Al-zakir
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A former Air Force pilot MALIK AYAZ HUSSAIN TIWANA
looks back at the PAF with pride
On this auspicious occasion, as we celebrate the Pakistan Air Force Day, fond memories come to mind of brave men in a bygone era, when time was young, flowers smelled sweeter and life seemed to be in full bloom everywhere. I remember the mid summer day in early sixties, when we joined the PAF College (later academy) Risalpur. My colleagues came from all parts of Pakistan-from the Khyber Pass to Chittagong hill tracts, some from big cities like Karachi, Lahore and Dacca and some from small towns and villages across the country. They were young , seventeen eighteen and nineteen years old, the flower of Pakistani youth and had been chosen from amongst thousands, after tough and exhaustive tests and selection processes. One thing they had in common, they all had radiant faces and fire in their eyes having accepted the challenges of one of the most dangerous and demanding professions in the world, where death itself is your co-pilot. Many could not withstand the mental and physical rigours of training and could not make it. Ultimately only a small percentage made it to ultimate goal - The Fighter Squadrons, the elite units of the Pakistan Air Force.
The 1965 air war came early and we were to witness daring exploits and great sacrifices borne out of calculated determination, professionalism and bravery. People like Sarfraz Rafiqui, Younus, Munir, Iqbal, Ahmed (to name a few), were to give a new meaning to courage and leadership. And yes, there was the redoubtable M.M. Alam they called him Peanut Alam (due to his small body frame), who was to show what actual giants are made of as he sliced into the enemy formations, dishing out not only physical destruction, but also psychological as well. I remember Flt Lt Shams, a bomber pilot, example of tenacity and determination, who flew mission after mission with an excruciating kidney pain, but did not report to the doctors till the situation became unbearable and he was near collapse.
I remember when the Pakistan Air Force showed its mettle in the short six day Arab Israeli War of 1967. Four Israeli aircraft were shot down by a single PAF pilot, Flt Lt Saiful Azam, on posting to the Royal Jordanian Air Force, jolting the Israelis.
I remember the mighty airlift in March 1971, of thousand of troops to East Pakistan, in a handful of PAF Cargo and PIA aircraft, over a long and dangerous route, some troops going straight into battle as they disembarked. The PAF had to fight the 1971 War with its one hand tied behind its back. Nevertheless, the enemy felt its deadly bite. I remember the closing weeks of 1971 and the war. The last party which our squadron had in November, before the war, was to welcome the newlywed wife of my handsome friend, Flt Lt Fazal, who attained Shahadat in Chamb, when flying next to me, he was hit by ground fire and flicked into the ground without giving a radio call.
I remember the brave fighter pilots of No 14 Sqn in Dacca, East Pakistan, who fought outnumbered and outgunned against 12 enemy squadrons. And yes, there was this young Flying Officer Sohail Ismail in Dacca, who gave away his own seat in the last evacuating aircraft, to a helpless lady and surrendered himself to the enemy without caring for the consequences for himself, what chivalry, what bravery! Get me a gentlemen like him who set an example of the noblest traditions. In those fateful days, these brave men defied all calculations beyond imagination.
The PAFs flight through all these years has been a journey fraught with challenges, which were met with valour, hard work and fortitude, for God and country. Whether it was flying Air Defence Missions in the Jordan Valley or the Syrian Golan heights or flying armed recce over the blue waters of Mediterranean Sea along the Libyan coast, the Pakistan Air Force came out with flying colours. For a long time the PAF was in North Africa, Central Africa and the Middle East. I remember the day when the President of one of the North African countries asked us, a handful of PAF pilots to attack and destroy a powerful fleet of one of the powers what faith and confidence in the ability of the PAF! (Of course we didnt oblige!)
All in all, the Pakistan Air Force is a combination of many splendid things. It combines the ferocity of a tiger, the romanticism of a poet and the warmth of a mothers love, where comradeship knits all in a strong fighting team. It is a melting pot of brave men from many castes, creeds and regions. Its institutions are strong, efficient and just, where merit alone dictates the outcome. Its traditions are laced with nobility, chivalry and professionalism, where the sprit of sacrifice runs deep in the blood stream of its ground and aircrews. In a world of kill or get killed, it gives no quarter and asks for none.
I salute the Pakistan Air Force and those magnificent men in their flitting machines for what they were, are and always would be. My heart goes out to those hundreds of valiant fighter pilots who are no more with us, having laid down their lives, in war and peace in line of duty to their country. Their graves I may not know but I do know that they could have been the pride of any air force and any nation.
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