LAHORE – Although Adnan Sami is being criticised on a massive levelcurrently for pledging unflinching allegiance to India, his father’sassociation with Pakistan Air Force still remains a matter of record.
Arshad Sami Khan served in diverse roles for Pakistan as a PAF pilot and adiplomat as well, with accomplishments still serving as a benchmark for hissuccessors to follow.
Khan was born in 1942 to a Pashtun family. His father General Mehfooz Janhailed from Herat, Afghanistan and was the governor of 4 provinces inAfghanistan, namely Herat, Kabul, Jalalabad and Balkh, under the Reign ofKing Amanullah Khan.
Adnan Sami’s father started his career by being a PAF pilot and flew themost war missions in the 1965 war against India in the entire PAF; he wasawarded a gallantry award of Sitata-i-Jurat as well to be referred to aswar hero for years to come.
Laterwards, he moved on to serve three presidents, Ayub Khan, Zulfiqar AliBhutto and Yahya Khan as their aide-de-camp (A.D.C.), however, he thenjoined the Foreign Service of Pakistan to serve as a diplomat.
Arshad’s stint as the chief of protocol at the Foreign Office earned himpraise from his fellows as well because he proved to be a man of letters.Arshad Sami Khan with late Rajiv Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India
Pakistan’s then chief of the army staff, Zia ul Haq did not keep Arshad inhis good book because he had served with Pakistan Peoples Party chairmanZulfiqar Ali Bhutto, consequently propelling Arshad to take charge as theGM of Khaleej Times in Abu Dhabi.
However, as Arshad had learnt the art of relentless battles, he won backhis association with the government of Pakistan to become a federalsecretary for Information back home.
Arshad Sami Khan also authored the book ‘Three Presidents and an Aide,’indicating that he was not merely a war veteran but also had a passion forleaving a legacy behind in the form of a book – apart from his son whobecame a singer.
As Pakistan and India recently had aerial combat in which the formeremerged as a superior power, the name of Arshad Sami Khan flashed back inthe minds of war veterans who compared the prowess of the airmen with thestatements given by his son Adnan Sami.
One of Arshad’s sons, Adnan Sami who lives in India threw weight behind theIndian Air Force as it claimed to have carried out a surgical strike inBalakot area of Pakistan last week, ignoring that the same force wasbrought down to its knees by his late father.Twitter Ads info and privacy linklink
Scrolling down the ‘anti-Pakistan’ tweets of Adnan Sami and comparing itwith the valour displayed by his father to safeguard the country appears tobe mind-boggling at times.
However, it is a truth that Arshad Sami Khan was and is still revered inthe military and civil corridors of Pakistan though his son Adnan Sami is‘struggling’ to garner the same respect in India.
Arshad Sami Khan breathed his last in 2009 due to cancer, leaving behind awidow, Adnan Sami, his brother and countless lessons to learn.