Air-Marshal Sharbat Ali Changezi (
: شربت على ݘݩگݐڒی; b. 10 March 1932),
, is a retired
three-star air officer
An air officer is an air force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". While the term originated in the Royal Air Force, air officers are also to be found in many Commonwealth nations ...
in the
Pakistan Air Force
, "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional)
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and a former
fighter pilot who led the
aerial operations in the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and 1971.
In 1955, Changezi notably refused to meet the
Afghan Monarch Zahir Shah
Mohammed Zahir Shah (Pashto/Dari: , 15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last king of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973. Serving for 40 years, Zahir was the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan s ...
, while he was on visit to Pakistan, because of the ill-treatment meted out to the
Hazara people
The Hazaras ( fa, , Həzārə; haz, , Āzərə) are an ethnic group and the principal component of the population of Afghanistan, native to, and primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan and generally scatt ...
in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
.
Career with the Airforce
1965 War service
Changezi was involved in a
dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is an aerial battle between fighter aircraft conducted at close range. Dogfighting first occurred in Mexico in 1913, shortly after the invention of the airplane. Until at least 1992, it was a component in every majo ...
with Indian warplanes over
Lahore district in which he and his
wingman
A wingman (or wingmate) is a pilot or UAV who supports another pilot in a potentially dangerous flying environment. ''Wingman'' was originally the plane flying beside and slightly behind the lead plane in an aircraft formation.
According to t ...
shot down Indian planes.
1971 War service
During the 1971 war, Changezi was the
officer commanding
The officer commanding (OC), also known as the officer in command or officer in charge (OiC), is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit (smaller than battalion size), principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, t ...
of the
No. 26 Squadron of the PAF flying
F-86 Sabres
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing S ...
.
Awards and decorations
See also
*
List of Hazara people
Hazara people make up the second or third largest ethnic group in Afghanistan with 8–12 million population, making 20%–25% of the total population of Afghanistan (Some suggest the real population might reach 30%) where they mainly inhabit the ...
*
List of people from Quetta
This is the list of notable people who were born, lived or grew up in Quetta (the provincial capital of Balochistan province of Pakistan) and Quetta District. List is ordered by the professions of people.
Civil and military officers
* Abdul ...
* General
Musa Khan Hazara
*
Samad Ali Changezi
References
Living people
1932 births
Pakistani people of Hazara descent
Hazara military personnel
Pakistan Air Force air marshals
People from Quetta
Pakistan Air Force personnel
{{Pakistan-mil-bio-stub