Masroor Hosain

Air Commodore Masroor Hosain (29 December 192224 May 1967) was a Pakistani one-star rank air officer who was among the pioneer officers of the Pakistan Air Force, aerobatic pilot, and fighter pilot.

Born in Bulandshahr, Hosain graduated from the Aligarh Muslim University and joined the Royal Indian Air Force in 1944. After the Partition of British India, he opted for the Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) in August 1947. As a Flight Lieutenant, Hosain attended the RAF Central Flying School in England and won the Clarksons Aerobatics Trophy in 1949. In the summer of 1952, Squadron Leader Hosain was the captain of the RPAF's Hockey team during their tour to Australia and New Zealand.

On 24 May 1967, Hosain was conducting a low-level training mission. While approaching runway 27 at PAF Station Mauripur in his B-57 Canberra at a low altitude, a vulture impacted his canopy and killed him instantly. His flight navigator, Flight Lieutenant Subhan, safely ejected. Hosain managed to steer the aircraft towards a field to avoid a residential area and hit the ground at high speed. The debris of the aircraft was flung over a vast area and two employees of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) were killed on the ground. His death was noted as a significant loss for the PAF.

He was mentioned in the diary of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, while his close friend Air Marshal Asghar Khan, wrote an obituary for him in The Pakistan Times, and Air Marshal Nur Khan sent his condolences to his widow.

On 24 May 1968, PAF Station Mauripur was renamed to PAF Station Masroor in his honour.

Early life Masroor Hosain was born on 29 December 1922 in Bulandshahr into a Muslim family to Manzoor Hosain and Qudsiya Begum. Following the Partition of British India in August 1947, the family moved to Pakistan.

Personal life His younger brother, Khurshid Haider (1925–1995) was a Major General in the Pakistan Army.

Masroor Hosain married Mehr Nigar Abdul Aziz in 1962. She was the daughter of Mahmood Jahan and the famous Urdu writer, Khan Bahadur Abdul Aziz who was better known by his pen name Falak Paima. The couple were close friends with Quaid-e-Azam and Fatima Jinnah.

Masroor and Mehr had two children, daughter Jolie Asfareen and son Fareed Masroor Hosain. In the 1970s, Governor Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan hosted Mehr's ballet "Lalkar" to a Chinese delegation at the Governor's House, Karachi.

Mehr died from terminal cancer in 1986, shortly after completing her book, Shadows of Time: A Novel, which was posthumously published in 1987.

Masroor Hosain's cousin, Major General S. Wajahat Husain, also served in the Pakistan Army. His nephew, S. Mazhar Abbas retired as an Air Commodore of the Pakistan Air Force, while another nephew, Captain Syed Hassan Zaheer of the Pakistan Army was killed in action in the 1971 War and posthumously received the Sitara-e-Jurat.

Service years Royal Indian Air Force After graduating from the Aligarh Muslim University, Masroor Hosain was commissioned into the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) on 4 September 1944 as part of the 26th Course of the Initial Training Wing in Poona.

On 12 February 1947, Flying Officer Masroor Hosain took off in a Spitfire FR Mk XIV from Ambala Air Force Station. The engine cut off in mid-air and the aircraft was belly-landed near Nizampur, Panipat, 8 miles from takeoff. The forced belly landing severely damaged the fuselage due to the aircraft sliding along the rough ground at high speed. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and Hosain survived.

It was rare that trainees with less than a hundred hours of flying experience were required to ferry aircraft over a long and difficult route. Moreover, the aircraft were to be flown in formation and the cadets had not practiced the formation flying. At their third stop in Nawabshah, thousands crowded the airfield despite the stifling heat. The fact that the aircraft now belonged to Pakistan excited the crowd immensely. They spent the night in a local rest-house.

Flt Lt Masroor Hosain was among several Pakistani officers who were sent to the RAF Central Flying School in England. On 12 February 1949, he won the Clarkson Aerobatics Trophy. He was appointed Officer Commanding No. 14 Squadron PAF in November 1951.

Officers from the RPAF arrived at Point Cook on 13 June 1952, for a goodwill visit. During their stay, they played several hockey matches across Australia and toured all the capital cities. Group Captain A. Earle, the Acting Commanding Officer of RAAF Point Cook, welcomed Squadron Leader Masroor Hosain, the officer in charge of the visiting group.

