2 pilots martyred as Pakistan Army aircraft crashes near Gujarat

Published
Major Umer, an instructor pilot, and Lieutenant Faizan, a student pilot, were martyred during the crash. — Photo  courtesy ISPR
Major Umer, an instructor pilot, and Lieutenant Faizan, a student pilot, were martyred during the crash. — Photo courtesy ISPR

A Pakistan Army aircraft — Mushaq — crashed on Monday near Gujarat during a routine training mission, according to the military's media wing.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Major Umer, an instructor pilot, and Lieutenant Faizan, a student pilot, were martyred during the crash.

"Major Umer, a resident of Gujarat, and Lieutenant Fiazan, a resident of Kalar Kahar, Chakwal, embraced shahadat," the ISPR statement said.

Major Umer is survived by a wife, the statement added.

On March 23, a Pakistan Airforce F-16 aircraft crashed near Shakarparian in Islamabad during rehearsals for the Pakistan Day Parade.

Wing Commander Nauman Akram was martyred in the crash.

Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had paid tribute to the martyr and said: "Laying one’s life is the ultimate sacrifice one can make for defence of the motherland. May his soul rest in peace. My thoughts and sincere prayers for the bereaved family.”

In July 2019, 17 people lost their lives after a military aircraft crashed into a populated area in the suburbs of Rawalpindi.

Five army officials and 12 civilians were martyred in the tragedy, the ISPR had said.

Another 12 civilians were injured in the crash as the aircraft slammed into houses below where most of the people were sleeping at the time, the statement had said.

Opinion

Editorial

AJK elections
29 Jul, 2026

AJK elections

CONSIDERING the political unrest that has rocked Azad Jammu and Kashmir in the recent past, free and fair general...
Still vulnerable
29 Jul, 2026

Still vulnerable

THE State Bank’s decision to hold the policy rate at 11.5pc is a prudent response to the heightened risks the...
Guarding the past
29 Jul, 2026

Guarding the past

THE return of 513 smuggled archaeological artefacts from the US is a welcome homecoming for objects that should ...
Lull in fighting
Updated 28 Jul, 2026

Lull in fighting

AFTER two weeks of escalating violence, the US has halted its strikes on Iran, with Tehran also silencing it guns....
Water policy
28 Jul, 2026

Water policy

THE country is caught in a crisis where there too much water at the wrong time and too little when it is most ...
Ending hepatitis
28 Jul, 2026

Ending hepatitis

WORLD Hepatitis Day is being observed under the theme ‘Hepatitis: Let’s break it down’, a call to remove the...