FAISALABAD: A chowk in Faisalabad has been named after Pakistan’s first martyred female pilot Mariyam Mukhtiyar.
The chowk was inaugurated by Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.
Squadron Leader Saqib Abbasi and co-pilot Mariyum were flying a training mission on an FT-7PG aircraft when they encountered a “serious in-flight emergency” during the final stages in Kundian, Mianwali district, about 175 kilometres (109 miles) southwest of Islamabad on November 24, 2015.
Mariyum embraced martyrdom in the incident and became the first lady pilot from PAF to attain this great honour while the male officer, Abbasi, sustained serious injuries.
She was among about 20 female fighter pilots in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), which only began inducting women in combat roles in 2006.
It is unclear how many women have joined the air force as fighter pilots since then. A New York Times report in June put the figure at 21.
Pakistan‘s military has suffered a series of air disasters in recent months.
In September a trainer jet crashed near Mastung in Balochistan province. The pilot ejected to safety.
A military helicopter crashed in Gilgit-Baltistan region in May, killing seven people, including the ambassadors of Norway and the Philippines.
Another military helicopter crashed near Mansehra district in August, killing 12 people. NNI
