1971 War: The Pilot Who Hijacked Rashid Minhas’ Aircraft

This incident occurred four months before the independence of Bangladesh when Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman, a trainer for fighter pilots in the Pakistan Air Force, rebelled against West Pakistan (now Pakistan) during the 1971 war.

During the war, Matiur Rahman attempted to hijack a Pakistan Air Force fighter jet from Karachi and fly it to India.

However, his attempt failed, and the aircraft crashed near the Indian border, resulting in the deaths of both him and his trainee pilot, Rashid Minhas.

Following this event, Pakistan honored Rashid Minhas with the country’s highest military award, the Nishan-e-Haider, while Bangladesh awarded Matiur Rahman its highest military honor, Bir Sreshtho, meaning “The Best Brave Hero.”

Early Life and Military Career

Matiur Rahman belonged to a middle-class family from East Pakistan. He was born on February 21, 1945, in Ramna Nagar, near Dhaka, and received his early education there.

Later, he was enrolled at the PAF Public School in Sargodha, West Pakistan.

After completing his 12th grade, he joined the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in August 1961. He was commissioned into the General Duty Pilot Branch in June 1963 and was serving as an instructor pilot before the 1971 war.

On the other hand, Rashid Minhas was born on February 17, 1951, in Karachi, after the partition of India.

In 1969, he joined the PAF Academy Risalpur, where he was trained to fly Harvard and T-37 aircraft.

The Hijacking Attempt

According to Pakistani Air Force historian Qaiser Tufail, in his article “Bluebird 116 is Hijacked”, Bengali officers stationed in Karachi had realized that Pakistani intelligence was monitoring them.

They decided to maintain friendly relations with other officers at the airbase while secretly planning to hijack a Pakistani fighter jet and fly it to India.

Initially, the plan was to hijack one or two F-86 Sabres, but this idea was abandoned as a larger group would attract suspicion.

Instead, they chose to hijack a T-33 aircraft, which was easier to take over during a solo mission.

On August 20, 1971, Rashid Minhas was initially not scheduled to fly due to bad weather, but when conditions improved, he was ordered to prepare for takeoff.

Before boarding the aircraft, he had a quick meal—two gulab jamuns and a few sips of Coca-Cola.

The Hijacking Attempt and Crash

Pakistani authorities claim that during the training flight, Matiur Rahman signaled a technical fault and rendered Rashid Minhas semi-unconscious using chloroform.

Matiur then contacted his associates on the ground, instructing them to take his family to the Indian High Commission in Karachi, as he was taking a PAF aircraft to India.

According to ISPR’s book “Moon Glade”, just as Rashid Minhas was preparing for takeoff, Matiur Rahman signaled him to stop.

Thinking it was for last-minute instructions, Rashid stopped the aircraft. Matiur then forcibly entered the cockpit from the rear seat, took control of the plane, and took off toward India.

Before Rashid Minhas could fully react, the aircraft was already speeding down the runway.

He managed to send a distress call at 11:28 AM, informing Air Traffic Control that his aircraft had been hijacked.

Pakistani authorities suggest that Matiur Rahman may have used a pistol to intimidate Rashid Minhas, preventing him from shutting down the engine.

Meanwhile, Bengali officer Captain Fareed later wrote in the Daily Star (2006) that he saw both pilots struggling for control of the aircraft mid-flight.

He suspected that Matiur was attempting to reach India, as he was not wearing a parachute or helmet, suggesting a one-way mission.

A security alert was issued at the airbase, and fighter jets were sent to intercept the hijacked aircraft.

Veteran PAF pilot Sajjad Haider, in his book “Flight of the Falcon”, wrote that Rashid Minhas had several opportunities to prevent takeoff, but Matiur’s experience as a senior pilot gave him an advantage.

Flying at low altitude to avoid radar detection, Matiur made it difficult for Pakistani fighter jets to locate him.

Later that afternoon, a local police station reported a plane crash.

Investigation and Aftermath

An investigation revealed that the canopy (cockpit cover) was not locked before takeoff.

During the flight, it was blown away by air pressure and struck the aircraft’s tail, causing it to crash nose-first.

Matiur Rahman was ejected from the cockpit as he was likely not wearing a safety belt. His body was found near the crash site.

A toy pistol was also recovered from the wreckage.

Rashid Minhas’s body was found inside the aircraft, leading to claims that he had deliberately crashed the plane to prevent it from reaching India.

Pakistani investigators concluded that Matiur Rahman had planned to defect to India to support the Bengali independence movement.

The head of the Air Investigation Board, Group Captain Zaheer Hussain, believed that Rashid Minhas, being young and less experienced, might have frozen under pressure.

Upon hearing the full story, Pakistan’s military ruler Yahya Khan declared that Rashid Minhas deserved nothing less than the Nishan-e-Haider.

Thus, Rashid Minhas became the youngest recipient of Pakistan’s highest military award, Nishan-e-Haider, and remains the only PAF officer to receive it.

Matiur Rahman’s Legacy in Bangladesh

Bangladeshi writer Rafi Alam, in his book “Unforgettable Heroes of Bangladesh”, described Matiur Rahman’s moral dilemma, stating that he could not bomb his own land as a PAF pilot, but family restrictions prevented him from openly joining the independence war.

Matiur Rahman was part of a secret mission code-named “Bluebird” to rebel against West Pakistan.

He attempted to fly the aircraft to Gujarat Airfield in India, but the mission failed.

His body was initially buried at Masroor Air Base, Karachi, in the cemetery for low-ranking employees.

His wife and daughters were imprisoned for a month and released on September 29, 1971.

After Bangladesh gained independence, Matiur Rahman was posthumously awarded Bir Sreshtho, Bangladesh’s highest military honor.

In 2006, after 35 years, Pakistan returned his remains to Bangladesh, where he was given a state funeral in Dhaka.

The Bangladesh Air Force base in Jessore was later renamed “Matiur Rahman Air Base” in his honor.