Sqn Ldr Muniruddin Ahmed (Shaheed), SJ

Gurdaspur born Muniruddin Ahmed was the youngest among the five brothers. Munir joined PAF College, Risalpur in 1949 and graduated on 22nd Dec 1955 with 26 GD (P) Course. After graduation, he was posted to elite No 14 Sqn and became the top-notch fighter pilot in a very short time.
From Sept 4-11, he took part in ten operational missions, which included close support especially in Chamb sector, destroying a number of tanks and armoured vehicles. He participated in combat missions nearly every day until he made the supreme sacrifice on Sept 11. For the first few days of the war, he did not get an opportunity to engage the enemy in aerial combat and was desperate to get a chance. His wish was fulfilled the day before his last mission, when he shot down an IAF Gnat fighter in a clash about 20 miles southeast of Ferozepur.
On 11 Sept 1965, Sqn Ldr Muniruddin Ahmed volunteered for the dangerous strike mission to destroy formidable Amritsar Radar station. Earlier attempts to destroy it (in which Munir was also the participant) proved to be futile as the target was well-camouflaged. Intelligence reports suggested that it was located in the centre of thickly populated Amritsar city and a battery of heavy ack-ack guns guarded it. The PAF leadership wanted to destroy the target at all costs so that air superiority could be achieved in the battle area. Munir considered the destruction of the Amritsar radar as personal challenge and being the wing ops officer devised various tactics to neutralise this threat.
In the afternoon of the fateful day, the two Sabres, with Wg Cdr Shamim (later Air Chief Marshal) and Sqn Ldr Munir as his wingman, bounded down the runway. A few seconds later, the other two, with Flt Lt Imtiaz Ahmed Bhatti and Flt Lt Cecil Chaudhry in their cockpits, joined up and the four set course for the target. With eyes scanning the skies for enemy interceptors, they roared on into the hostile land. Sitting tense and alert in their cockpits, they were flying very low and the dust and haze had reduced the visibility to the minimum.
Suddenly, the enemy guns opened up. First, it was spasmodic but as the target came closer the intensity of flak increased. All types of guns, light and heavy, seemed to be firing at them and the air was filled with tracers and orange balls of shells but the four fighters, undaunted, ploughed on towards their target. Munir, who was flying as deputy leader, made last-minute adjustments for the final run-in. The leader pulled for the attack, other followed. As Munir dived and delivered the lethal blow from his guns, all the enemy gunners seemed to focus their artillery on him. Munir's aircraft shuddered as a barrage of shells burst nearby; single-mindedly, he moved on through the web of fire.
As he pulled up after the attack, an enemy ack-ack shell hit Munir's Sabre. "I am hit", he told the leader in a cool and calm voice; and then the R/T went silent.
Shamim tried to contact him repeatedly but there was no response. He looked around but Munir was nowhere to be seen. A great pilot, a jubilant officer and a proud son of the soil was gone. Initially, he was declared missing in action as his dead body was not found. Hectic efforts were made later by PAF but bore no fruitful results. He was posthumously awarded Sitara-e-Jurat by the government of Pakistan.