Pak pilot writes to kin of Indian he killed in 1965

[nrj]

Nearly half-a-century after shooting down an Indian civil aircraft under orders during the 1965 war with India, a Pakistan Air Force pilot has sent a condolence message to the daughter of the pilot of the aircraft he downed.

Qais Hussain, a flying officer during the 1965 war, made this gesture via email, expressing his condolences. The email is addressed to Farida Singh, daughter of the IAF pilot Jahangir "Jangoo" Engineer, one of the famous Engineer brothers in the force.

The email, with the subject line "Condolence", dated Friday, Aug 5, 2011, is copied to Naushad Patel and Jagan Pillarisetti, the Indian contacts who helped Hussain reach out to the bereaved family. Hussain forwarded the email to a group email for Pakistan Air Force colleagues, saying, "Most of you would recall that I had shot down an Indian civil aircraft after being scrambled from Mauripur in 1965 War."

Referring to an April 2011 article by Air Cdre Kaiser Tufail ("The Gujarat Beechcraft Incident - 1965 War", which gives details of the incident, he says it was Naveed Riaz, the Lahore-based businessman and aviation enthusiast, who helped him get in touch with the Indian contacts through whom he then managed to reach Jahangir Engineer's daughter.

Hussain wrote to Farida Singh, "The incident happened 46 years back but it is as fresh in my mind as if it had happened yesterday. The aircraft flown by your father had drifted off course by many a mile and in his search for the destination, he had been going up and down in the border area of Rann of Katchh for quite some time and it made our radar controllers uncomfortable.

"I happened to be strapped up in my aircraft along with another pilot (my leader) in his, on two minutes take-off alert. We were scrambled but I had to take off alone, and with help from my radar controller, intercepted your father's aircraft which was considered to be on a recce mission to open a new war front. I caught sight of him at 3000' and made a pass so close that I could read his markings and the number of the aircraft. Your father spotted my presence immediately and he started climbing and waggling his wings seeking mercy.

"Instead of firing at him at first sight, I relayed to my controller that I had intercepted an eight-seat transport aircraft (guessing by the four side windows) and wanted further instructions to deal with it. At the same time, I was hoping that I would be called back without firing a shot. There was a lapse of 3 to 4 long minutes before I was given clear orders to shoot the aircraft.

"After the shooting, I had a sense of achievement and satisfaction that I had completed my mission and destroyed any recce data that might have been collected to open a new war front. I landed back at Mauripur, Karachi, with my fuel tanks bone dry and was greeted by my seniors and other squadron colleagues. Later that evening, All India Radio announced the names of the occupants who had lost their lives in that aircraft...

"Mrs Singh, I have chosen to go into this detail to tell you that it all happened in the line of duty and it was not governed by the concept that 'everything is fair in love and war', the way it has been portrayed by the Indian media due to lack of information. I did not play foul and went by the rules of business but the unfortunate loss of precious lives, no matter how it happens, hurts each human and I am no exception. I feel sorry for you, your family and the other seven families who lost their dearest ones.

"I hope and pray that you and your family stay well

"My best regards...

"Qais"


Source

 

[Daredevil]

Most likely the coward wants to clear his guilty conscience before he dies. That's why I was always proud of what IAF did to Pakistan in Atlantique incident. They deserved it.

 

[agentperry]

good gesture but why so late???

 

[Pakistani Nationalist]

@daredevil..... i wonder wat happened to the indian coward who shot a PAF unarmed propeller plane "bronco" during 65? or the coward who hot the Atlantique ?


Only a coward takes pride in shooting unarmed planes............... The PAF pilot is a gentleman.

 

[Yusuf]

Atlantique is a recon plane. It was shot down because it came to snoop.
Bronco is again a military plane light attack and observation. But please lead me to a link on the 1965 "bronco shoot down". This plane was introduced in that very year.

 

[Pakistani Nationalist]

The Atlantique was shot down in our territory........ And sorry it was a bird dog/Cessna O-1 of PAF shot after ceasefire by india.

