KARACHI, Nov 5 Captain Naeem-ul-Haq, the pilot of the chartered plane that crashed on Friday, was a former Pakistan Air Force official and had been associated with the JS Air for the past eight years, sources said.

They added that he retired from the PAF as squadron leader and joined the JS Air in 2002. He was the chief pilot of the company with more than 8,000 flying hours experience under his belt.

Capt Haq, who was said to be in his mid-fifties, was a resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar and father of three.

The co-pilot of the chartered plane, Noman Shamsi, was married with two children. He had experience of 2,000 flying hours in his career. He was a resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

The sources said that it was only last month that the two pilots had undergone a proficiency check test in Toronto, Canada.

Under the defined aviation rules, pilots have to undertake a test every six months to remain vigilant and updated so that they can handle emergencies.