On 3 June 1961, Masroor Hosain became the Commander of PAF Station Mauripur.

1965 war

Seated: Air Commodores Masroor Hosain and W. J. M. Turowicz at PAF Station Mauripur during the latters farewell visit before retiring, 1966 Air Commodore Masroor Hosain played a crucial role in managing and directing PAF air operations during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965. As Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Air Defence, he led the staff at the primary radar center located at PAF Station Sakesar in the central sector.

All PAF stations were put on high alert in anticipation of potential Indian Air Force attack, which led Pakistan to focus significantly on air defence. Approximately 40% of the PAF's fighter aircraft were initially reserved for this purpose. This effort was directed by Air Commodore Hosain, who was in charge of air defence at the Air Headquarters in Rawalpindi. The remaining Sabres were managed by the Assistant Chief of Air Staff (ACAS) Operations, Air Commodore Abdur Rahim Khan. Both officers were directly accountable to Air Marshal Nur Khan, who was in close contact with President Ayub Khan and General Headquarters.

Air Chief Marshal Anwar Shamim in his book, "Cutting Edge PAF: A Former Air Chief's Reminiscences of a Developing Air Force", wrote:"The names of Group Captain Masroor Hosain, Group Captain Saeedullah Khan and Group Captain Zafar Masud will forever be remembered in the history books as people who proved more than equal to the task.

Death On 24 May 1967, Squadron Leader Sajad Haider strapped Air Commodore Masroor Hosain into his F-86 Sabre at PAF Station Samungli, where Hosain warned him, "You scared General Jehanzeb during mock attack exercises; be very mindful of the big vultures here." This warning turned out to be eerily prescient.

After landing at PAF Station Mauripur, Hosain switched to a waiting B-57 Canberra. While practicing a simulated attack, a large vulture struck his canopy, killing him instantly and causing the plane to crash in a field in Karachi. It was reported that he guided his crashing jet away from a residential area. His navigator, Flight Lieutenant Subhan successfully ejected. Haider wrote that Hosain would have been the next Commander-in-Chief after Abdur Rahim Khan.

"In the death of Air Commodore Masroor Hosain in a flying accident, the Pakistan Air Force has lost one of its finest officers. An exceptional pilot and an outstanding sportsman, he had throughout his career performed every assignment with distinction. He had a rare personal charm and engaging manner.

A person of many qualities he always set the highest standards of professional conduct. In a service which is rich in talent and tradition, he had stood out as a man that others might emulate. Always out-spoken and honest in his views he brought to the service a refreshing candour that raised the tone of any discussion in which he took part. So many were his qualities that if it can be said of any person, it can certainly be of him that he was indeed a "complete" officer. In a service hardened by such losses and steeled by experience of battle, the passing away of no one person is regarded as an irreparable loss, I have no doubt that the Pakistan Air Force will in time produce an officer who will acquire the distinction and ability that he displayed in the professional field.

I am however, certain that not many will display those human qualities that made him so rare a figure amongst his contemporaries. It is perhaps fitting that he should have died as he lived, in an environment to which he gave over 23 of his best years and in a service towards the development of which he made such a notable contribution.

He leaves behind a young and talented wife and two charming children. They will, I hope, bear this loss as well as he would have liked them to, for when the initial shock of this tragedy passes, they will treasure the memory of a husband and father whose loss many others today mourn with them."

Awards and decorations RAF Central Flying School Clarkson Aerobatics Trophy, 1949 Certificate of Supersonic Recognition of the Order of F-104 Starfighters, 1960 Sitara-e-Pakistan, 1966

PAF GD(P) Badge RED (More than 3000 Flying Hours)Golden Eagle Award (Pakistan)(Exceptional Fighter Pilot)Sitara-e-Pakistan (Commander of theOrder of Pakistan)1965 WarIndia Service Medal 1939–1945Pakistan Tamgha (Pakistan Medal)

1947Tamgha-e-Qayam-e-Jamhuria (Republic Commemoration Medal)

1956Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War (War Star 1965)Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War (War Medal 1965)