Malik Nur Khan Awan (22 February 1923 — 15 December 2011) known as the Man of Steel, The Man With The Midas Touch, and informally, Nuroo, was a three-star rank officer who led the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in the Indo-Pakistani air war of 1965, a politician, sports administrator, and airline executive, who served as the third Commander-in-Chief of the PAF from 1965 to 1969 and sixth Governor of West Pakistan from 1969 to 1970.
Born in the village of Tamman, Khan graduated from Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College where he gained fame for his boxing skills and joined the Indian Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1940. He was commissioned into the Royal Indian Air Force at the age of 17 as a fighter pilot in 1941. He also trained with the Royal Air Force as a gunner and bomber pilot. He was later deployed to Burma and flew sorties against Imperial Japan in World War II. In May 1944, he conducted a dive-bombing mission on a bridge at the Arakan front.
After the Partition of British India in 1947, Khan opted for the Royal Pakistan Air Force and commanded RPAF Station Chaklala. Subsequently, he became the first air attache of Pakistan to London and later the second commandant of the RPAF College. In 1958, Flight highlighted Air Commodore Nur Khan's leadership of No. 1 Group PAF and described him as "probably the youngest air officer anywhere in the world" at the age of 35.
Widely regarded as Pakistan's greatest administrator, Khan was known for his intellect and management abilities, which largely benefited the country in both sports and aviation. As managing director of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from 1959 to 1965 and again from 1973 to 1978, he transformed the airline into one of the world's frontline carriers. During this period, he acquired several properties for the airline, including the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, the Scribe Hotel in Paris, the Central Hotel in Abu Dhabi, and the Minal Hotel in Riyadh. He also set up the intercontinental chain of hotels in Pakistan and the Malam Jabba ski resort. His tenure, along with that of his successor Asghar Khan, is often referred to as the "golden years of PIA" in the aviation community.
Early life Malik Nur Khan was born on 22 February 1923 in Tamman into a Punjabi Awan family with a distinguished military heritage. His father, Risaldar-Major Malik Mihr Khan (d. 1963) served as a Viceroy's Commissioned Officer from 1911 to 1945.
The family bore the title "Malik", meaning "Ruler", a designation commonly associated with Awan lineages. Among Nur Khan's relatives was his uncle Nawab of Kalabagh and Sardar Mumtaz Khan, a politician.
Nur Khan began his education at the Government Middle School in Tamman and attended the Colonel Brown Cambridge School, where he became friends with Bikram Singh, who later became a board member of the Civil and Military Gazette. He subsequently enrolled at the Chief's College, Lahore, where he earned a diploma in science. In 1934, he joined the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College, where cadets were divided into sections known as houses. Nur Khan and Asghar Khan were members of the Rawlinson House, while Sahabzada Yaqub Khan belonged to Kitchener House.
On his entry form, Principal Malcolm Hailey, 1st Baron Hailey, remarked: "An excellent military family from a very military center. The boy has been well educated and is more advanced than many Awans of his age. He is physically fit and should make an officer anyhow, he is the right type."
At the college, Khan gained a reputation as a "killer" boxer and a devout Muslim. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in military administration. After completing his initial training at the Initial Training Wing in Lahore by May 1941, he proceeded to No. 1 (I) SFTS, finishing his flying syllabus by late November that year.
Service years Indian Air Force Volunteer Reserve (1940) Nur Khan joined the Indian Air Force Volunteer Reserve during World War II and went for air crew training with the Royal Air Force in December 1940.
Royal Indian Air Force (1941-1947)
After graduating from the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College as part of the 6th Pilots Course, Nur Khan was commissioned into the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) as a fighter pilot on 6 January 1941, at the age of 17. His family paid for his flying lessons from the Northern India Flying Club in Lahore, where he learned how to fly the de Havilland Tiger Moth and received his pilot's A-license.
World War II
In the United Kingdom, Khan trained with the Royal Air Force as air crew and received additional training as a gunnery and bomber pilot. Upon returning to British India in 1942–43, he was deployed to the Burma campaign with the Royal Indian Air Force as part of the occupation forces fighting against Imperial Japan. On 20 May 1944, he dive bombed a bridge on the Arakan front.
In the mid-1940s, Nur Khan was an active supporter of the Pakistan Movement, a stance that often made him the subject of teasing by his commanding officer, Flight Lieutenant Erlic Pinto. Fellow officer, Raja Gohel, fought over Khan's pro-Pakistani views, leading to a physical altercation in which Nur struck Gohel. According to Air Commodore (retd) A.C. Chacko, "Raja went literally mad with fury and we had all the trouble to prevent him bashing Nooru's head with a brick."
Pakistan Air Force Initial years (1947-1959)
After the Partition of British India on 14 August 1947, Nur Khan opted for the Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) and was appointed the Commander of PAF Station Chaklala.
In January 1948, Khan was appointed as the first Pakistani air attaché to the High Commission of Pakistan, London. He was asked to return to Pakistan later that year and succeeded Asghar Khan as Commandant of the RPAF College on 15 September 1948.
