Two pilots martyred in PAF trainer aircraft crash near Mardan: ISPR

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan Air Force trainer aircraft crashed near Mardan during a routine training sortie on Sunday, and both pilots on board were martyred, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations.

The military’s media wing identified the two as Flight Lieutenant Muhammad Qasim Abdullah of the Pakistan Air Force and Lieutenant Taha Abbasi of the Pakistan Navy. The statement said the aircraft went down near Mardan while carrying out routine training.

Air Headquarters has set up a board of inquiry to determine the cause of the crash, the ISPR said. No further operational details about the accident were released in the statement.

Field Marshal Asim Munir, who is Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, along with the services chiefs and all ranks of the Pakistan Armed Forces, expressed grief over the deaths and offered condolences to the families of the two officers, the ISPR said.