RAWALPINDI – The Pakistan Army has paid tribute to Rashid Minhas, a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) pilot who embraced martyrdom at the tender age of 20 in 1971, on his 50th martyrdom anniversary, the military media wing said Friday.
“On the 50th martyrdom anniversary, we remember with reverence, bravery and supreme sacrifice of national hero Pilot officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed”, the DG Inter-Services Public Relations said in a Twitter message.
On 5Oth 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.
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) August 19, 2021
The tweet further added, “In the line of duty, Pilot offer Rashid Minhas lived up to great traditions of Pakistan Air Force defending the motherland”.
Rashid hailed from Karachi, born in 1951; however, he spent his early childhood in Lahore and later shifted to Rawalpindi and then back to Sindh capital.
He joined the Pakistan Air Force Academy in Risalpur as a flying cadet when he was 17 and graduated from the academy as a general duty pilot in 1971. After graduation, he was posted to PAF base Masroor in Karachi’s Mauripur area to hone his skills as a fighter pilot.
Rashid remains the youngest officer to receive Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan’s highest gallantry honour and was the first recipient of the award for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).
On August 20, 1971, Rashid, as a pilot still under training, was taxing out a T-33 Jet trainer for take-off, when a Bengali pilot instructor, Flight Lieutenant Mataur Rahman, forced his way into the rear cockpit.
Bengali pilot knocked Rashid Minhas out, seized control of the aircraft and headed towards India. Young Rashid regained consciousness and forced the plane to crash just 32 miles from the Indian border.
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Failing to do so, he did the only thing within his control to prevent the aircraft from being taken to India and deliberately sacrificed his life for the honour of Pakistan. The young hero was laid to rest on August 21, 1971, with full military honours.
