Zaheer Ahmad Babar

Babar Sidhu was born on 16 April 1965 into a Punjabi Jat family of the Sidhu clan. His father Hakeem Ghulam Muhammad was a religious scholar and the family originally hails from the Sidh village in the Gujrat District of Punjab. His brother Chaudhary Naseer Ahmed Abbas was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from the Constituency NA-65 Gujrat-IV on the ticket of Pakistan Muslim League (N) in 2024 Pakistani general election. For his higher studies has attended the Combat Commanders School, the Air War College and the Royal College of Defense Studies in the United Kingdom. == Military career ==

Babar Sidhu was commissioned in GD (P) Branch of Pakistan Air Force in April 1986. During his career, he has commanded a Fighter Squadron, a Flying Wing, an Operational Air Base and Regional Air Command. Staff appointments In his staff appointments, he has served as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operational Requirement & Development), Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Training-Officers) and Additional Secretary at Ministry of Defence. He has also served as Director General Projects, Director General Air Force Strategic Command, Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Air Defence) and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Administration) at Air Headquarters Islamabad. Awards and decorations In recognition of his services, he has been awarded with Tamgha-i-lmtiaz (Military), Sitara-i-lmtiaz (Military), Hilal-i-lmtiaz (Military) and Nishan-i-lmtiaz (Military). == Chief of the Air Staff ==

Appointment Babar Sidhu was serving as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Administration) at the Air Headquarters in Islamabad before being appointed as Chief of Air Staff on 17 March 2021. Controversies surrounding the appointment According to a white paper published in November 2023, Babar Sidhu was not the most senior officer in his batch. However, he received assistance in rising to the top position in the air force by then Director General of the ISI Faiz Hameed and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. This support was attributed to his Chakwal background and belonging to the Jatt community, which is the same clan as General Bajwa. It also claimed that Babar Sidhu retirement approaching in March 2024, but he was reportedly lobbying for an extension. In March 2025, his tenure was extended for another year due to his outstanding performance, revival of airforce as second to none, acquisition of J-10C. Subsequently, the Government amended the constitution extending the service of all service chief. This resulted in his extension of his tenure from March 2024 to March 2026. He has been targeted by F-16 Mafia for disparaging compaign because he is first Mirages pilot who has been promoted to Air Chief. Tenure extension On 17 March 2024, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif extended Babar Sidhu's tenure by one year, just a day before his scheduled retirement. Reactions and criticism Ayesha Siddiqa, in an article for The Friday Times, expressed concerns regarding the approval of a one-year extension for Sidhu. She highlighted potential implications on the Air Force's reputation for professionalism. Additionally, she noted speculations within certain circles regarding the influence of Chaudhary Naseer Ahmed Abbas, Sidhu's brother's affiliation with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in securing the extension. ==Controversies==

Aircraft flown Controversially, the Indian media has asserted that he had not piloted F-16s but only Mirage III and V aircraft. According to a petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in March 2025 by Advocate Inamur Rahim on behalf of Shazia Javad, the wife of retired Air Marshal Javad Saeed, Saeed was abducted from his residence in January 2024 and subsequently held in illegal custody by PAF authorities without due process of law. A PAF spokesperson claimed that Saeed had been sharing sensitive information with his brother, who resides in the United States. However, Shazia Javad told the BBC that the court martial proceedings were initiated in retaliation for a white paper authored by her husband which detailed Sidhu's overreach of authority and corruption, and said "this is retaliation for daring to question the air chief's excesses". In April 2025, a PAF tribunal sentenced Javad Saeed to 14 years' imprisonment, a term later reduced to four years by Sidhu. The IHC was also informed that Saeed had been detained at an officers' mess. ==Awards and decorations==

Babar has been awarded the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military), Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military), Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military) and the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Military). He was further awarded the Hilal-i-Jur'at following his contributions in the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict. Foreign decorations == Effective dates of promotion ==