Rashid Minhas
Encyclopedia
Pilot Officer
Rashid Minhas or Rashid Minhas Shaheed, NH
, (February 17, 1951–August 20, 1971) was a Pilot Officer
in the Pakistan Air Force
(PAF) during the 1971 Pakistan-India War. Rashid Minhas, a newly commissioned officer at that time, is the only PAF officer who received the highest valor for his actions. He is also the youngest and short-service officer, belonging to the Pakistan Defense Forces's lead aerial warfare service/branch, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), who received the Nishan-e-Haider
in 1971.
clan of Rajput
. Rashid Minhas was born on February 17, 1951 in Lahore. He belonged to a family that had settled in Gurdaspur from Jammu and Kashmir. After the creation of Pakistan the family migrated to Pakistan and lived near Sialkot. Rashid spent his early childhood in Lahore. Later the family shifted to Rawalpindi. Rashid had his early education from St Mary's Cambridge School
Rawalpindi
. Later his family shifted to Karachi. Minhas was fascinated with aviation history and technology. He used to collect different models of aircraft and jets. He studied from Saint Mary's Cambridge School, Murree Road, Rawalpindi and completed his O Levels at the age of 16. He also attended St Patrick's High School, Karachi and then attended Karachi University where he studied Military history
and Aviation history
.
trainer in Karachi
when a Bengali
Instructor pilot, Flight Lieutenant
Matiur Rahman
, gained his way into the back of the plane. He had been reported to have been watching Minhas closely for many weeks for his being new, young and inexperienced. In mid-air, Rahman knocked Minhas out with the intention of defecting to India to join his compatriots in the Bangladesh Liberation War
, along with the plane.
In mid-flight, Minhas regained consciousness, and realized that his plane was being hijacked. He desperately struggled for control over the aircraft as well as communicated to the PAF Masroor Base at 11:30AM, about his hijacking by Rahman. In his last words which is the conversation between Rashid Minhas and control tower, he gave information about the hijack. A struggle for flight control between the two pilots ensued and Rashid Minhas finally succeeded in preventing the defector from escaping to Indian airspace along with national secrets by crashing his aircraft in to the ground. The crash site of the T-33 was later found 40 km from the Indian border.
, he passed out of the PAF Academy with 3rd position and was awarded the Sword of Honor
for his performance. Once during his training sessions at the Kamra Airbase
he was in a test flight when his T-33
started leaking oil and he was instructed to eject and save himself, but Minhas decided that he would not let the plane crash and then very carefully he managed to land the plane back on the airbase. This act of bravery did not go unnoticed and he was given a letter of recognition by his commandant.
, 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. In Karachi
he was honored by the naming of a main street, Rashid Minhas Road , after him. He is one of the most prominent and honored pilots in Pakistan. He has been honored by the Pakistani Media and numerous documentary dramas and films have been made on him. Since his childhood he used to write in his dairy that "We cannot live forever then why don't we sacrifice ourselves on our dear homeland, yes it is an easy job".
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
Rashid Minhas or Rashid Minhas Shaheed, NH
Nishan-e-Haider
Nishan-e-Haider or Nishan-e-Hyder is the highest military decoration given by Pakistan . It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a Republic, however, it was instituted retrospectively from Independence in 1947...
, (February 17, 1951–August 20, 1971) was a Pilot Officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
in the Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
(PAF) during the 1971 Pakistan-India War. Rashid Minhas, a newly commissioned officer at that time, is the only PAF officer who received the highest valor for his actions. He is also the youngest and short-service officer, belonging to the Pakistan Defense Forces's lead aerial warfare service/branch, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), who received the Nishan-e-Haider
Nishan-e-Haider
Nishan-e-Haider or Nishan-e-Hyder is the highest military decoration given by Pakistan . It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a Republic, however, it was instituted retrospectively from Independence in 1947...
in 1971.
Early life and education
Rashid Minhas belonged to a famous MinhasMinhas
Minhas or Manhas or Minhas-Dogra is a Suryavanshi Rajput clan from the Punjab region and Jammu & Kashmir in India and Pakistan. It is an off-shoot of Jamwal-Dogra Rajputs, the founders of the city and state of Jammu and its rulers from ancient times to 1948 CE...
clan of Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
. Rashid Minhas was born on February 17, 1951 in Lahore. He belonged to a family that had settled in Gurdaspur from Jammu and Kashmir. After the creation of Pakistan the family migrated to Pakistan and lived near Sialkot. Rashid spent his early childhood in Lahore. Later the family shifted to Rawalpindi. Rashid had his early education from St Mary's Cambridge School
St Mary's Cambridge School
St Mary's Cambridge School is a high school situated on Murree Road in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.- History :Saint Mary's Cambridge High School is one of the oldest independent schools of Rawalpindi. The first owner of the school was Mr. Faiq Ayubi. It is housed in an old building which was previously...