Khan was posted to the Air Headquarters in Rawalpindi as the Director of Organisation where he remained involved in the induction of aircraft under U.S. military aid from January 1950 until March 1951. That month, Khan was selected for a course at the RAF Staff College, Andover. Ezer Weizman in his autobiography, recalled an interaction with Khan while they were both studying at the college: "The following day I was approached by Wing Commander Nur Khan of the Pakistani air force. He was a formidable fellow and I was glad that he was Pakistani and not an Egyptian."
Khan also advanced his military education at the Joint Services Staff College (UK) and the PAF Staff College.
In the mid-1950s, Nur Khan was appointed the F-86 Sabre program director. He strongly advocated for the induction of F-86 Sabres instead of the Republic F-84 Thunderjet, despite opposition by many, which often caused commotion during meetings, with Khan going as far as threatening to resign. He maintained his stance and the RPAF received the Sabres.
Promoted to Group Captain in July 1953, Nur Khan was appointed Assistant Chief of Staff (Air) under Chief of Staff Air Commodore L. E. Jarman.
In response to the threat posed by the Soviet Union, Group Captains Asghar Khan, Nur Khan, and Wing Commander Abdul Qadir developed an expansion plan for the Air Force in March 1954. This plan outlined a ten-year goal from 1954 to 1964, aiming to establish the RPAF with 768 aircraft across 44 squadrons. It included ten day-fighter squadrons, five night-fighter squadrons, six bomber squadrons, one reconnaissance squadron, twelve fighter-bomber squadrons, six tactical light bomber squadrons, two twin-engine and one four-engine transport squadrons, and two maritime squadrons.
From December 1955 to August 1956, Khan commanded PAF Station Peshawar. He commanded PAF Station Mauripur from August 1956 to October 1957, where he converted the aircraft of PAF fighter squadrons from piston to jet engines. He served at the Air Headquarters before he was appointed as Air Officer Commanding of the No. 1 Group PAF. 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. In 1958, Flight highlighted Air Commodore Nur Khan's leadership of No. 1 Group PAF, describing him as "probably the youngest air officer anywhere in the world" at the age of 35.
In 1957, Khan was appointed Chairman of the Committee responsible for the reorganisation of the Air Force.
Pakistan International Airlines (1959-1965) In the afternoon of 6 March 1959, President Ayub Khan appointed Air Commodore Nur Khan as the Managing Director of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). He is credited with turning the airline into a profitable, internationally recognised entity. In late 1962, he received a two-year extension in his position by the Government of Pakistan. In February 1964, he was appointed as Chief Administrator of Civil Aviation and Tourism.
Commander-in-Chief (1965–1969)
On 23 July 1965, the outgoing Commander-in-Chief Air Marshal Asghar Khan handed over command of the Pakistan Air Force to Air Marshal Nur Khan. Asghar Khan did not brief him about Operation Gibraltar in Indian administered Kashmir as Asghar was not informed by the Pakistan Army either.
After a hiatus of six years without flying fighter jets, Nur Khan quickly regained familiarity with the cockpit by doing quick checkouts on the Lockheed T-33 before switching to an F-104 Starfighter and F-86 Sabre.
The Air Headquarters was suspicious regarding the secret operations undertaken by the army, due to previous subsequent skirmishes on the eastern border. Nur Khan met with General Musa Khan who admitted that "something was afoot", with Nur Khan responding "this could mean war". However, Musa tried to assure Nur Khan that India would not retaliate. Very few details of the plan were conveyed to both Nur Khan and Naval Chief Vice Admiral Afzal Rahman Khan by the Pakistan Army leadership.
Still skeptical, Nur Khan was told by General Musa to meet with the General Officer Commanding of the 12th Infantry Division, Major General Akhtar Hussain Malik for further details, as he was in charge of Operation Gibraltar. Akhtar told him, "don't worry, because the plan is to send in some 800,000 infiltrators inside the occupied territory to throw out the Indian troops with the help of the local population". Akhtar also claimed that the plan was so perfectly designed and the Indians would not be able to retaliate, therefore the Air Force would not need to get into war-time mode.
Air Marshal Nur Khan placed the Air Force on red alert on 1 September 1965 as Operation Gibraltar came to a halt and Indian forces launched a major offensive against Pakistan. According to Air Commodore Sajad Haider, Khan was concerned about the survival of the Pakistani commandos in the Kashmir Valley as conventional supply routes were no longer viable. Since Pakistani regulars were on the battlefield, Khan consulted General Akhtar, and then authorised C-130 transport missions to deliver supplies. He personally accompanied the first flight with a "rudimentary radar" despite inclement weather, darkness, and the hazardous peaks of the valley. During the mission, when the aircraft's pilot, Group Captain Zahid Butt, overshot the designated drop zone, Nur Khan ordered him to make a second attempt and the supplies were delivered on target. According to Haider, "news of this propelled the morale of the PAF to incredible heights."
During the war, Air Marshal Nur Khan ordered Flight Lieutenant Farooq Umar to take his F-104 fighter jet to an altitude above the Indian Air Force base in Amritsar and break the sound barrier over it. Umar successfully accomplished the mission and Khan ordered him to repeat it. Soon thereafter, Indian radio channels began reporting numerous Pakistani F-86 Sabre aircraft attacking the base. These reports also noted the sound of large explosions occurring while in actuality those sounds were the two sonic booms done by Umar.
Post-war activities