PAF trainer plane crashes near Mardan, killing two pilots

A Pakistan Air Force trainer aircraft crashed during a routine training sortie near the northwestern city of Mardan on Monday, June 15, killing both pilots on board. The military identified the deceased as Flight Lieutenant Muhammad Qasim Abdullah of the Pakistan Air Force and Lieutenant Taha Abbasi of the Pakistan Navy.

The Inter Services Public Relations, the military's media wing, stated that a board of inquiry has been constituted by Air Headquarters to ascertain the cause of the accident. The crash occurred in an open area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistan's senior leadership expressed grief and offered condolences. In separate statements, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the pilots, whom they described as having embraced martyrdom. They extended sympathies to the bereaved families and praised the dedication of the armed forces. Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, along with the service chiefs and all ranks of the Pakistan Armed Forces, also expressed deep sorrow over the loss. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi issued a statement honoring the sacrifice of the pilots and extended...