Qais Hussain – The CAP Podcast #31

Mr. Qais Hussain, born in 1940 in Sargodha, Pakistan, was a rookie Flying Officer during the 1965 war. He was sent on his first solo flight after receiving just 16 hours of training, a testament to his extraordinary flying abilities. In conversation with The Citizens Archive of Pakistan, Mr. Hussain describes his experiences with M.M Alam during the 1965 war and his love for flying!

The Gujarat Beechcraft incident was an event during Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 in which Pakistan Air Force shot down a civilian Indian Beechcraft commuter aircraft on September 19, 1965. Then chief minister of Indian state of Gujarat, Balwantrai Mehta was killed in the crash along with his wife, three members of his staff, one journalist and two crew members.

Qais Hussain, a flying officer during the 1965 war, was the pilot who fired on the civilian aircraft under orders from his superiors. In August 2011 he wrote to Farida Singh, the daughter of the deceased civilian pilot, via email, expressing his condolences.