Rashid Minhas

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Rashid Minhas
17 February 1951 – 20 August 1971
Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas, Nishan-e-Haider
Place of birth	Karachi, Sindh
Place of death	Sindh
Allegiance	Pakistan
Rank	Pilot Officer
Unit	Pakistan Air Force
Awards	Nishan-e-Haider

Rashid Minhas or Rashid Minhas Shaheed (Urdu: راشد منہاس) (February 17, 1951–August 20, 1971) was a Pilot Officer in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

Minhas was born in Karachi. Having joined the air force, he was commissioned in 1971; on August 20 of that year, he was getting ready to take off in a T-33 trainer in Karachi when a Bengali Instructor pilot, Matiur Rahman, gained his way into the back of the plane. Rahman knocked out Minhas (he was originally believed to have used a blunt object, but it was later ascertained that he had used chloroform), with the intention of defecting to India in order to join the liberation movement for Bangladesh (see Bangladesh Liberation War).

In mid-flight Minhas regained consciousness, and quickly became aware of the circumstances: he was escorting a deserting PAF pilot and was quickly approaching the Indian border. Although the precise sequence of events remains a mystery, it is widely believed that the recovered Minhas made an attempt to regain control of the plane. However, Minhas couldn't regain controls given that Matiur was a much more sesoned pilot and managed to override Minhas attempts to control the flight. In the ensuing battle between the two pilots, it is believed that either Rahman crashed the plane into the ground to prevent the plane returning to the base, or Minhas did so in order to prevent Rahman from entering Indian territory. The crash site of the T-33 was later found 40 km from the Indian border.

Minhas was posthumously awarded Pakistan's top military honour, the Nishan-E-Haider, and became the youngest man and the only member of the Pakistan Air Force to win the award. He also became a national hero. The Pakistan Air Force base at Kamra has been renamed in his honour. Matiur is viewed as a hero and given similar respect in Bangladesh. He was decorated with Bangladesh's highest award, the Bir Sreshtho and the Bangladesh Air Force base in Jessore is named after him.

[edit] Notes & References

[edit] External links

• Internet Discussion Forum webpage on the incident

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
History	Operations and Battles
History •Partition of India •History of Pakistan • Indo-Pakistani Wars • War of 1947 • War of 1965 • Operation Searchlight • Bangladesh Liberation War • Mukti Bahini • Research and Analysis Wing • Mitro Bahini • Operation Jackpot. Indian Army, Summer 1971 • Operation Jackpot. Bangladesh Navy, Autumn 1971		Battles of the 1971 War: • Battle of Atgram Complex • Battle of Garibpur • Battle of Boyra • Operation Chengiz Khan • Battle of Longewala • Battle of Hilli • Meghna Heli Bridge • Tangail Airdrop • Battle of Basantar • PNS Ghazi • Operation Trident • East Pakistan Air Operations, 1971 • INS Khukri • more...
Political and military leaders India Indira Gandhi • Sam Manekshaw • K P Candeth • J S Aurora • Gopal Gurunath Bewoor • J.F.R. Jacob• Sagat Singh• M L Thapan• T N Raina• Sartaj Singh• N C Rawlley• K K Singh • Kuldip Singh Chandpuri •Kulwant Singh Pannu    Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto • Yahya Khan •A. A. K. Niazi • A. O. Mitha • Gul Hassan Khan • Rao Farman Ali • Sahabzada Yaqub Khan • Tikka Khan Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman • Tajuddin Ahmed • Muhammad Mansur Ali • A. H. M. Qamaruzzaman • M. A. G. Osmani • Ziaur Rahman • Khaled Mosharraf Valour India L/Nk Albert Ekka †• Fg Off N.J.S. Sekhon†• 2nd Lt Arun Khetarpal†• Maj Hoshiar Singh    Pakistan Major Muhammad Akram†• Plt Off Rashid Minhas†• Major Shabbir Sharif †• J/Swr Muhammad Hussain†• L/Nk Muhammad Mahfuz† Bangladesh Eng off Ruhul Amin†• Flt Lt Matiur Rahman†