Air Commodore Syed Abid Raza
Sitara-e-Basalat
Pakistan Air Force
(1927-2000)
Photographs - Album 3: Commissioning in Royal Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan
(November/December 1948) &
Aeronautical Engineering, United Kingdom (January 1949 - February 1951)
Syed Abid Raza joined the Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) as an engineer to serve the newly earned homeland.
Photograph: Syed Abid Raza was commissioned in December 27th, 1948.
Group Photograph: RPAF Engineering Officers of Flight Group C, Aeronautical Engineering Group (now Aerospace Engineering), Maintenance Branch (now Engineering Branch), Royal Pakistan Air Force, (now Pakistan Air Force), Commissioned as Pilot Officers on December 27th, 1948.
1. Pak # 844, Pilot Officer Syed Abid Raza, later retired as Air Commodore.
2. Pak # 845, Pilot Officer Muhammad Amir Awan, later retired as Group Captain.
3. Pak # 846, Pilot Officer Muhammad Saeed, later retired as Air Vice Marshal.
4. Pak # 847, Pilot Officer Muhammad Ashfaq Mian, later retired as Air Commodore.
5. Pak # 848, Pilot Officer Irshad Halim Quddusi, later retired as Air Commodore.
6. Pak # 849, Pilot Officer Zahir Sani, later retired as Air Commodore.
7. Pak # 850, Pilot Officer A. R. Khan, later retired as Flight Lieutenant.
8. Pak # 851, Pilot Officer Khalil-Ur-Rehman, later retired as Squadron Leader.
Note: Heartfelt gratitude to Group Captain M. S. Baig Sahib, Air Vice Marshal Iftikhar Gul Sahib, Wing Commander Muhammad Murad Sahib, Air Commodore Omar Sani Sahib and Air Commodore Khatib Sahib for their assistance in sharing the list of officers, photographs and group description and validating the format respectively etc., on this particular initiative of the ongoing biography compilation project of Air Commodore Syed Abid Raza (Pak # 844).
Britain's Air University, UK
Pilot Officer Raza was immediately selected for a two-year course in “Aeronautical Engineering for Technical Officers” at the school of Aircraft Engineering Hamble, AST, Britain's Air University, UK (January 1949 – March 1951), where he topped the program with flying colors (March 2, 1951).
Photograph: Pilot Officer Syed Abid Raza standing, 8th from left in 2nd row from top, in a group photograph with His Excellency Habib Ibrahim Rehmatullah, RPAF Officers / Airmen, British officials and resident Pakistani students at the Pakistan High Commission, London during his Aeronautical Engineering training at Air University, A.S.T. Hamble, United Kingdom (January 1949 – March 1951).
Notes: Raza sahib's other course mates namely, M. Saeed who later retired as AVM/DCAS-M, is 4th from left in the 2nd row from top and Zahir Sani who later retired as Air Cdre / 2ND MD F6RF, is 8th from left in the 3rd row from top. Late Bilgrami is 12th from the left in the first row standing. (There are others from Raza sahib's course but hard to identify in this photograph).
Notes: His Excellency Habib Ibrahim Rehmatullah was the first Ambassador of Pakistan to the United Kingdom (1947-1952). He was sent to receive the Independence of Pakistan formally from the British Government and held the honor of unfurling the Pakistan Flag abroad for the first time. In 1952 Habib Rahimtoola officially formed part of the proclamation of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne of the United Kingdom. In the same year he was appointed as Ambassador to France where he stayed until the end of 1953. During his tenure, In 1953 he led the Pakistani Delegation to UNESCO in Paris. By 1953 Rahimtoola returned to Pakistan and took over as 8th Governor of Sind. He held the post for just over a year until the end of 1954. In 1954 he was posted as 5th Governor of Punjab . Apart from being the Governor of Punjab and Governor of Sind, he served as the Federal Minister of Commerce and Industries of Pakistan, chairman Pakistan Red Cross. He continued in public service until his retirement in the late 1970s. He passed away in 1991.
Photograph: Pilot Officer Syed Abid Raza is 2nd from right (standing), Ajmal is next to him (3rd from right). G. M. Siddiqui is sitting next to M. Saeed in the front row (middle), Zahir Sani is standing third from left in this group photograph of Pilot Officers from Flight Groups C and D of Royal Pakistan Air Force, Aeronautical Engineering Program, Air University, Humble, UK, 1951.
Photograph: Pilot Officer Syed Abid Raza is 3rd from left ,Pilot Officer Khalil-Ur-Rehman 1st from left, Pilot Officer Muhammad Saeed 2nd from left, Pilot Officer Muhammad Ashfaq Mian (5th from left), in this group photograph of Pilot Officers from Flight Group C of Royal Pakistan Air Force, Aeronautical Engineering Program, Air University, Humble, UK, 1951.