Azim Daudpota
Mohammed Azim Daudpota was a three-star officer in the Pakistan Air Force who went on to serve as the Chief of Air Staff of the Air Force of Zimbabwe, and later briefly served as Governor of Sindh.
Early life and education
Azim Daudpota was born on 14 September 1933 in Bombay, British India. His father, Umar Bin Muhammad Daudpota, was a Sindhi research scholar, linguist and historian of the Indus valley. After his basic education at St. Patrick's High School, Karachi, he completed his college education at D. J. Sindh Government Science College, Karachi in 1951.Career
Daudpota joined the Pakistan Air Force Academy 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 before serving on the staff of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi. After a further period of training at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London, Daudpota commanded PAF Bases Rafiqui and Sargodha.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 Air Force of Zimbabwe. 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 from January 1986 to March 1991.He became the Chairman of 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 Governor of Sindh.
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 Award by the President of Pakistan in 1965 War against India.
- Sitara-e-Imtiaz Award by the President of Pakistan.
- Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan.
- Order of Merit by the President of Zimbabwe in 1986.