Two Pakistan Army pilots martyred as Mushshak aircraft crashes in Quetta

Two Pakistan Army pilots were martyred on Monday when a training aircraft crashed near Nawan Killi in Quetta due to a technical fault, the military’s media wing said.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said: “At midday, a Mushshak training aircraft of Pakistan Army Aviation crashed near Nawan Killi, Quetta due to a technical fault.”

It said both pilots, Major Husnain Shehzad Humayun, an instructor pilot, and Captain Abdul Samad, a student pilot, embraced martyrdom in the crash.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the deaths of the two pilots and extended his condolences to their bereaved families. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed grief and sorrow over the deaths, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed sorrow over the loss of the two pilots.

“In this hour of sorrow, we stand with the martyrs’ bereaved families,” Naqvi was quoted as saying in a statement.