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
. Later his family shifted to Karachi. Minhas was fascinated with aviation history and technology. He used to collect different models of aircraft and jets. He studied from Saint Mary's Cambridge School, Murree Road, Rawalpindi and completed his O Levels at the age of 16. He also attended St Patrick's High School, Karachi and then attended Karachi University where he studied Military history
Military history
Military history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
and Aviation history
Aviation history
The history of aviation has extended over more than two thousand years from the earliest attempts in kites and gliders to powered heavier-than-air, supersonic and hypersonic flight.The first form of man-made flying objects were kites...
.
Death
Having joined the air force, he was commissioned on 13 March 1971 in the 51st GD(P) Course; on August 20 of that year, he was getting ready to take off in a T-33T-33 Shooting Star
The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is an American-built jet trainer aircraft. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948, piloted by Tony LeVier. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then designated T-33A. It was used by the...
trainer in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
when a Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
Instructor pilot, Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Matiur Rahman
Matiur Rahman (military pilot)
Matiur Rahman or M. Matiur Rahman was a Flight Lieutenant in the Pakistan Air Force when the Liberation War broke out. His date of birth is sometimes given as 29 November 1941....
, gained his way into the back of the plane. He had been reported to have been watching Minhas closely for many weeks for his being new, young and inexperienced. In mid-air, Rahman knocked Minhas out with the intention of defecting to India to join his compatriots in the Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
, along with the plane.
In mid-flight, Minhas regained consciousness, and realized that his plane was being hijacked. He desperately struggled for control over the aircraft as well as communicated to the PAF Masroor Base at 11:30AM, about his hijacking by Rahman. In his last words which is the conversation between Rashid Minhas and control tower, he gave information about the hijack. A struggle for flight control between the two pilots ensued and Rashid Minhas finally succeeded in preventing the defector from escaping to Indian airspace along with national secrets by crashing his aircraft in to the ground. The crash site of the T-33 was later found 40 km from the Indian border.
Other Accomplishments
Minhas was well-known to his commandants and fellow officer's for his intelligence and Alpha grade record. He completed his O levels at the age of 16 with A grades in all of his subjects. After enrolling in the Air ForcePakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
, he passed out of the PAF Academy with 3rd position and was awarded the Sword of Honor
Sword of Honor
The Sword of Honour is an honorary sword awarded to that “Gentleman Cadet” or “Gentlewoman Cadet” who achieves an overall best performance during his or her entire training period at the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul, the Pakistan Air Force Academy at Risalpur, or the Pakistan Naval Academy at...
for his performance. Once during his training sessions at the Kamra Airbase
Minhas Airbase
Minhas Airbase or Kamra Airbase is PAF Airbase located at Kamra, Attock District, Punjab, Pakistan. It was named in the honour of Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas, who was awarded the Nishan-e-Haider for valor in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971....
he was in a test flight when his T-33
T-33 Shooting Star
The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is an American-built jet trainer aircraft. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948, piloted by Tony LeVier. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then designated T-33A. It was used by the...
started leaking oil and he was instructed to eject and save himself, but Minhas decided that he would not let the plane crash and then very carefully he managed to land the plane back on the airbase. This act of bravery did not go unnoticed and he was given a letter of recognition by his commandant.
Legacy
Minhas was posthumously awarded Pakistan's top military honour, the Nishan-E-HaiderNishan-e-Haider
Nishan-e-Haider or Nishan-e-Hyder is the highest military decoration given by Pakistan . It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a Republic, however, it was instituted retrospectively from Independence in 1947...
, and became the youngest man and the only member of the Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
to win the award. He also became a national hero. The Pakistan Air Force base at Kamra
Kamra
Kamra is located in Attock District in the mountainous north of the Punjab, Pakistan. The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and PAF's Minhas Airbase are located in Kamra. It is the biggest air force base in whole of Pakistan...
has been renamed in his honour. In Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
he was honored by the naming of a main street, Rashid Minhas Road , after him. He is one of the most prominent and honored pilots in Pakistan. He has been honored by the Pakistani Media and numerous documentary dramas and films have been made on him. Since his childhood he used to write in his dairy that "We cannot live forever then why don't we sacrifice ourselves on our dear homeland, yes it is an easy job".
External links
- Rashid Minhas: The glorious pilot By Rabbia Javaid, from DawnDawn (newspaper)Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
- Nishan-e-Haider - Rashid Minhas Shaheed, from Pakistan Internet Broadcasting Corp. Pakistan Television (PTV) drama on Rashid Minhas.
- Pak Post
- Rashid Minhas