The Supreme Sacrifice

Karachi: Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas was a member of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during the 1971 Pakistan-India War. Minhas is the only officer of the PAF to receive a Nishan-e-Haider and is also the youngest person and the shortest-serving officer to do so in the country’s history. Rashid Minhas laid his life for his country during a jet trainer crash while struggling to regain control of the aircraft from defecting pilot Matiur Rahman.

Soon after being commissioned in the PAF in 1971, on August 20 Minhas set off on a his second solo flight in a T-33 jet trainer from Karachi. While taxiing towards the runway, he was signaled to stop by a Bengali instructor pilot, Matiur Rahman.

After Minhas stopped the plane, Rahman got into the instructor’s seat and began steering the jet towards India. Following this the young pilot Minhas, radioed to PAF Masroor base that he was being hijacked. While in the air, Minhas began to struggle with Rahman to get control of the plane, which led to the jet crashing near Thatta, killing both men.

Later investigations found that Rahman had intended to defect to India and join the enemy side in the Bangladesh Liberation War. For his undoubtable valour, Minhas was awarded the Nishan-E-Haider.

Following the death of his son, Abdul Majid Minhas had reportedly said, “Although the grief of my son’s death is unending, I am proud that he laid down his life for a noble cause and for the integrity and honour of the country and nation.”

Rashid Minhas was born on February 17 1951 in Karachi, and belonged to Northern Punjabi and in Kashmiri family. He gained his early education from St Mary’s Cambridge School Rawalpindi and later attended the Greenwood Secondary School in Karachi. He studied military history and aviation history from Karachi University before gaining commission in the PAF.

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