Today marks the 50th anniversary of the sacrifice Rashid Minhas paid during the 1971 war. The 20-year-old pilot from the Pakistan Air Force was martyred in an attempted hijacking when he chose to give his life for the peace of our nation.
The soldier born on 17th February 1951, spent his early years in Lahore, later lived in Rawalpindi, and then moved back to Karachi. He joined Pakistan Air Force Academy Risalpur at the age of 17 and passed out as a general duty pilot in 1971.
The event of his martyrdom followed on August 20, 1971, when Minhas prepared for his solo flight on the trainer jet T-33 and was stopped by his instructor mid-process. The pilot had completed his routine checks and started the engines, but was flagged down as he started taxiing.
When Minhas had stopped the plane, the instructor forcefully seized the controls and directed the plane to take off towards India. A few moments later Minhas contacted Masroor Control Tower to report that he had been hijacked.
Up in the air, the fight ensued and each of the men tried to take control of the plane, the instructor wanted to take the plane to India but Minhas knew the consequences of such a thing happening. This scuffle went on for minutes until it neared the Indian border and Rashid Minhas made a courageous decision for the honor of his country.
He maneuvered the plane into a nosedive and the jet crashed near Thatta, 32 miles (51km) from the Indian border. For his sacrifice, Rashid Minhas was awarded the ‘Nishan-e-Haider’ and became the youngest PAF officer to receive the greatest bravery award.
With respect to his valor, Rashid Minhas has been a celebrated national hero.
“On 50th Martyrdom anniversary, we remember with reverence, bravery & supreme sacrifice of National Hero Pilot officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed, Nishan-e–Haider,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) tweeted.
