Arshad Sami Khan (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: ; 8 January 1942 – 22 June 2009) was a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

diplomat, civil servant and fighter pilot who at peak of his career attained the highest rank of

Federal Secretary The Federal Secretary (also referred to as the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan) is the highest-ranking position in the Government of Pakistan, occupied by the most senior civil servant in a specific ministry or division. The secretary is t ...

.Adnan Sami: I respect my earlier two wives for the times we shared and for being a part of my life
/ref> He started his career as a

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

fighter pilot and later served three

presidents of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

as their aide-de-camp (ADC) and later went on to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he served three presidents and four prime ministers as chief of protocol. He was later appointed a diplomatic ambassador of Pakistan to 14 countries. This was followed by his appointment as the first commissioner general of Pakistan. He was also

of Culture and retired as a top BPS-22 grade bureaucratic officer. He was also the father of singer and music composer

Adnan Sami Adnan Sami Khan (born 15 August 1969) is an Indian singer, musician, composer, actor and pianist. He performs Indian and Western music in many languages, such as Hindi, Urdu, English, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. He has been awarded ...

.Squadron Leader Arshad Sami Khan
Retrieved 21 April 2011PM visits residence of Arshad Sami to condole his death
Retrieved 21 April 2011 and grandfather of Azaan Sami Khan.

Personal life

Arshad Sami Khan was born in January 1942 into an ethnic

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

family that had migrated from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. His paternal grandfather, General Mehfooz Jan hailed from

Herat Herāt (; Dari/Pashto: هرات) is an oasis city and the third-largest city in Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Se ...

and was the governor of 4 provinces in

, namely

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

Jalalabad Jalalabad (; Help:IPA/Persian, ͡ʒä.lɑː.lɑː.bɑːd̪ is the list of cities in Afghanistan, fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 200,331, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part ...

and

Balkh Balkh is a town in the Balkh Province of Afghanistan. It is located approximately to the northwest of the provincial capital city Mazar-i-Sharif and approximately to the south of the Amu Darya and the Afghanistan–Uzbekistan border. In 2021 ...

, under the Reign of King

Amanullah Khan Ghazi (warrior), Ghazi Amanullah Khan (Pashto/Dari: ; 1 June 1892 – 26 April 1960) was the head of state, sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emirate of Afghanistan, Emir and after 1926 as Kingdom of Afghanistan, King, until his abdic ...

. Khan's paternal great-grandfather General Ahmed Jan was the civil and military adviser as well as the physician to King Ameer Abdur Rahman Khan. General Ahmed Jan, the father of Gen. Mafooz Jan, was the conqueror of

Kafiristan Kāfiristān, or Kāfirstān (; ; ), is a historical region that covered present-day Nuristan Province in Afghanistan and its surroundings. This historic region lies on, and mainly comprises, the basins of the rivers Alingar, Pech (Kamah), La ...

and named it

Nuristan Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan (Pashto: ; Katë: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven districts and is Afghanistan's least populous province, with a ...

. However, at the time of the revolution during which Habibullah Kalakani became the first ruler of Persian descent in Afghanistan since Ahmad shah Abdali. Habibullah Kalakani with the support of the General Afghan population removed King Amanullah for his failure to bring any positive or foundational changes in

that Khan's paternal grandfather, General Mehfooz Jan was executed, and as a result the family had to migrate to Peshawar which was a part of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

at that time.

Pakistan Air Force

Khan decided in his early years to follow the military traditions of his forefathers and joined the Pakistan Air Force. He participated in the Pakistan Air Force raid that destroyed the Pathankot air base during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He became a national hero and was awarded the

Sitara-e-Jurat Sitara-e-Jurat (, Star of Courage) is the third highest military award of Pakistan. It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a republic; however, it was instituted retrospectively back to 1947. It is awarded for gallantry or distinguish ...

, Pakistan's third highest military medal of honour for bravery. His name is honoured at the Pakistan Air Force Museum in Karachi. He was also the youngest recipient of the prestigious "Best Fighter Pilot's Trophy". Khan also had the distinction of serving three

as their aide-de-camp (ADC); namely presidents

Ayub Khan Mohammad Ayub Khan (14 May 1907 – 19 April 1974) was a Pakistani military dictator who served as the second president of Pakistan from 1958 until his resignation on 1969. He was the first native commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army, se ...

