Sajad Haider

Air Commodore Sajad Haider SJ
سید حیدر
Sajad as a Squadron Leader, 1965
Director Joint Warfare GHQ (Pakistan)
In office 1977 – 25 May 1980
Pakistan's Air Attaché to Washington and Ottawa
In office September 1974 – 1976
Preceded by	Eric G. Hall
Director of Flight Safety AHQ (PAF)
In office February 1973 – September 1974
Commander No 33 Wing
In office 12 September 1971 – February 1973
Officer Commanding No. 14 Squadron PAF
In office 14 April 1969 – 31 December 1970
Preceded by	MG Tawab
Officer Commanding No. 19 Squadron PAF
In office October 1963 – June 1967
Personal details
Born	Sayed Sajjad Haider (1932-12-26)26 December 1932 Sargodha, Punjab Province, British India
Died	3 January 2025(2025-01-03) (aged 92)
Resting place	Islamabad, Pakistan
Spouses	Iffat ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1969)​ Tahira ​ ​ (m. 1970; div. 1971)​ Faryda ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1997)​
Children	3
Parents	Syed Fazal Shah (father) Rashida Begum (mother)
Education	St. Francis' Grammar School Forman Christian College RPAF College PAF Staff College German Air Force Officer Training School Advanced Jet Course (USA) Fighter Leaders' School, Mauripur Joint Service Defence College National Defence College, Islamabad Quaid-i-Azam University (MSc)
Known for	Leading the attack on India's Pathankot Air Base during the Indo-Pakistani Air War of 1965
Nickname(s)	Nosey Haider[1] Saviour of Lahore[2]
Military service
Branch/service	Pakistan Air Force
Years of service	1952–1980
Rank	Air Commodore
Commands	SASO[a] Air Defence Command Air Attache to Washington Director Flight Safety No. 33 Wing No. 14 Squadron PAF ADOC[b] Peshawar Staff Ops Officer, Sargodha No. 19 Squadron PAF
Battles/wars	Waziristan rebellion (1948–1954)[3] Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Air war operations Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Awards	Golden Eagle Award (1958)[c] Caterpillar Club (1961) Sitara-e-Jurat (1965) (6) Green Endorsements[d]

Sayed Sajad Haider^[e] (26 December 1932 – 3 January 2025), better known by his aliases as Nosey Haider^[f] and Saviour of Lahore,^[2] was a Pakistani fighter pilot and one-star rank officer in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). He is best known for leading a devastating Blitzkrieg on the Pathankot airbase in India on 6 September during the Indo-Pakistani air war of 1965. Haider personally destroyed four Indian aircraft, 11 Indian tanks and damaged another three. The formation destroyed a total of 13 Indian aircraft including 2 MiG-21s. The following day, Haider led his pilots to Srinagar Air Force Station where they destroyed another three aircraft. He was also an author, columnist, businessman, defence analyst, political commentator, and philanthropist.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]}

Haider's career was marked by a series of significant events, three of which stood out due to false accusations and defiance against military rule. The initial incident involved unfounded charges of treason and mutiny amid an alleged coup against President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's regime in 1973. Crucially, the coup charges were exposed as manipulated accusations orchestrated by Chief of Air Staff Zafar Chaudhry who was later fired, his deputy Saeedullah Khan and Khaqan Abbasi. This orchestrated effort also targeted and implicated 13 other PAF officers. Sajad and the rest of the officers were eventually exonerated. The second instance transpired in Washington, D.C., where an American corporate executive offered him a bribe. Sajad refused and told him, "Get out of my office. I will have your company blacklisted," the executive was fired after the head of the company found out and personally apologized to Sajad. Subsequently, a SAVAK operative in the Iranian embassy with a direct hotline to The Shah of Iran, had fabricated a lie with the help of the American, alleging that Sajad had defamed the Shah, resulting in diplomatic tensions between Pakistan-Iran, with the Shah requesting President Bhutto to remove him from his position. Afterwards, it was revealed that the executive along with several Pakistani, Iranian, and Americans created the lie as they wanted to make money from shady defence deals being offered to the Pakistan Air Force.^[15]

Reflecting on his time in the Air Force, Sajad wrote that the Americans coerced President Ayub Khan to let them establish a spy base at Badaber in Peshawar where Lockheed U-2 fighter planes operated from. That to Sajad is the beginning of Pakistanis taking American dictation, "We traded our sovereignty for preservation of a dictator (Field Marshal Ayub Khan) and we've never looked back. The Americans have always let down Pakistan."^[15] He further stated that he was very close friends with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto but would never forgive him for his role in the separation of East Pakistan.^[1]

Sajad Haider retired from the PAF in 1980 following an act of dissent against President General Zia-ul-Haq and his authoritarian regime (see his dissent against Zia). During a top-secret address at the GHQ (Pakistan) in November 1979, where Zia outlined the continued military rule, Haider seized the moment to express his concerns when Zia hesitantly allowed him to speak. He criticized the intelligence agencies for manipulating the truth, highlighted the stifled press, and conveyed his disillusionment with the military's conduct towards civilians. Despite warnings from colleagues about the consequences, Haider chose to speak out to Zia-ul-Haq's face. Unwilling to serve under Zia's rule, he opted to retire, leaving behind a distinguished career and embarking on a new life with minimal resources. Haider remained engaged in advocating for the PAF's well-being while candidly critiquing its policies, emphasizing his passion for the institution despite the challenges he had faced towards the end of his career.^[16]

After retirement, he started his own defence, aviation and communication company, Cormorant. He decided to shut it down in 1990, after being targeted and offered kickbacks by two Pakistan Army generals of the Defence Procurement Division including the Director General.^[1] In September 2020, Haider gave an interview to TCM Originals discussing the 1965 Pathankot strike.^[17] Additionally, he was a staunch supporter of Imran Khan and donated to his fundraiser for the affectees of the 2022 Pakistan floods for which Imran thanked him.^[18][19][20] In 2023, he was holding a placard in support of Imran Khan, when an Islamabad police officer approached him and began misbehaving, undermining the Commodore's efforts during the 1965 war by parroting him in a taunting way.^[21]

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