The Final Flight: A Story from the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
How many of us know that once a Pakistani fighter plane killed one our Chief MinisterS -a freedom fighter?
Well, perhaps not many. But now as the active Indo Pak conflict took rest, let me tell you what happened then – September 19, 1965. Time 4 pm.
It was the Western Frontier and vast expanse of Kutch. The sun was descending over the horizon and the arid landscape of Kutch was glowing. The air was by then thick with the tension of war.
The then Guajarat Chief Minister Balwantrai Mehta was well aware of the situation but, still , decided to visit the Kutch border. As a Chief Minister he wanted to know first hand the plight of the border population and also to assess the prevailing condition.
On that day – September 19, 1965 he had earlier gone to Tata Chemicals in Mithapur and from there he took a small Beechcraft commuter aircraft to fly tohis destination. Unfortunately, he was then accompanied by his wife Sarojben Mehta, PA Francis Xavier Periera. There were also three members of his personal staff and a reporter K P Shah from the Gujarat Samachar. The aircraft was flown through the ‘restless’’ air by pilot Jahangir Engineer, a former Indian Air Force pilot. There were also his colleagues in the flight Pilot A M Da’Costa, Radio Engineer, V B Thorat, Aircraft Mechanic.
Meanwhile, across the border, Flight Lieutenant Qais Hussain of the Pakistan Air Force was on patrol in the area with his American made F-86 Sabre jet. The sky was a theater of war where every shadow could spell danger. When the Indian plane appeared on his radar, Hussain from his on ground controller received orders to intercept. Protocol dictated caution, but suspicion loomed large—a single aircraft flying close to the contested border could only mean it could be a spy plane on reconnaissance or, might be , worse.
As he appeared besides the Beechcraft Pilot Jehangir Engineer – being a former IAF pilot, knew threat was serious. So, he did what he was supposed to do. He ‘started climbing and waggling his wings seeking mercy’. Pak pilot Flight Lieutenant Qais Hussain also felt something wrong in his first assessment and told his ground controller that – “an eight-seat transport aircraft (guessing by the four side windows) and wanted further instructions to deal with it”. But the order came from the controller – Engage. And Flight Lieutenant Qais Hussain fired at the solitary plane, the Beechcraft carrying Gujrat Chief Minister Balwantrai Mehta, his wife and others.
In the next moment, the sky fractured into fire and smoke. The Beechcraft plummeted, spiraling towards the ground with a final, desperate roar.
Silence returned. Hussain could only watch as the fireball merged with the earth below, unaware of the lives that had just been claimed-hief Minister Mehta, his wife Sarojben, three staff members, the journalist, and the two crew members.
Hussain would later express his remorse upon learning the true nature of the flight—a journey not of espionage, but of duty and compassion.
“We were at war at the time and the initial impression after I shot down the aircraft was that we had been able to eliminate a new front. We were all very happy and I got a pat on the back from my colleagues,” said Hussain, many years later to an Indian News agency.
“This happened at about 4 pm. At 7 pm, All India Radio announced the aircraft that was shot down was carrying the Chief Minister and our mood became very sombre. We all repented what had happened but the event fell by the wayside.”
Once he also managed to connect Beechcraft Pilot Jehangir Engineer’s daughter to say ‘sorry’ in an email.
Pak pilot Flight Lieutenant Qais Hussain who left the Pak Airforce three years later wrote : Your father spotted my presence immediately and he started climbing and waggling his wings seeking mercy. Instead of firing at him at first sight, I relayed to my controller that I had intercepted an eight-seat transport aircraft (guessing by the four side windows) and wanted further instructions to deal with it,” Hussain wrote in his email.
“At the same time, I was hoping that I would be called back without firing a shot. There was a lapse of three to four long minutes before I was given clear orders to shoot the aircraft,” wrote Hussain.
“I thought it was better late than never. I’m happy to have been able to do something. I wanted to say that I was not a trigger-happy person and this happened in the confusion of war,” he said.
(At that time there was no such screaming and theatrical TV anchors in their AC room studios. Had they been there I am not sure what they would have said about the incident or take the Indo-Pak to what level)
Note : All information were taken from various open sources. Only picture I could not find is of Chief Minister’s PA Francis Xavier Periera