Yahya Khan Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan (4 February 191710 August 1980) was a Pakistani army officer who served as the third president of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971. He also served as the fifth Commander-in-Chief, Pakistan, commander-in-chief of the Pakistan ...

and

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

. He retired from the Air Force in 1972 and joined the Foreign Service on the behest of President

Ambassador

Arshad Sami Khan was appointed Pakistan's first ambassador to

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

in August 1993 along with serving as ambassador to three other Scandinavian countries simultaneously: Sweden, Denmark and Norway. He served as Ambassador of Pakistan to ten other countries. He was the chief of protocol to presidents

Ghulam Ishaq Khan Ghulam Ishaq Khan (20 January 1915 – 27 October 2006), commonly known by his initials GIK, was a Pakistani bureaucrat, politician and statesman who served as the seventh President of Pakistan from 1988 to 1993. He previously served as Chairm ...

Wasim Sajjad Wasim Sajjad Jan (; born 30 March 1941) is a Pakistani Conservatism in Pakistan, conservative politician and lawyer who served as the acting president of Pakistan for two non-consecutive terms and as the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, C ...

and Farooq A. Leghari and also served as Chief of Protocol to

Prime Ministers A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but rat ...

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...

Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi (; ) (14 August 1931 – 20 November 2009) was a Pakistani politician who served as the Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan for three months, from 6 August 1990 to 6 November 1990. Early life Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi was bo ...

and

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...

. Khan went on to become the first Commissioner General of Pakistan (appointed by

) and then a Federal Secretary to the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

. On the occasion of

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

on 14 August 2012, the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

posthumously conferred Khan the third highest Civilian Award of

Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and Civil decorations of Pakistan, civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially me ...

to honour his services to Pakistan.

Author

Khan wrote a book about his experience as an aide-de-camp entitled ''Three Presidents and an Aide'', which was released in March 2008 and went on to become a best-seller in

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

. The book is a candid eyewitness account of historical events, seen from within the 'ring-side' that occurred during the reign of three presidents:

and

. No publisher in Pakistan was willing to publish the book. It was therefore published and released in India, launched by former Indian prime minister I.K. Gujral to rave reviews and sales.

Illness

Khan was diagnosed with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

in 1989. Prime Minister

had him flown to London, where he was operated at

Cromwell Hospital The Cromwell Hospital is a private sector hospital located in the South Kensington area of London. It is operated by international healthcare company Bupa. History The hospital, which was designed by Holder Mathias, was established by Bank of ...

. However, within three months of the operation thereafter, he resumed working in the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

, continuing his ambassadorial assignments around the world while battling cancer for 20 years. He died on 22 June 2009 at 'Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani' Hospital in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. His burial ceremony took place in Islamabad with military honours, including a 21-gun salute.

Awards

* Best Fighter Pilot's Trophy * Military Medal of Honour from

King Hussain of Jordan Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was traditionally considered a 40th-generatio ...

* Military Medal of Honour from the

Shah of Iran The monarchs of Iran ruled for over two and a half millennia, beginning as early as the 7th century BC and enduring until the 20th century AD. The earliest Iranian king is generally considered to have been either Deioces of the Median dynasty () ...

* Military Medal of Honour from

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

* Special Medal for Services to Humanity from the United Nations *

(posthumous; 2012) *

Sitara-e-Jurat citation

For his actions during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Sami was awarded the

, the third highest award of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. His Sitara-e-Jur'at citation read as follows:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Arshad Sami 1942 births 2009 deaths Ambassadors of Pakistan to Estonia Ambassadors of Pakistan to Denmark Ambassadors of Pakistan to Norway Ambassadors of Pakistan to Sweden Deaths from pancreatic cancer Pakistan Air Force officers Pakistani military aviators Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Pashtun people People from Islamabad Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Sitara-e-Jurat Ambassadors of Pakistan to Portugal Pakistani people of Afghan descent