LAHORE – The 48th martyrdom anniversary of Nishan-e-Haider recipient RashidMinhas is being observed today (on Tuesday).
Rashid Minhas was posthumously awarded Pakistan’s top military honour, theNishan-E-Haider, and he is the youngest officer who received theNishan-e-Haider award. He is the only recipient of the highest honour ofgallantry from Pakistan Air Force.
After his death, Minhas was honoured as a national hero. Minhas martyredduring Rahman, traitor, tried to take his control and defect to India tojoin his compatriots in the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas was born on February 17, 1951 at Karachi.Rashid Minhas spent his early childhood in Lahore. Later, the familyshifted to Rawalpindi. Minhas had his early education from St Mary’sCambridge School Rawalpindi.
Later his family shifted to Karachi. Minhas was fascinated with aviationhistory and technology. He used to collect different models of aircraft andjets.
Having joined the air force, Minhas was commissioned on March 13, 1971, inthe 51st GD (P) Course. He began training to become a pilot. On August 20of that year, in the hour before noon, he was getting ready to take off ina T-33 jet trainer in Karachi, his second solo flight in that type ofaircraft.
Minhas was taxiing toward the runway when a Bengali instructor pilot,Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman, signalled him to stop and then climbedinto the instructor’s seat. The jet took off and turned toward India.
Minhas radioed PAF Base Masroor with the message that he was beinghijacked. The air controller requested that he resend his message, and heconfirmed the hijacking. Later investigation showed that Rahman intended todefect to India to join his compatriots in the Bangladesh Liberation War,along with the jet trainer.