabad, and was elected by a huge margin from both seats.

 Asghar Khan resigned from both National Assembly seats as a mark of protest against what the political parties opposed to Bhutto called massive rigging in the elections.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI ) Chairman Imran Khan has expressed grief over the demise of Asghar Khan and lauded his services  for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

In 2011, Asghar Khan announced his full support to  Imran Khan, praising  him  for his struggle and endorsing  him as the only hope left for the survival of Pakistan.