Pervaiz Mehdi Qureshi

Pervaiz Mehdi Qureshi
NI(M)HI(M)SI(M)SBt
پرویز مهدی قریشی
8th Chief of Air Staff
In office
7 November 1997  20 November 2000
Preceded byAbbas Khattak
Succeeded byMushaf Ali Mir
Vice Chief of Air Staff
In office
May 1997  6 November 1997
Personal details
Born (1943-10-01) 1 October 1943
Phalia, Punjab Province (British India)
NicknamePQ Mehdi
Military service
Allegiance Pakistan
Branch/service Pakistan Air Force
Years of service1961–2000
Rank Air Chief Marshal
UnitNo. 14 Squadron PAF
No. 16 Squadron PAF
CommandsPakistan Air Force
Vice Chief of Air Staff
DCAS (Operations)
AOC Southern Air Command
AOC Northern Air Command
Air Defence Command
Battles/wars
AwardsSee list
Sword of Honour (1964)

Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi (born 1 October 1943) best known as PQ Mehdi, is a retired four-star air officer and former fighter pilot who served as the eighth Chief of Air Staff (CAS) of the Pakistan Air Force from 1997 until his retirement in 2000.

His tenure in command of the Pakistan Air Force is notable for the events involving the short-lived military conflict with the Indian Army in Kargil in 1999. He is credited with advising Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif against all-out war with India, eventually providing an exit for the Pakistan Army to deescalate the situation through diplomacy with India.:59