Air Commodore Syed Abid Raza
Sitara-e-Basalat
Pakistan Air Force
(1927-2000)
Photographs - Album 11: Officer Commanding (Maintenance Wing), PAF Base Peshawar, Pakistan
(January 1961 - March/April 1965)
Squadron Leader Syed Abid Raza was Officer Commanding (Maintenance Wing), PAF Base Peshawar, Pakistan (January 1961 - March/April 1965). It was a Field Appointment and the responsibility entailed, the supply and technical maintenance upto second level servicing of all the aircraft, aeroengines; their components, ground support equipment, electronic equipment and functioning of general engineering workshops.
Photograph: Squadron Leader Syed Abid Raza was Officer Commanding (Maintenance Wing), PAF Base Peshawar, Pakistan (January 1961 - March 1965). It was a Field Appointment and the responsibility entailed, the supply and technical maintenance upto second level servicing of all the aircraft, aeroengines; their components, ground support equipment, electronic equipment and functioning of general engineering workshops (for F-86F Sabres etc.).
Note: PAF Base Peshawar is an airbase of the Pakistan Air Force located in Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North West Frontier Province), Pakistan. (Source available upon request).
F-86
Officer Commanding Board
Photograph: Squadron Leader Syed Abid Raza with Air Marshal Asghar Khan, Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Flight Lieutenant Farooq Umar (then ADC of AM Asghar Khan and later retired as Air Vice Marshal) and his unit. (c. 1960s). Squadron Leader Syed Abid Raza was then Officer Commanding Maintenance Wing, PAF Base, Peshawar; responsible for Supply & Technical Management and Maintenance up to Second Line Servicing of all the aircrafts, aero-engines, their components, in addition to ground support equipment, electronic equipment, and functioning of General Engineering Workshops.
Note: Air Marshal Asghar Khan, was a three star air force general who served as the first native Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) under President Iskander Mirza and under President Ayub Khan.
Photograph (Close up): Squadron Leader Syed Abid Raza with Air Marshal Asghar Khan, Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Flight Lieutenant Farooq Umar (then ADC of AM Asghar Khan and later retired as Air Vice Marshal) and his unit. (c. 1960s).
Photograph: Squadron Leader Syed Abid Raza attending Management Course conducted by United States Air Force (USAF) European Command. He is sitting first from the left with his group. (c. 1961-1965).
Sitting (Floor - Left to right): Sqn Ldr Sattar Choudhri , Sqn Ldr GM Siddiqui (Murad bhai's father), Sqn Ldr Muhammad Arshad , Sqn Ldr NA Siddiqui.
Sitting (Chairs- Left to right): Sqn Ldr Abid Raza (My father), Sqn Ldr Fazal Hussain, Wg Cdr M.J. Obrein, The Course Director, Wg Cdr Abbasi, Sqn Ldr MA Qayyum
Standing: Sqn Ldr IA Khan, Sqn Ldr Ayub , Wg Cdr IA Syed, Wg Cdr Misra, Sqn Ldr SR Bokhari"
Credit: Special thanks to Wing Commander Muhammad Murad (R) for sharing it.
Photograph: A historical group photograph of Squadron Leader Raza (Standing 9th from left in rear row) with Air Marshal Asghar Khan, Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), sitting 7th from left in the front row and other Pakistan Air Force officers at PAF Base Peshawar.
Credit: Special thanks to Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail sb for his assistance in identifying some of the PAF Officers in this group photograph with date/location, as listed below.
Sarfraz Ahmed Rafiqui standing 6th from left in rear row, Sajjad Haider standing 1st from left in first row, M. M. Alam standing 2nd from left in first row, Arshad Chaudhry ('Cobra’) standing 14th from left in the first row, Shabbir Syed standing 15th from left in the first row, Sharbat Changazi standing 4th from right in the first row, Salahuddin seated 4th from left in front row, Khyber Khan seated 5th from left in the front row, M. Akhtar seated 6th from left in the front row and Turowicz seated 6th from right in the front row.
Photograph: Squadron Leader (sitting 1st from left) from 1960s; with late M. S. H. Khan (standing 5th from left and later retired as Group Captain), and late Kamal Masood (standing 3rd from left later retired as Air Commodore).
This photograph also has some very senior GD(P) officers in the back row. Tawab sahib, is 2nd from left. Waheed Butt sahib, is 4th from left and Shabbir sahib, is on the extreme right.
Credit: Heartfelt gratitude to Fauzia Matloob for forwarding this official group photograph. Special thanks to AVM Hamid Khawaja Sahib and Wing Commander Muhammad Murad sahib for identifying several of these officials in the photograph.
C-130B Photograph: Squadron Leader Syed Abid Raza was Officer Commanding (Maintenance Wing), PAF Base Peshawar, Pakistan (December 1961 - April 1965). He attended the C-130B Maintenance Officers Familiarization Course AMF 43175E-3”, given by United States Department of the Air Force MT 63-25-1 at Pakistan Air Force Station Chaklala (May 1963).
Group Photograph: Squadron Leader Syed Abid Raza, Officer Commanding, Maintenance Wing, PAF Base Peshawar (first from right, and later retired as Air Commodore), with Air Marshal Asghar Khan, Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Air Force (fifth from left), Air Commodore Abdur Rahim Khan (third from left and later retired as Air Marshal & Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force), Flight Lieutenant Farooq Umar, then ADC of Air Marshal Asghar Khan (sixth from left & later retired as Air Vice Marshal) and other officers of the Pakistan Air Force (1965).
Credit: Heartfelt gratitude to Aamir Dotani for archiving this official group photograph on his PAF page on FB (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1292405500783457/media/photos). Special thanks to AVM Hamid Khawaja Sahib and Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail Sahib for identifying several of these officers in the photograph.
My recall of Air Commodore Abid Raza.
Here are a few humble lines for an engineering officer of distinguished qualities. I had the good fortune to interact with Abid Raza sahib in 1963 when my No. 19 Squadron, moved to Peshawar. He was Officer Commanding (OC) Maintenance Wing, and we were greatly impressed with his credo and work ethics. He was incredibly devoted to his area of responsibility which reflected in the highest serviceability of aircraft by his team of highly motivated officers n technicians. Though he left the Peshawar base much to our chagrin but the spirit of excellence he had imbued in those he commanded manifested remarkably during 1965 war. We hardly were short of aircraft owing to the work ethics of excellence and incredible dedication he had instilled in his team, Squadron Leader A.G. khan, our engineering officer followed the tradition Air Commodore Abid Raza had left behind as legacy. Air Commodore Abid Raza was extremely gentle, humble, but demonstrated intellectual, moral, and professional qualities belonging to high firmament as he later served at Kamra for establishing F-6 Rebuild Factory. In my opinion, he deserved to have risen to highest cadre in his branch, as men of stern honesty and dedication to responsibility to reach the summit of career.
Air Commodore Sayed Sajad Haider (R), Pakistan Air Force
