The untold story of a PAF martyr buried in Delhi
Hardly a few Pakistani would know that one of their national heroes was buried quietly in the graveyard of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia in Delhi with full honour by the Indian authorities on December 17, 1971 a day after the dismemberment of Pakistan.
His name was Flight Lieutenant Murtaza Malik who had demolished the Amritsar airbase of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on December 5, 1971 before being badly injured during the action. As his aircraft caught fire during bombardment, Malik ejected from his plane, only to become a Prisoner of War (PoW). He was admitted to a military hospital in Delhi where he finally succumbed to his head injuries on December 17, 1971. These details about this unsung hero of Pakistan along with pictures of his historical burial in Delhi have finally been made public in an astonishing book titled ‘Sentinels in the Sky’ which has been authored and co-authored by Col (R) Azam Qadri and Group Captain (R) Muhammad Ali respectively. Col Qadri belonged to the Pakistan Army while Group Captain Ali is a former PAF officer.
Flight Lieutenant Murtaza Malik was born in a religious family of Malik Kala Khan; Kahuta, Rawalpindi. He joined PAF as an aircraft technician on June 19, 1958. As a promising aviator, Malik served on various flight lines and showed extraordinary performance. It was during these days that he developed a passion to become an officer of the PAF. His wish came true in June 1963 when he was selected to undergo officer training at PAF Academy, Risalpur. Resilient Malik showed all round performance during training. After spending two eventful years at Academy, Malik earned his commission on January 30, 1966 and passed out as an operational navigator. Malik showed great potential in flying and soon earned enviable reputation among his peers.
The book, which will be launched in Islamabad today at the PAF Headquarters in the presence of the incumbent Air Chief, discloses that as the war became imminent in November 1971,
Malik along with his zealous crew was detached to Mianwali. As they arrived at Mianwali, the PAF warplanes were activated and mission tasking orders landed in the operation room of the base. In the opening round of the war, the PAF had planned to attack the Indian Air Force bases, with the aim to incapacitate their lethal punch. Undaunted by the threat of enemy air defence, a well-determined Malik prepared his missions well and remained a source of motivation for his comrades. He participated in two successful strike missions before his final mission which was carried out on December 5, 1971.
In fact, Amritsar was a strategically and operationally significant airbase for the Indian Air Force. However, to make the Amritsar base operationally dysfunctional, a bombing mission was planned by the PAF. Launching an unarmed B-57 against a base known for its formidable air defence was risky but worth its strategic importance. Therefore, this important mission was assigned to courageous Flight Lieutenant Javed Iqbal and his brave navigator Flight Lieutenant Murtaza Malik. Both had already flown three bombing missions deep inside enemy territory, achieving heartening results. The dauntless duo took the challenge with pride and prepared the mission well.
The crew took off at dusk on December 5, 1971 and by the time, they were entering the Indian border, darkness had already engulfed everything underneath. Malik meticulously taking stock of remaining fuel navigated the aircraft to target. Overhead the airfield they pulled up and delivered the lethal cargo in the centre of the runway. As the bombs struck the airfield, heavy ack-ack fire opened up. Passing through the formidable fire the resilient crew went around for the second bombing run. This time the target was the tarmac. As the crew dropped the remaining bombs on the target, a barrage of lethal ack-ack fire struck the aircraft.
Javed tried to control the aircraft but failed. Both the crew members ejected from the burning aircraft, inside the enemy territory. Javed’s ejection was unsuccessful and by the time he landed on ground, he was gone. Malik received serious head injuries while ejecting. He fell unconscious during parachute descent and was later captured by the Indian troops. After being captured, he was admitted to a military hospital near New Delhi. On December 17, 1971, the unsung hero met his eternal destiny at the hospital in New Delhi. The East Pakistan had fallen 24 hours before his demise.
The events that followed the tragic demise of Murtaza Malik are heartening and inspiring at the same time. Soon the arrangements were made by the Indian authorities for the burial of the brave officer in line with the Muslim rituals. It was decided that the great soldier would be laid to rest in Nizamuddin Aulia graveyard, in Dehli. Flight Lieutenant Amjad, who had already been captured a few days earlier, was called from Allahabad PoW camp to participate in the last rituals of the Shaheed. Pakistani flag, arranged from the Saudi Embassy at New Delhi, was wrapped around the casket of the martyr. He was put to rest in eternal abode in the presence of thousands of mourners. Surely, the great son of Pakistan deserved the heroic farewell.
Malik’s widow was told through a wire from the PAF that his husband had crashed and declared ‘Missing in Action’. In the meantime, the PAF used all possible means to ascertain the whereabouts of missing pilot. However, the courageous woman and her two minor boys were presuming that he would return one day. The war was over in a few days but not the hope of the courageous widow, Bashiran Bibi. She waited long until one day she received a mail from International Red Cross. It carried the historic photographs of the funeral ceremony held in honour of her martyred husband. With a mixed feeling of pride and sorrow, the mystery of her husband’s final moments was revealed to her. She is content with one thing - Malik is resting at a sacred place where many Muslims of the Sub-Continent desire to be.
Years after years, the contingents attending the annual ‘Urs’ at Nizamuddin Aulia, consider it their duty to visit the grave of Murtaza Shaheed and pay homage to the great son of Pakistan.
What an honour this man had achieved after his Shahadat, that too in the enemy territory. The historic account, which remained hidden for decades, has been taken out of the oblivion by Col (R) Azam Qadri and Group Captain (R) Muhammad Ali after 43 years.
“Sentinels in the Sky” tells us the “untold” stories about 100 martyrs and Ghazis of the PAF including those officers who had destroyed some Israeli aircrafts during the war of 1967 and 1973 (The Arab-Israel wars). Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt has written the foreword of this book, showering his praise for a Khaki officer Col (R) Azam Qadri for telling the stories of the unsung heroes in the blue uniform. Col (R) Azam was a close friend of another 1971 martyr Major Shabir Sharif Shaheed (NH) and he also authored a book about his brave friend.
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