Haider Raza
Haider Raza | |
|---|---|
| حیدر رضا | |
| Air attaché to Embassy of Pakistan, Washington, D.C. | |
| In office July 9, 1957 – December 1962 | |
| President | Iskandar Mirza (1956-1958) Ayub Khan (1958-1969) |
| 2nd Chief of Staff Pakistan Air Force | |
| In office 20 December 1954 – 20 June 1957 | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Leslie William Cannon (1951-1955) Arthur McDonald (1955-57) |
| Preceded by | Douglas Lloyd Amlot |
| Succeeded by | Maqbool Rabb |
| Officer Commanding No. 10 Squadron RIAF | |
| In office 5 January 1946 – 22 August 1946 | |
| Succeeded by | M. A. Rahman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Syed Haider Raza 23 September 1916 |
| Died | 27 January 1998 (aged 81) Lothian, Maryland, USA |
| Resting place | St. James' Parish (Lothian, Maryland) |
| Citizenship | British India (1916-1947) Pakistan (1947) United States (1966) |
| Spouse |
Irene
(m. 1943; died 2013) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | RAF Staff College, Andover Imperial Defence College |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  Royal Indian Air Force (1940) Pakistan Air Force (1947) |
| Years of service | 1940-1962 |
| Rank |   Air Vice Marshal |
| Commands | No. 10 Squadron RIAF |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Mentioned in Dispatches (1945)[1] |
Haider "Victor" Raza[a] (23 September 1916 – 27 January 1998) was a two-star rank Air Vice Marshal and a pioneer officer of the Pakistan Air Force. He served as its first native and second chief of staff from 1954 to 1957. He was the first air attaché at the Embassy of Pakistan, Washington, D.C., serving from 1957 to 1962.
Early life
[edit]Syed Haider Raza[2] was born on 23 September 1916 in Chapra, Uttar Pradesh to a Muslim family. He was the second-eldest of seven children, four brothers and three sisters. His older brother was Syed Nadir Raza. Their parents were Syed Mustapha Raza (1888–1950) and Mary (Lyng) Raza (1890–1962),[3] an Englishwoman. Syed Mustapha Raza was a lawyer.[4]
Personal life
[edit]Flight Lieutenant Raza married Irene Mary (Tiny) at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, New Delhi in March 1943. She was the younger daughter of A. Isar, Additional District Magistrate of Lahore. They had three sons: Afzal Anthony Raza, Haider Raymond Raza, and Mark Raza.[4] Irene died in 2013.[5]
Service years
[edit]Royal Indian Air Force
[edit]Haider Raza was commissioned into the Royal Indian Air Force on 15 February 1940.[6]
During a landing attempt on 10 February 1943, Flying Officer Raza was caught in a crosswind while piloting his Hawker Hurricane Mk I, causing it to swing off course. Unable to correct the aircraft, it ran off the runway into soft soil, leading to the collapse of the undercarriage.[7]
No. 10 Sqn RIAF became entirely Indianized with the appointment of Squadron Leader Raza as Commanding Officer on 5 January 1946.[8]
Prior to the Partition of British India in 1947, he served as the Deputy President on the Services Selection Board in Meerut.[9]
Pakistan Air Force
[edit]After the Partition of British India on 14 August 1947, the Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) was formed on 15 August. Squadron Leader Raza opted for the RPAF, where he was the second most senior officer.[10] He was promoted to Wing Commander and appointed as Senior Air Staff Intelligence Officer at Air Headquarters.[11]
In 1948, he was promoted to Group Captain and became the Senior Air Officer's Staff at PAF Station Peshawar.[12] From 22 June to 8 July, he led operations against the Faqir of Ipi, forcing him to declare a ceasefire. The operation included a total of 60 sorties (approximately 40 hours total).[13] He attended the RAF Staff College, Andover in 1950.[9]
By March 1951, he was serving as Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group. At the time, the RPAF was organised into two groups: No. 1 Group Headquarters for Operations based in Peshawar and No. 2 Group Headquarters for Maintenance, located at Drigh Road.[14]
He was selected to attend the 1954 course of the Imperial Defence College which began in January.[15][16] In April 1954, Asghar Khan and Raza were promoted to Air Commodores[9] and on 20 December that year, he succeeded Air Commodore Amlot, becoming the first native Chief of Staff of the RPAF.[17][18]
In June 1955, Minister of Defence General Ayub Khan, asked his pilot Wing Commander S.M. Lanky Ahmad about the most suitable Pakistani officer to become the next Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force. He responded that as the defence minister, Ayub was in the best position to judge. However, Ayub insisted on hearing his personal opinion. Lanky referred to the RPAF seniority list and mentioned three likely candidates: Air Commodores Haider Raza, Maqbool Rabb, and Asghar Khan. He strongly recommended Asghar, who was still actively flying and "very popular". He also noted that Prime Minister Bogra had already recommended Raza for the position, and the file was awaiting the approval of Governor-General Malik Ghulam Muhammad at the Defence Ministry.[19]
On July 9, 1957, Air Commodore Raza began his tenure as an air attaché to the Embassy of Pakistan, Washington, D.C.[20] From November 11 to November 21, 1958, he attended and graduated the 10-day Air Transportation Institute course sponsored by the American University School of Business Administration.[21]
Later life
[edit]He became a consultant to aerospace industries in 1964.[22] He was employed as a security officer by Georgetown University in 1966.[23]
Death
[edit]He died on 27 January 1998. He expressed his wish to be buried adjacent to his close friend, US Army Captain Harold E. MacKnight, who served with the Judge Advocate General's Corps, in the cemetery of St. James' Parish (Lothian, Maryland).[3]
Awards and decorations
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| PAF GD(P) Badge RED | ||
| Tamgha-e-Qayam-e-Jamhuria (Republic Commemoration Medal) |
Burma Star | War Medal 1939–1945 |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Mention in Despatches". The London Gazette. 29 December 1944. p. 104.
