Nazir Latif
Air Commodore Nazir Latif SJ and Bar (10 July 1927 – 30 June 2011) was an officer in the Pakistan Air Force and a former director-general of the Operations and Plans at the Air Headquarters, Islamabad. Latif was one of the distinguished Christian pilots who participated and fought, for Pakistan side, in 1965 Indo-Pak War and the 1971 Winter War.
Nazir Latif | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Nazir Latif |
| Nickname(s) | Bill Latif |
| Born | 10 July 1927 Rawalpindi, Punjab Province, British Indian Empire |
| Died | 30 June 2011 Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) |
| Buried | Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) |
| Allegiance |  |
| Service/ |  |
| Years of service | 1950–1972 |
| Rank |  |
| Unit | No. 5 Squadron Falcons |
| Commands held | No. 7 Squadron Bandits No. 6 Squadron Globe Trotters No. 16 Squadron Panthers No. 17 Squadron Tigers Masroor Air Force Base Faisal Air Force Base Director of Operations and Plans at the Air Headquarters (DOPAHQ) |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Aerial warfare in 1965 India Pakistan War Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 East Pakistan Air Operations, 1971 |
| Awards | Sitara-e-Jurat (1965) Sitara-e-Jurat (1971) |
Early life
Nazir Latif was born into a highly educated Christian family in 1927. Bill Latif grew up in Lahore, where his father was a well-known professor of psychology and had done his doctorate at Princeton University. His father taught at FC College in Lahore as a full professor.
Air Force Career
Bill Latif had always wanted to be a fighter pilot and joined the Pakistan Air Force soon after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. He was accepted in Pakistan Air Force Academy in 1947. He did 8th GD pilot’s course but because of his high standard in flying, was upgraded to the 7th GD (P) course and graduated in 1950. Nazir was sent to Great Britain where he attended and graduated from Royal Air Force College Cranwell in 1954.
In 1958, he was promoted to Wing Commander as Air Marshal Asghar Khan assumed as Chief of Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force.
In 1971 he was base commander of the Mauripur Base.[1]
Latif worked in Khorramshahr, Iran, Amman, Jordan and Bahrain between the years from 1976 until he retired in his mid 70's.
