Mariam Mukhtar

Marium Mukhtiar (May 19, 1992 November 24, 2015) was a Pakistani fighter pilot. She died flying a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) FT-7PG aircraft that crashed near Kundian in Mianwali District, northwestern Punjab, Pakistan on November 24, 2015. She was the first female Pakistani fighter pilot to die in the line of duty. She studied civil engineering at NED University before qualifying as a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in 2014, along with six other women. She was also involved in charity work, supporting a school for children who were unable to afford an education.

Death

On 24 November 2015, Mukhtiar and her instructor pilot Squadron Leader Saqib Abbasi were on a routine training mission when their FT-7PG crashed near Kundian, Mianwali, Punjab. Both pilots ejected from the cockpit; Abbasi suffered minor injuries, but Mukhtiar died of her injuries in a military hospital. According to a PAF spokesperson, Mukhtiar and Abbasi had ejected at too low an altitude. Abbasi survived possibly because he had managed to eject a few seconds earlier.

Mukhtiar's death was declared a martyrdom (or shahadat) by the PAF, which said both pilots "handled the serious emergency with professionalism and courage and tried to save the ill-fated aircraft until the very last minutes.Flying Officer Mukhtiar could have saved her life had she ejected before taking PAF FT-7PG out of populous areas but both pilots decided to take the risk to keep flying the falling jet."

She is buried in Malir Cantonment Graveyard.

Awards

In December 2015, Pakistan's Senate Standing Committee on Defence (SSCD) recommended Mukhtiar for a state award. She was awarded the Tamgha-e-Basalat by the Government of Pakistan in early 2016.

Popular culture Ek Thi Marium – a 2016 Pakistani biographical telefilm aired by Urdu 1, directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, written by Umera Ahmad, and starring Sanam Baloch as Mukhtiar.