[1] After his early education, at the Municipal Board (MB) High School Batala, he graduated from the Government College, Lahore, and joined the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

[citation needed] He was commissioned in the Indian Army as a 2nd Lieutenant on 21 June 1942 and soon, thereafter, joined the 1st Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment in the British Middle East Command.

In January 1948, he was seconded from the Pakistan Army as a Major to Zhob Militia (formally known as Fort Sandeman), Quetta, Baluchistan part of the Frontier Corps for 3 ½ years and also commanded Pishin Scouts.

The parade was commanded by Lt. Col. Aftab Ahmad Khan and led by Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck former Commander-in-Chief.

He had an elder brother Professor Namdar Khan (late – died 2002), a renowned educationalist, who taught Comparative Education at University of California's School of Education (Tollman Hall) from 1972 to 1976, a younger brother Air Marshall Iftikhar Ahmad Khan, (HI)M & (SBt) Sitara-e-Basalat and two sisters Mrs. Ismat Akhtar and Mrs. Najma Chaudhury.

Lt. General Aftab Ahmad Khan died of a sudden Heart Attack on 12 July 2011 at the age of 88, and was laid to rest with Pakistan Army's traditional Military Honors for retired commanders.