PM, Field Marshal attend funeral of Army pilots martyred in Quetta plane crash

— Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir among others on Tuesday attended the burial prayers of two Pakistan Army pilots who attained martyrdom in a training aircraft crash near Quetta a day earlier.

A Pakistan Army Aviation Mushshak training aircraft crashed today in Nawan Killi in Quetta district killing Major Husnain Shehzad Humayun Shaheed and Captain Abdul Samad Shaheed on board.

The funeral prayers were attended by senior political and military officials who paid their condolences to the two commanders.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and other authorities attended the burial rites.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, identified the two pilots as Major Husnain Shehzad Humayun, an instructor pilot and Captain Abdul Samad, a student pilot. The fatalities elicited condolences from the country’s senior leadership, with officials expressing compassion for the families after the sad occurrence.

The ISPR said the Mushshak training aircraft crashed near Nawan Killi at noon on October 12. The media wing of the military said the crash was due to a technical error and both the pilots died.

The plane was being used for training purposes when the disaster happened. The ISPR recognised the officers killed in the collision but did not disclose any specifics in its statement.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the demise of the two pilots and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed condolences and prayed for the elevation of the officers’ ranks and sought strength for the families to bear the loss.

The incident comes after several military aviation accidents in Pakistan this year. In June, an ISPR statement said a Pakistan Army Aviation Mi-17 helicopter crashed while taking flight near Muzaffarabad. Earlier this month, a Pakistan Air Force plane crashed during a normal training mission near Mardan.