Tribute to sky warriors: The soaring spirit of Pakistan Air Force
PESHAWAR (APP) Every year, as Pakistan commemorates Defense and Martyrs Day on September 6, memories of valor, sacrifice, and unyielding patriotism echo across the nation.
It’s a day not only to remember battles won but to honor those who fought in the skies being the silent guardians whose wings shielded the nation from peril.
Among them stand the Sky Warriors of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) are pilots and personnel who have time and again proven that courage, not numbers, decides the fate of nations.
The early hours of September 6, 1965, marked a turning point in Pakistan’s military history. As enemy forces crossed the international border towards Lahore, Pakistan’s response was swift and fierce and leading that response was the Pakistan Air Force. Despite being outnumbered, the PAF demonstrated unmatched speed, precision, and valor.
Squadron Leader MM Alam, a name now etched in the annals of air combat history, set an extraordinary record by downing five Indian aircraft in under a minute during a single dogfight. His feat is more than a statistic but it’s a story of composure under fire, leadership, fight skills and mastery of the skies.
“PAF broke the back of the enemy in 1965,” recalls Brigadier (R) Mahmood Shah, a war veteran. “What they lacked in numbers, they made up for in skill, strategy, and sheer courage.”
From Sarfaraz Rafiqui, who fought gallantly and embraced martyrdom, to Flight Lieutenant Imtiaz Bhatti and Squadron Leader Sajjad Haider, whose daring air strikes rattled enemy airfields, these men became more than pilots — they became the guardians of national pride.
The PAF’s story didn’t end in 1965. It evolved into a force more advanced, more strategic, and more resilient. The historic moment on February 27, 2019, when the PAF shot down two Indian warplanes in response to the Balakot airstrike and captured a pilot, reminded the world that Pakistan’s skies are never unguarded.
More recently, in May 2025, during Operation Iron Wall, the PAF once again demonstrated its aerial supremacy, downing six enemy aircraft including the sophisticated Rafale jets.
Such moments reaffirm the core strength of the PAF not just its equipment, but its people. The JF-17 Thunder, a symbol of Pakistan’s defense innovation, reflects how far the force has come from its early days of borrowed aircraft.
This journey toward excellence was envisioned by none other than father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. On April 13, 1948, during a visit to the then Royal Pakistan Air Force School in Risalpur, he told a gathering of cadets and officers.
“There is no doubt that a country without a strong air force is at the mercy of an aggressor. It must be an efficient air force second to none.”
These weren’t just words but they were a prophecy. That same school, now PAF Asghar Khan Academy Risalpur, stands as a cradle of leadership, producing not only ace pilots but ambassadors of discipline, resilience, and service.
While its combat record draws admiration, the PAF’s contributions go far beyond warfare. Whether airlifting relief supplies during floods, conducting medical evacuations in remote areas, or assisting in counterterrorism operations, the PAF has become a multi-dimensional asset of the nation.
Its roles in education, disaster relief, aerospace development, and international peacekeeping reveal a force deeply embedded in the nation’s security, development and inspiration.
Defense Day is also a day of dreams of young boys and girls looking up at roaring jets painting the skies in green and white, imagining themselves in cockpits, donning the blue uniform, ready to serve.
It’s a day that breathes life into aspirations and renews the nation’s promise to never forget.
As military parades, air shows, and wreath-laying ceremonies echo across airbases from Sargodha to Quetta and Karachi to Peshawar, the country pays homage to its sky defenders those who returned, and those who became stars in the sky they once ruled.
The Pakistan Air Force today is more than an institution but it is an emotion, a legacy forged in battle, guaranteed peace and carried forward spirit of sacrfice by every officer, engineer, technician, and pilot for defense of motherland.
“PAF is the pride of the nation,” said Brigadier Mahmood Shah. “Its operations, whether in 1965 or 2025, prove that Pakistan’s airspace is invincible under its watch.”
As the nation marked another year of resilience and honor, let us remember the sky warriors who soared not just through the clouds, but into our hearts.
With each takeoff and landing, with every roar of jet engines over the homeland, the message is clear that PAF is forever vigilant. Forever proud. And forever ready.
