Rashid Minhas
Rashid Minhas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 February 1951 |
| Died | 20 August 1971 (aged 20) Sujawal District, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Buried | Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Allegiance | Pakistan |
| Service/branch | Pakistan Air Force |
| Service years | 13 March 1971 – 20 August 1971 |
| Rank | Pilot officer |
| Service number | Pak/5602 |
| Unit | No. 2 Squadron |
| Conflicts | Bangladesh Liberation War † |
| Awards | Nishan-e-Haider |
| Alma mater | St Patrick's High School, Karachi |
| Website | "Rashid Minhas (Shaheed)". |
Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas NH (Urdu: راشد منہاس) was a Pakistani fighter pilot and the fifth recipient of Pakistan's highest military award, the Nishan-e-Haider. Minhas was the first and only officer from the Pakistan Air Force to receive the Nishan-e-Haider, and was also the youngest person and the shortest-serving officer to have received the award. During a routine training mission in August 1971, Minhas attempted to gain control of his jet trainer when his superior officer Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman BS took control over the plane to join the Bangladesh War of Independence but Minhas resisted his efforts to control the aircraft and crashed it in Sujawal District in Pakistan.