KARACHI: The Inter-Services Public Relations section of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Thursday honoured their only Nishan-i-Haider recipient, Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas, on the 49th anniversary of his martyrdom with the release of a two minute and 28 second duration documentary based on his short life.

Born on February 17, 1951, Minhas joined the PAF after passing his A-Levels.

He was commissioned in the 51st GDP course of the PAF on March 14, 1971.

As part of the No 2 Squadron he was posted at the PAF Masroor Base at Mauripur soon after. It was here during a routine solo flight in his T-33 trainer aircraft on August 20, 1971 that Minhas was stopped right before take-off by one of his instructors Matiur Rehman, who then forced his way into the rear cockpit area of the two-seater plane after injuring the young pilot officer.

Realising that the plane had been hijacked and that the instructor was turning the plane to the direction of India, Minhas tried his best to take over the controls of the plane. When that seemed impossible to do, Minhas crashed the plane before it could fly out of the skies of Pakistan while embracing martyrdom.

For the brave feat, and for sacrificing his life for his country, the government of Pakistan decorated the young pilot officer with its highest military honour, the Nishan-i-Haider. He is the youngest recipient of the military honour to date.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2020