Air Marshal Shahid Lateef (Urdu: شاہد لطیف; HI(M), SI(M), SBt, is a retired Pakistan Air Force three-star air marshal, geostrategist and military strategist, and political commentator. Lateef is from Pakistan city of Sahiwal.[1]
Shahid Lateef | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sahiwal |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan |
| Service |  Pakistan Air Force |
| Years of service | 1974–2009 |
| Rank |  Air Marshal |
| Commands | Vice-Chief of Air Staff (VCAS) DCAS (Aerial Operations) Project-Director, F-17 Thunder program Military advisor to the UAE Air Force |
| Battles / wars | Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 Soviet–Afghan War 2001 India Pakistan standoff War in North-West Pakistan |
| Awards |  Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) Sitara-e-Basalat |
A veteran fighter pilot, Lateef was commissioned in April, 1974 in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), serving in influential staff appointments during his air force career. He completed an academic degree with top honours, and was awarded a Sword of Honour from the PAF Academy in Risalpur.[2][3] Lateef has performed duties as a fighter pilot in various squadrons of the PAF and was among the founders of the F-16 induction programme in the PAF.[2]
On March 24, 2017, Lateef accused Nawaz Sharif of a "blasphemous speech" to Karachi's Hindu community.[4]
Biography
editIn 1970, Lateef was inducted in the PAF Academy in Risalpur, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and participated in the war with India in 1971.[5] Graduated with BA degree in 1974, he stood at the top of his class in his alma mater and conferred with Sword of Honour.[5] He gained commission in 1974 in General Duties Pilot (GDP) branch.[5]
Air Force career
editDue to his excellent performance on the Chinese F-6 aircraft, he moved on to the French Mirage at an early stage of his career.[3]
He was chosen in the group of the first six PAF Pilots to undergo F-16 conversion in the United States. Lateef was the first pilot to ferry the F-16 from USA to Pakistan in 1982, and formed part of the pioneer team for training pilots in Pakistan on the F-16 weapon system. With these same pilots he flew numerous combat missions in defence of Pakistan during the Afghan war in the 1980s. He was sent to the United Arab Emirates where he was assigned the command of a Mirage squadron.[6] He was then chosen to command a fighter squadron, fighter wing and a fighter base in the PAF.[3]
He has had numerous key staff appointments at the Air Headquarters including the JF-17 Project.[2]
He was to actively encouraged to the rank of Air vice Marshal, and was given the JF-17 Project; a programme that was not able to start due to difficulties, forcing the PAF to continue to operate obsolete equipment. Through his efforts, the JF-17 project finally came to life.[3] He served the Air Force of Pakistan from September, 1971 to April, 2006. In recognition of his services he was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military), Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military) and Sitara-i-Basalat.[7]
Defense analyst
editAfter retirement from the PAF, Lateef started a new career as a defense analyst and appeared on a number of talk shows and gave his expert analysis on geopolitical affairs.
Awards and decorations
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| PAF GD(P) Badge RED (More than 3000 Flying Hours) | |||
| Hilal-e-Imtiaz
(Crescent of Excellence) |
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| Hilal-e-Imtiaz
(Crescent of Excellence) |
Sitara-e-Imtiaz
(Star of Excellence) |
Sitara-e-Basalat
(Star of Good Conduct) |
Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War
(War Medal 1971) |
| Tamgha-e-Baqa
1998 |
Tamgha-e-Istaqlal Pakistan
2002 |
10 Years Service Medal | 20 Years Service Medal |
| 30 Years Service Medal | 35 Years Service Medal | Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-
(100th Birth Anniversary of 1976 |
Hijri Tamgha
(Hijri Medal) 1979 |
| Jamhuriat Tamgha
(Democracy Medal) 1988 |
Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha
(Resolution Day Golden Jubilee Medal) 1990 |
Tamgha-e-Salgirah Pakistan
(Independence Day Golden Jubilee Medal) 1997 |
Military Unity Star
(UAE) |
Foreign Decorations
edit| Foreign Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
 UAE
|
Military Unity Star (1986) |
|
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ GNN Kay Sang with Air Marshal R. Shahid Latif, 21 Feb 2021, retrieved 2021-02-28
- ^ a b c "Air Marshal Shahid Lateef: What is the story?".
- ^ a b c d "Air Marshal (R) Shahid Lateef".
- ^ Notice to Pakistani channel over remarks against PM Nawaz Sharif
- ^ a b c Baqi, Abdul (19 March 2009). "Air Marshal Shahid Lateef: What is the story?". LUBP release. LUBP release. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ^ APP. "Air Marshal Shahid Lateef appointed Vice Chief of Air Staff". Associate Press of Pakistan. Associate Press of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ^ "Associated Press of Pakistan ( Pakistan's Premier NEWS Agency ) - Air Marshal Shahid Lateef appointed Vice Chief of Air Staff". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-19.