Tag: PAKISTAN AIRFORCE

  • Rashid Minhas remembered on his 50th martyrdom anniversary

    Rashid Minhas remembered on his 50th martyrdom anniversary

    The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), has remembered the sacrifice of martyred Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas (Nishan-e-Haider) on his 50th death anniversary on Friday.

    The DG-ISPR said in a Twitter message, “On 50th Martyrdom anniversary, we remember with reverence, bravery & supreme sacrifice of National Hero Pilot officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed, Nishan-e -Haider.

    “In line of duty, Pilot offr Rashid Minhas lived up to great traditions of Pakistan Air Force defending the motherland.”

    The brave son of Pakistan was born on February 17, 1951, in Karachi. He belonged to the famous Minhas clan of Rajputs.

    His childhood fascination with aircraft and aviation led him to what he truly was destined for. Minhas embraced his true passion after school and earned a degree in military history and aviation history from the University of Karachi.

    He was commissioned as a pilot in the Pakistan Air Force in 1971.

    Minhas was taxiing towards the runway when a Bengali instructor pilot, Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman, signalled him to stop and then climbed into the instructor’s seat. The jet took off and turned towards India.

    Minhas radioed PAF Base Masroor with the message that he was being hijacked. The air controller requested that he resend his message, and he confirmed the hijacking. Later investigation showed that Rahman intended to defect to India to join his compatriots in the Bangladesh Liberation War, along with the jet trainer.

    However, Minhas did the only thing within his control and forced that plane to crash just 32 miles from the Indian border, deliberately sacrificing his life for the honour of Pakistan.

    Minhas spent his early childhood in Lahore. Later, the family shifted to Rawalpindi.

    Awarded with Pakistan’s top military honour Nishan-e- Haider, Minhas became the youngest man in history and the only member of the Pakistan Air Force to be honoured with this award for his valiant feat.

    Titled a national hero, the Pakistan Air Force base at Kamra was renamed PAF Base, Minhas, often called Minhas-Kamra.

  • PIA denies reports of not providing mineral water to passengers

    The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), has denied the rumours that it will not supply mineral water to passengers on domestic flights, Geo News has reported.

    Some media reports suggested that PIA has decided to stop serving bottles of mineral water to passengers on all domestic flights as part of the national carrier’s efforts to reduce its huge losses.

    “PIA refutes a web news item intended to damage our repute that we will not provide water onboard,” said the PIA, adding that it is a “misrepresentation by some prominent media outlets”, which is both irresponsible and unprofessional.

    PIA categorically rejected the reports saying that “such reports only intended to mislead passengers”.

    In a separate development, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has barred barred airlines from serving food on domestic flights due to the sharp increase of Covid-19 cases in the country.

  • PAF releases new song on anniversary of Indian jet downing

    PAF releases new song on anniversary of Indian jet downing

    The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) released a new song to mark the first anniversary of the downing of Indian jets. Shuja Haider sang the song ‘Allah o Akbar’.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J21KZleUuCs

    Last year, Pakistan also put on display a statue of an Indian pilot whose plane was shot down on February 27, 2019.

    The life-sized statue of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman complete with his signature mustache had been installed in an exhibit at a museum in Karachi run by PAF.

    Indian plane was shot down over Azad Jammu Kashmir in February 2019 when an Indian plane entered the Pakistani airspace.

    After his capture, the Pakistani military released a video showing him sipping a cup of tea and politely refusing to answer questions. His comment on the tea “the tea is fantastic”

    made him a viral sensation on social media.

    He was released several days later in a peace gesture from Pakistan intended at defusing tensions.