USPAF COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF VISITS SHAMIM

Pakistan Air Force, under the leadership of Air Chief Marshal

(Retd.)Anwar Shamim, during the cold war era of early

eighties, reached the height of safety and operational records.

This was due to Shamim's uncompromising professional

standards. Having trained from Australia, with courses

from America, he had absorbed the Western standards

of excellence required in organizational mangment. He

had no problem in bringing the PAF relationally in sync

with world standards.

1979 JETSTREAM EXERCISES LAUNCHED

"HATS OFF TO PAF! A FITTING TRIBUTE
TO THE LEADERSHIP AND PERSONNEL OF PAF
BY GENERAL ZIA-UL-HAQ

Air Chief Marshal Shamim and his wife had always
been true soldiers, not mixing politics with service.
They did not intimately know any top leaders of Army,
Air Force, Navy or any politicians, since they did not
fraternize.

The year following the coup, in 1978, he was
promoted as Chief of Air Staff, at age 47. He had
commanded three bases and served as Air Commander
of Operations, and had been in two wars, besides other training.
He accepted with apprehension because of the military
rule.

Gen Zia sensed this and he cleared to him that he
would have nothing to do with the Martial Law or the
inner circle decision makers.

General Zia said his duty was to Air Force and would
not be required to get involved in any other aspect.
In mandatory military meetings, if he did not like
some proposal, he put forward his point of view;
General Zia did not mind, he patiently
listened to all but did what he analysed was correct.

The media chronicles of the outstanding work he and
his wife were doing did not endear well to some in
high places and some members started circulating false
rumours against him to forever tarnish his image.
By passed and retired officers, jumped at the opportunity
to add fuel to this vicious blame game.

BIO Of AIR CHIEF MARSHAL MUHAMMAD ANWAR SHAMIM, N.I.(M),, S.J.(Retd.) PAF

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL MUHAMMAD ANWAR SHAMIM, N.I(M),, S.J.
(Retd.), PAKISTAN AIR FORCE,
A FOUR STAR GENERAL WHO SERVED AS THE
CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE,
FROM 22ND JULY, 1978— MAY, 1985.

"Air Chief Marshal Muhammad Anwar Shamim assumed the
command of the Pakistan Air Force on 22nd July, 1978. He
brought with him a rich experience of command and staff
appointments in the PAF.

He hails from Haripur (Hazara) , and belongs to a
family devoted to education. He received early education in
his native town, proceeding to Government College
Campbellpur (Attock), and subsequently joining Dyal Singh
College, Lahore. He became a member of the then functional
University Air Squadron, to begin" his childhood dream "career
that of a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force. "

"He entered the Pakistan Air Force in the General Duties
(Pilot) Branch in July, 1950, and received his initial cadet
training at PAF College. Risalpur. He was commissioned on
14th March, 1952; after successfully completing basic flying
training course at Royal Australian Air Force College, Point
Cook, (RAAFPC), for which he had been selected by merit.

Air Chief Marshal Shamim has attended, among many other courses,
the Jet Conversion Course in Australia, the Flying Instructors
Course, and the Fighter Leader Course. A graduate of the
PAF Staff College, he has also attended the National Defence
College Course, and the International Defence
Management Course in U.S.A.

Air Chief Marshal M. Anwar Shamim has held several
command and staff appointments. He has commanded a
fighter squadron and a fighter wing. He has flown a variety
of aeroplanes and was always current on all fighter aircraft
in the PAF inventory. He has served as Officer Commanding of
three Bases of PAF Masroor, Korangi Creek and Sakesar. His
staff appointments at Air Headquarters include Wing
Commander Tactical Operations and Deputy Director of
Plans. For two years he served as Air Adviser to His Majesty
King Hussein, for the Royal Jordanian Air Force. Before
taking over as the Chief of the Air Staff, he held the
appointment of Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations)
at Air Headquarters, Peshawar.

Air Chief Marshal Shamim actively participated in the
1965 and 1971 Wars. In the September, 65 War he was O.C.
Flying Sargodha. For his leadership...., he was awarded
Sitara-i-Jurat. In the 197 1 War, he was Sector
Air Defence Commander (South). He has also received the
following awards — Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) Hilal-e-Imtiaz
Military), Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military). His foreign
decorations include: Al Istiqlal from Royal Jordanian
Government and Legion of Merit from the United States
of America.

Air Chief Marshal Shamim is widely traveled and is a keen
sportsman." He won several cups for Tennis, and Soccer as a
young officer. "He likes Squash, and he was very involved
in the further development of the athletes and the game
as the President of Pakistan and Asian Squash Rackets
Federations. During his spare time at home he likes to
read history," and write. After retirement, he remained an
avid golfer, teaching one grandson from age six, who later
made varsity team. He also loves playing chess with his
grandsons; and he and wife, Begum Tahira Shamim, as a
team, are often board game champions beating younger family
members! Their secret: long marriage of cooperation and
coordination made them intuit each other’s moves.
The younger generation has no time to know one another!!
He is fond of traditional folk music, and his son,
Asad’s compositions.

Air Chief Marshal M. Anwar Shamim was married in July.
1958. His wife, Begum Tahira Shamim was an active social
worker and President of Pakistan Air Force Women’s
Association, "with a professional dedication to welfare work,
spanning over twenty-five years. She is a published poetess
of four Urdu poetry books. He has three children: two daughters,
who are attorneys; and a Computer Engineer son, who has
several patents with his former company. He has worked
in highest technical executive positions of top
international and national American companies.

Air Chief Marshal M. Anwar Shamim died on January 4, 2013 and was buried with full military honors in Islamabad.

His favorite advice to his family:
“Never look back at the runway left behind, it is the runway ahead that matters”


SOURCE: The text in quotations is from "History of Pakistan Air Force 1947-1982," by Syed Shabbir Hussain & Squadern Leader M. Tariq Qureshi, PAF press Karachi, First Edition May 1982. p. 221-222

HOW LEADERS EARN THEIR MEDALS

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL MUHAMMAD ANWAR SHAMIM N.I.(M).,S.J., (Retd.) Pakistan Air Force. Served as Chief of Air Staff Pakistan Air Force, 1978-1985
Died on January 4, 2013 and was buried with full military honors in Islamabad.

FORGING OF A TRADITIONAL SOLDIER:
Medals of Honor and courage are genuinely earned by
deserving soldiers who:

- Train at physical and mental levels beyond common
human endurance;
- Ready to give up life and limb for very little in return;
- Know the power and skill of a warrior lies in not just a
well protected nation, but a nation where the struggle
is to make each individual well fed, well read, and free to
pursue the fruits of liberty.
- Keep the trust of their people, and gain respect of
international colleagues during negotiations for military
needs.
- Are loath to engage in activity that can harm the very
people they trained all their life to protect.
- Show a remarkable skill and restraint during war that
differentiates them from cowards, or barbaric mercenaries.

Military is an instrument of peace. Soldiers are trained to
learn how to surgically and strategically carry out missions
with minimum damage of life, structure and resources. The
object of political governments should be to bring the parties
back to the table for diplomatic negotiations. There should be a
point beyond which the leaders decide the level of destruction is
not worth the military solution. If military was intended for
whole scale indiscriminate bombing of weaker nations, it
becomes a mass murder tool. In that case, the worst killing
machines and bombs become the object of pride, rather than
sound domestic policies, skilled diplomatic negotiations, and
strategic military defense--- starting an endless arms race.