 

[Yusuf]

Shot in over our territory, debris fell in yours.

 

[Pakistani Nationalist]

Its a big plane not a light glider whose debris fell into our area.......... india was found guilty after the investigation......... shooting a bus sized unarmed plane during peace time...how heroic.

 

[Yusuf]

The Indian Air force said that the airplane did not respond to international protocol and that the plane acted in a "hostile" manner adding that the debris of a downed aircraft could fall over a wide radius. Indian sources also state that the Pakistani Information Minister, Mushahid Hussein, was initially quoted saying that the aircraft was on a surveillance mission. India also accused that the plane violated a bilateral agreement signed between India and Pakistan in 1991. The treaty states that no military aircraft is supposed to come anywhere near 10 km from the border (although Pakistan claimed the Atlantique wasn't a combat aircraft). Indian experts also questioned why a training mission was being done so close to international borders, since all air forces clearly demarcate training areas for flight, which are located well away from the borders. According to them, the Pakistani claim was untenable since the primary role of the Atlantique is for operations over the sea and that to carry out a training flight over land deep inside foreign territory was an indication of its use in a surveillance role. India displayed part of the wreckage of the Pakistani naval aircraft at New Delhi airport the next day. Pakistan however, stated that the wreckage was removed from its side of the border by Indian helicopters.

While Pakistan said that the plane was unarmed and the debris was within Pakistani territory, India maintained that warnings had been given to the Atlantique and that its flight trajectory meant it could have fallen on either side of the border. According to the Indian version of events, the MiGs tried to escort it to a nearby Indian base, when the Pakistani aircraft turned abruptly and tried to make a dash for the border; it was only then that it was fired upon. India claimed that the debris was found in a radius of 2 km on either side of the border and that the intrusion took place 10 km inside the Kori Creek, which is Indian territory. Pakistan requested that the matter be taken up in the UN. Indian officials blamed that there had been previous violations in the area and pointed out that in the previous year a Pakistani unmanned surveillance aircraft had intruded 150 km inside the Indian border, coming close to the Bhuj air base before the IAF spotted it and brought it down with several missiles.

Indian analysts state "flare-ups" in the Rann of Kutch region were routine, and despite bilateral agreements, both Indian and Pakistan had conducted air intrusions in the past. Thus, the fact that the Atlantique was shot down, despite coming close to the Indian border, came as a surprise. Indian officials add that Pakistan military aircraft had violated Indian airspace at least 50 times since January 1999, showing videotapes of Pakistani Atlantiques "buzzing", or flying provocatively near the Indian Navy's warships in the Indian Ocean. Some Indian analysts stated that the Atlantique was nearly destroyed in 1983 on a similar encounter and noted other close encounters and violations from Pakistani naval planes.

Some experts stated that the Atlantique was probably conducting a "probe" on India's air defence system, mainly the radar equipment in the border area; however, they advised that it was not part of any planned aggressive military action by Pakistan. Foreign diplomats who visited the crash site noted that the plane "may have strayed into restricted space", and that Islamabad was unable to explain why it was flying so close to the border. Many countries, the G8, the permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as the western media questioned the wisdom behind Pakistan's decision to fly military aircraft so close to the Indian border.

 

[utubekhiladi]

Its a big plane not a light glider whose debris fell into our area.......... india was found guilty after the investigation......... shooting a bus sized unarmed plane during peace time...how heroic.

Generally, i do not get into opium talks with trolls like you. but your comment cracked me up...

