Rashid Minhas 46th Youm e Shahadat, 20 August 2017

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Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed - August 20, 1971 | 46th Youm e Shahadat of Rashid Minhas Shaheed, Nishan-i-Haider

On the morning of Friday, 20 August 1971, Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas, a pilot still under training, was in the front seat of jet a trainer, taxiing out for take off.

An instructor Bengali pilot (Flight Lieutenant Mataur Rahman) from the same unit forced his way into the rear cockpit, In mid-air Mataur Rahman knocked Rashid Minhas out, seized control of the aircraft and having taken off, headed the aircraft towards India.

With just 40 miles of Pakistan territory remaining, Minhas had only one course open to him to prevent his aircraft from entering India.

Without hesitation and living up to the highest traditions of the Pakistan Air Force, Rashid Minhas tried to regain control of his aircraft, but finding this to be impossible in the face of the superior skill and experience of his instructor, forced the aircraft to crash at a point 32 miles from the Indian border.

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42nd Yom E Shahadat For Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas

In doing so, Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas deliberately made the supreme sacrifice for the honour of Pakistan and the service to which he belonged.

For this act of heroism above and beyond the call of duty, the President of Pakistan awarded Nishan-i-Haider to Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas.
 
Following video clip shows last moments of the incident recreated for PTV drama series 'Nishan-e-Haider' and it includes nice video footage of PAF Lockheed T-33 two-seater jet trainer (the aircraft type hijacked by Rashid Minhas' instructor) and Shenyang F-6 (type of fighter aircraft that were scrambled to intercept hijacked T-33).



I read somewhere that at the time of this tragic incident, Rashid Minhas' parents' house number in Karachi was 'F-16' which is also designation for world's famous F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft which did not even exist in 1971. The F-16 became Pakistan's front line combat aircraft in early 1980s.
 

No Words to say anything...........Just speechless....can't even express my respect and feelings for the soldier of Pakistan!!! :cry:
 
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