Mohammed Azim Daudpota (; 14 September 1933 – 3 April 2017) was a three-star officer in the

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 ...

who went on to serve as the Chief of Air Staff of the

Air Force of Zimbabwe The Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) is the air force of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. It was known as the Rhodesian Air Force until 1980. The Air Force of Zimbabwe saw service in the Mozambican Civil War in 1985 and the Second Congo War of 1998– ...

, and then to briefly serve as

Governor of Sindh The governor of Sindh is the appointed head of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The office of the governor as the head of the province is largely a ceremonial position; the executive powers lie with the Chief Secretary of Sindh, Chief Secretary ...

Early life and education

Azim Daudpota was born on 14 September 1933 in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

(now called

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 ...

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 ...

. His father,

Umar Bin Muhammad Daudpota Umar Bin Mohammad Daudpota (25 March 1896 – 22 November 1958) () was a Sindhi researcher, historian, linguist and scholar of the Indus Valley. Life Daudpota was born on 25 March 1896 at Talti, Dadu District, British India. His primary e ...

, was a Sindhi research scholar, linguist and historian of the

Indus valley The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the disp ...

. After his basic education at

St. Patrick's High School, Karachi St Patrick's High School is a Catholic primary and secondary school located in Saddar Town, Sindh, Karachi, Pakistan. Founded by the Jesuits in 1861, the school is the second-oldest school in Karachi.Ali, G. and Ali, M. St. Patrick’s: A journ ...

, he completed his college education at

D. J. Sindh Government Science College Dayaram Jethamal Sindh Government Science College, (Urdu: ڈی جے سندھ گورنمنٹ سائنس کالج) commonly known as DJ Science College, is a public community college that is affiliated with the Board of Intermediate Education Kara ...

, Karachi in 1951.

Career

Daudpota joined the

Pakistan Air Force Academy The Pakistan Air Force Academy Asghar Khan (PAFAA) is an accredited four-year military academy which provides undergraduate education to officer candidates of the Pakistan Armed Forces, primarily the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).Shaheen Foundati ...

in 1951. The following year, he commenced a course of training at Royal Australian Air Force Academy from where he graduated in 1956. After service as a pilot and then as Squadron Commander of numbers 15 and 17; he attended the

PAF Staff College PAF Air War College Institute is the Pakistan Air Forces academic establishment located at PAF Base Faisal providing training and education primarily to mid-career officers of the air force as well as a limited number of officers from Pakistan ...

before serving on the staff of the Pakistani High Commission in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. After a further period of training at the

Royal College of Defence Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest leve ...

in London, Daudpota commanded PAF Bases Rafiqui and

Sargodha Sargodha (Punjabi language, Punjabi/; ; ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Central Punjab, central Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 11th most populous city and ...

Chief of Zimbabwe Air Force

In 1983 the Zimbabweans sought assistance from Pakistan as they wanted to replace the former Rhodesian officer who then headed the

. Daudpota was selected and served as Commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe from July 1983 to January 1986.

Civilian work

On his return to Pakistan, Daudpota became the Managing Director and Chairman of

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...

from January 1986 to March 1991. He became the Chairman of

Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) () is a state corporation of Pakistan working under Ministry of Industries and Production (Pakistan), Ministry of Industries and Production. History Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation ...

. He joined Kashmir Corporation as an Executive Director in April 1991; from 25 October 1999 to 24 May 2000, Daudpota also became the

(19992000). At the time of his death, he was the chairman of the board at MacPac Films Limited, a company that makes raw material for packaging.

Honours and recognition

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 ...

(Star of Courage) Award by 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.

in 1965 War against India. *

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

(Star of Excellence) Award by the

. *

Hilal-e-Imtiaz The ''Hilal-e-Imtiaz'' (; ), also spelled as ''Hilal-i-Imtiaz,'' is the second-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") Awards and decorations of the Pakistan military, civilian award and honour given to both civilians and military Officer (armed fo ...

(Crescent of Excellence) by the

. *

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

by the

President of Zimbabwe The president of Zimbabwe is the head of state and head of government of Zimbabwe. The president chairs the national cabinet and is the chief commanding authority of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. The incumbent president is Emmerson Mnangagwa, ...

in 1986.

Death

Azim Daudpota died on 3 April 2017 in Karachi at age 83 after battling a number of illnesses and died of cardiac arrest. He was buried at

's Faisal Airbase graveyard in Karachi.

Awards and decorations

Foreign Decorations

References

External links

Dawn.com - The educated of Sindh - Air Marshal Azim Daudpoto
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Daudpoto, Azim 1933 births 2017 deaths D. J. Sindh Government Science College alumni St. Patrick's High School, Karachi alumni Pakistan Air Force air marshals Air Force of Zimbabwe air marshals Pakistan Hockey Federation presidents Pakistani expatriates in Zimbabwe Pakistan International Airlines people Military personnel from Mumbai Pakistani expatriates in Australia Recipients of Sitara-e-Jurat Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Sindhi military personnel