Its a big plane not a light glider whose debris fell into our area.......... india was found guilty after the investigation......... shooting a bus sized unarmed plane

first you said, it is a BIG PLANE then you said it is a bus sized plane
please, first make your mind regarding the size of the plane before posting...

india was found guilty after the investigation

Do you have any references/citations for that claim? well, it was actually pakistan which was embarrassed after filing law suite. it was found that Pakistan violated 1991 bilateral agreement between Pakistan and India on air violations, which states: "Combat aircraft (including, Bombers, Reconnaissance aircrafts, Jet military trainers and Armed helicopters) will not fly within 10 km of each other's airspace including Air Defense Identification Zone."[wiki]

Pakistan's claims were dropped, without recourse to appeal, and the outcome was seen as a decision highly favourable to India[wiki]

so, i am trying to understand who did the investigation and who found India guilty?

during peace time

This incident happened on August 10, 1999. Just few days after Indian armed forces anal raped so called 'intruders' from kargil. you see, this wasn't actually a 'peace time'

unarmed plane

why would your people send an unarmed plane so close to the border armed or unarmed it doesn't matter if you violate our airspace and your plane have Ensign/Insignia of your armed forces then we will shoot it down.. you see, we cannot keep quite when a plane having Insignia of pak navy enters our airspace.

 

[Blackwater]

Its a big plane not a light glider whose debris fell into our area.......... india was found guilty after the investigation......... shooting a bus sized unarmed plane during peace time...how heroic.

Atlantic was armed.it can carry arms and was loaded when shoot.

 

[Pakistani Nationalist]

So they warned a plane the size of an airliner tht was unarmed which defied the warning and was shot down?

Nice shytty story.... and a bunch of retards on ur side feel proud abt it.... nice.

 

[utubekhiladi]

So they warned a plane the size of an airliner tht was unarmed which defied the warning and was shot down?

Nice shytty story.... and a bunch of retards on ur side feel proud abt it.... nice.

did u read what i posted above? we simply didn't 'warned a plane the size of an airliner'...... we warned an enemy military aircraft which violated our airspace during war time and had pakistan navy symbols on it. despite our warnings, your navy plane performed hostile maneuvers. so we drilled their brains out and send 'em to hell.

when an enemy military plane violates our airspace during war time, we do not wait to conform if the plane is armed or not. Instead we just shoot it down...

Instead of ranting here, may be you should ask your govt why the plane went so close to the border and violated our airspace.

wow, look at that heat seeking missile homing towards pakistani navy plane.... what a kill!!! Bravo!!! - amazing :thumb:

I know, it hurts right? i can understand your pain that you all went through during this incident. now, take your rant back to pdf like a little good boy.

 

[Pakistani Nationalist]

Mod edit.......

 

[utubekhiladi]

Mod edit.......

 

[nitesh]

What kind of nonsense is this, why our media is allowing such crap to peddled out. I get a feeling that bloody pilot is still showing how good a murderer he is. He killed an unarmed civilian plane in cold blood, and now tom tomming about it. Just trying to show he is a true ghazi, who never deviated from his path, and killed the kaffir. We give too much credit to zia, this is in there blood from the begining

 

[nitesh]

Here it is:

PAF Flight Officer details a 46 year old misconduct | AsiaDespatch.com

well, clearly It was not an apology. It was purely a thoughtfulness on my part to tell the families, what actually happened no more, no less.

 

[utubekhiladi]

What kind of nonsense is this, why our media is allowing such crap to peddled out. I get a feeling that bloody pilot is still showing how good a murderer he is. He killed an unarmed civilian plane in cold blood, and now tom tomming about it. Just trying to show he is a true ghazi, who never deviated from his path, and killed the jaffir. We give too much credit to zia, this is in there blood from the begining

Actually, if you read the letter carefully, the PAF pilot actually describes how he shot the aircraft and how he celebrated the incident with other pilots. he also tells how his father begged for mercy.. his letter talk more about his achievement satisfaction rather than expressing condolences. he also blames Indian media..

he says

"I feel sorry for you"... Instead of "I am sorry".... he isn't actually expressing any condolences or apology..

for eg, if i break your furniture then i would say, "i am sorry.." i wouldn't say "i feel sorry for you that i broke your furniture..

 

[nitesh]

^^
And our media is portraying it is aman ka tamasha.. sigh

 

[utubekhiladi]

^^
And our media is portraying it is aman ka tamasha.. sigh

what can we do about it man?