Air Commodore Muhammad Zakaria Butt was a

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

who served in the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

and

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

. He was born to a respected family of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

in 1929. He was the commander of the Students' Guard for

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

from 1946 to 1948, worked closely with Jinnah, and after his death was commissioned as a pilot officer in the

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

in 1948.Hussain SS, Qureshi MT (1982). ''History of the Pakistan Air Force, 1947–1982.'' s.n. Muhammad Zakaria Butt was one of the finest fighter pilots and administrators in the history of PAF. He had a distinguished career, founded the Squadron 17 in 1957, commanded all major bases in Pakistan and headed the first Pakistani mission in Saudi Arabia. He served as the Air Defence Commander in 1971 war. He was also the Deputy Chief of Air Staff and Inspector General of the PAF.

References

1929 births 1993 deaths Pakistan Air Force officers Pakistani aviators Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Pakistani military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Military personnel from Lahore {{Pakistan-bio-stub