air marshal
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BATTLEFIELD SUPPORT - 14 APRIL 1948 - GILGIT: Flight Lieutenant M Khyber Khan lands on an unprepared surface at Gilgit to deliver the first heavy mortar to the liberation forces during the Kashmir operations. The mortar was carried to Skardu on a Bactrian camel and played a vital role in the capture of Skardu Fort, the last enemy stronghold. Till the early 1950s the only access to this part of the country was an unreliable mule track which remained blocked for most part of the year due to land slides and snow. The runways at Gilgit or Skardu had not yet been built. The aircraft shown in the painting is a Harvard which flew from Risalpur under the instructions of Wing Commander M Asghar Khan, Commandant RPAF College, Risalpur. Although the rear seat of the Aircraft was removed, the barrel remained protruding out of the cockpit, making the flight of the aircraft all the more difficult.