- ^ "Dinner at Mount Vernon in honor of Muhammad Ayub Khan". Alamy. 11 July 1961.
Mrs. Syed Haider Raza, wife of the Air Vice Marshal for the Pakistan Air Force
- ^ a b Gupta, Anchit (26 January 2022). "Forgotten Burma Warrior: Haider Raza".
- ^ a b "Haider Raza". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ^ "Irene Mary RAZA Obituary". 16 May 2013.
- ^ "Service Record for Air Vice Marshal Haider Raza 1579 GD(P)". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ^ "Hurricane I AG139". www.rafcommands.com. 10 February 1943.
- ^ S. C. Gupta (M.A.) (1961). Bisheshwar Prasad (ed.). History of the Indian Air Force, 1933-45. :Combined Inter-services Historical Section, India & Pakistan. p. 25.
- ^ a b c "TWO RPAF OFFICERS PROMOTED TO AIR COMMODORE". The Civil and Military Gazette. 18 April 1954.
- ^ "Pioneering Officers: See Pilot Officers". Pakistan Air Force. Archived from the original on 2013-04-08. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ The Aeroplane Directory of British Aviation. English Universities Press. 1949. p. 40.
- ^ Who's who in India and Pakistan. Vol. 36. Times of India Press. 1950.
- ^ Usman Shabbir; Yawar Mazhar (2022). Eagles of Destiny: Volume 1: Birth and Growth of the Royal Pakistan Air Force 1947-1956. Helion and Company. p. 54.
The action continued from 22 June to 8 July and included air support against hostile positions and the Faqir of Ipi's "great gun" (a 3.7.-inch howitzer), forcing him to declare a ceasefire. This operation was led by Group Captain Haider Raza and included a total of 60 sorties of 39 hours and 50 minutes (excluding reconnaissance), expending total ammunition as shown in Table 7.
- ^ Air Commodore Syed Mansoor Ahmad Shah (2002). The Gold Bird: Pakistan and Its Air Force, Observations of a Pilot. Oxford University Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-19-579772-5.
- ^ "Royal United Service Institution Journal". February 1954. p. 129.
- ^ Military Chiefs Fly Here to See Coast Defences. University of Victoria. 13 August 1954.
- ^ Pakistan 1953-1954. Pakistan Publications, Karachi. 1954. p. 177.
- ^ Syed Shabbir Hussain; M. Tariq Qureshi (1982). History of the Pakistan Air Force, 1947-1982. Pakistan Air Force. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-19-648045-9.
- ^ Ahmad, S. M. (2001). A Lucky Pilot: Memoirs of Retired Wing Commander Lanky Ahmad. Ferozsons. ISBN 978-969-0-01371-2.
- ^ Haider Raza and His Wife, Irene Raza, and their children, Afzal Anthony and Haider Raymond. 89th United States Congress. June 1966.
- ^ More Basic Research Needed To Solve Transport Problems, Air Institute Graduates Told. Vol. 102. Traffic World. 29 November 1958. p. 81.
- ^ Professor John M. Dyer; Air Marshall Haider Raza, PAF, Ret.; Frederick C. Dyer (1964). Business Opportunity in Modern Pakistan. Vol. 38. Exporters' Digest and International Trade Review.
Haider Raza, formerly Air Attache from Pakistan to the United States and Canada is now a consultant to aerospace industries.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Haider Raza and His Wife, Irene Raza, and their children, Afzal Anthony and Haider Raymond. 89th United States Congress. June 1966.
