Karachi (September 07, 2018): Contingent of Pakistan Airforce paid homage to the Flight Officer, Rashid Minhas Shaheed on Friday.
At the ceremony, a smartly turned out contingent of PAF presented a salute to the pilot.
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Air Vice Marshal Ahsan Rafique and Minhas’s brother Anjum Minhas laid floral wreaths at the grave and offered fateha.
Speaking at the ceremony, Air Vice Marshal Rafique said, the air force has proved its mettle in every battle.
On August 20, 1971, Rashid an under-training pilot, was taxying T-33 Jet trainer for take-off, when a Bengali pilot instructor, Flight Lieutenant Mataur Rahman, forced his way into the rear cockpit.
In mid-air, Rahman knocked Minhas out, seized control of the aircraft and headed towards India.
With just 40 miles of Pakistan territory remaining, Rashid regained consciousness and tried to regain control of his aircraft.
Failing to do so, he did the only thing within his control to prevent the aircraft from being taken to India.
He forced the plane to crash just 32 miles from the Indian border, deliberately sacrificing his life for the honour of Pakistan.
Rashid was posthumously awarded Pakistan’s top military honour, the Nishan-e-Haider, announced by then president General Yahya Khan.
He became the youngest man and the only member of the Pakistan Air Force to win the award.
Pakistan Air Force day is being celebrated across the country today to pay homage to the martyrs of PAF in defending the country during the Indo-Pak War in 1965.
A notable event of the war was that Pakistan Air Force flying ace Muhammad Mahmood Alam shot down five planes of Indian Air Force in less than a minute.
Earlier on September 06, the nation celebrated defence and martyr’s day as the main ceremony ended at General Headquarters.
Prime Minister Imran Khan along with First Lady Bushra Imran attended the ceremony as chief guest, while Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and other civil and military leadership also attended the occasion.
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