The daughter of an IAF pilot, who was killed when a Pakistan Air Force combat pilot shot down his civilian aircraft during the 1965 Indo-Pak war, has 'forgiven' her father's killer.

A Pakistani fighter pilot who shot down an Indian civilian aircraft more than 40 years ago has written to the family of the dead Indian pilot.

The Pak pilot named Qais Hussain, in an unusual heart-warming gesture, sent a note of condolence to the daughter of the Indian pilot killed in the incident, and on Wednesday he (10-Aug-2011) received a response.

In his email, Qais Hussain said he was sorry for the loss of precious lives during the incident and was acting under orders from his superiors.

Mr Hussain was a young flying officer during the 1965 war between India and Pakistan.

Accepting the apology tendered by Pakistan Air Force pilot Qais Hussain for shooting down the aircraft flown by her father during the 1965 War with the very same tenderness with which it was offered, Farida Singh on Wednesday hoped his touching letter would heal wounds not just on a personal scale but in a much wider arena.

In her reply – which Mr. Hussain posted online with her permission – Ms. Singh said: “Most of all, my father would have liked that it goes towards bringing a spark of forgiveness between our two peoples, who after all were one.” Mr. Hussain wrote the letter on August 5 and it was reported in the Pakistani daily The News under the logo ‘Aman ki Asha’.

Explaining why he had chosen to get in touch with the slain pilot’s daughter, Husain says, “I have chosen to go into this detail to tell you that it all happened in the line of duty and it was not governed by the concept that ‘everything is fair in love and war’, the way it has been portrayed by the Indian media due to lack of information. I did not play foul and went by the rules of business but the unfortunate loss of precious lives, no matter how it happens, hurts each human and I am no exception. I feel sorry for you, your family and the other seven families who lost their dearest ones.”

0 comments