L-R: Map showing the area of operation. C-119 Packet Military Transport Aircraft. Beechcraft Model 14 Executive Transport Aircraft

Forty six years ago this month, in September 1965, India and Pakistan were locked in a war over Kashmir. That war is largely forgotten in Bangladesh, eclipsed by our War of Liberation of 1971, although many brave sons of our soil, then serving in the Pakistan armed forces, fought extremely well, won many gallantry awards, many made supreme sacrifices. In India and Pakistan, however, the events of that war continue to be investigated and debated. Air Cdre (Retd) Kaiser Tufail, PAF, an aviation enthusiast, published a story in the April 2011 issue of "Defence Journal of Pakistan" of shooting down of an Indian government-owned civilian aircraft by a PAF fighter during the 1965 War. The story, based on his interviews with a number of personalities, including the interceptor pilot Flg Off (Retd) Qais Hussain, revealed that the aircraft was flying inside India, was probably lost, but was shot down on order from higher headquarters. The article gave full details of the turn of events, including the justification or otherwise, of the decision of shooting down a civilian aircraft during war.
On 5th August 2011, Flg Off (Retd) Qais M. Hussain wrote a letter of condolence to Mrs. Farida Singh, the daughter of Jahangir M. Engineer, the Captain of the ill-fated Beechcraft that he shot down on 19th September 1965. The twin-engine Beechcraft, which was at the time of the incident was about 50 miles inside Indian territory in the state of Gujarat, and carried the state's Chief Minister Mr. Balwantrai Mehta, his wife, a number of personal staff and journalists for a public meeting in a small town called Mithapur. In his letter, Qais Hussain expressed deep regret that his action caused the death of eight civilian non-combatants and the pain and anguish that it caused to the bereaved family. He justified his position by saying that it was war and that he was ordered by the Headquarters to open fire; he only carried out an order. A magnanimous Mrs. Singh wrote back saying, "We never, not for one moment, bore bitterness or hatred for the person who actually pulled the trigger and caused my father's death. The fact that this all happened in the confusion of a tragic war was never lost to us".
The War was initiated around Mid-August 1965 with the incursion of Pakistani Special Forces, disguised as Kashmiri Freedom fighters, with the task to carry out insurgent activities inside Kashmir. On 1st September 1965, Pakistan launched a major offensive towards Jammu in the Indian-held Kashmir. India responded by launching a much bigger attack against Pakistani heartland of Lahore and Sialkot, five days later. It then became an all-out war on land, air and sea. On individual level there were superb examples of professionalism, bravery and dedication to the duties; however, on higher levels of military planning and execution, the war exposed serious shortcomings on both sides.
The Air Forces on either side realized that their initial efforts to destroy the other's air forces (counter-air operations) had proved too costly in aircraft and crew lost, with little achievements to show. Therefore, the main thrust of air power was diverted to destroy the army on the ground -- enemy's tanks, vehicles, ammunition supply etc. At this stage, on 19th September 1965, at about 3-45 pm, a PAF radar located in Badin, Sindh picked up a slow moving aircraft in the Rann of Kutch area, south of Sindh bordering Gujarat. Assuming the aircraft to be a reconnaissance or army observation aircraft, the Duty Controller in Badin ordered two F-86 Sabres, which were in readiness in Mauripur airbase in Karachi, up in the air.
While getting ready for take off, the Lead aircraft, piloted by a Flt. Lt., developed engine problem and the 'Leader' abandoned the mission. The No 2 aircraft, piloted by Flg Off Qais, a freshly graduated pilot, continued the mission alone. The Controller directed Qais on to the target aircraft, but because of the distance and low altitude, the Controller was having only intermittent radar contact and difficulty in maintaining radio contact with Qais. As he neared the target, Qais descended to about 3000 feet to visually spot the aircraft. Qais saw the Indian aircraft and reported to the Radar station as, "Twin-engine, twin-tail, four side windows, probably an eight-seater." The Rules of Aerial Engagement says that the fighter will guide the intercepted aircraft to the nearest airfield for landing. Qais asked the ground control what he needed to do. In his interview with Air Cdre Kaiser, Qais stated that he sincerely hoped that the order from the headquarters will be anything other than to shoot the aircraft. After few agonizing minutes, the order came to shoot down the aircraft. Against a setting sun, Qais made two short bursts from his six .5 inch machine guns. He saw the aircraft wing tearing apart and the aircraft turn into a ball of flame. The aircraft debris fell about 40 miles west of the intended destination and about 50 miles inside India. The map below shows the flight path of the Indian aircraft and the PAF interceptor.
Qais was running low on fuel and managed to land back to the base with fuel gauge almost zero. India called it a cowardly attack by the PAF fighter on an unarmed civilian aircraft flying inside India. Pakistan retorted by saying that the VIP aircraft had no business to fly so close to an undemarcated border in war (Border in the Rann of Kutch had still not been demarcated) and that its flight pattern suggested it to be on a reconnaissance mission. Flg Off Qais, as a young fighter pilot, probably had no remorse at the time, but as time passed and the youthful zeal weaned off, he felt the conscience pricking.
The Dawn, a prestigious newspaper of Pakistan, carried another interview of Qais on 1st September 2011 where he said, "I wished that I return without firing a shot." Air Cdre (Retd) Kaiser had argued in his article that both India and Pakistan had used their civilian air assets to carry military personnel and logistics in war. Such deployment would automatically make those aircraft valid military targets. Kaiser argued that the Beechcraft, instead of carrying the Chief Minister could have been carrying military observers or reconnaissance gadgets. He further argued that because of the failing light, extreme range, poor radio communication and low altitude, all combined, it was difficult to exactly ascertain the type and it was possible that the higher commander assumed the aircraft to be a C-119, an IAF transport aircraft, instead of the Beechcraft as revealed later. C-119 is a medium-size military transport aircraft, and because of its size, Qais would have spotted it from miles away and radioed it as such.
On this incident, Shekhar Gupta, Editor, Indian Express wrote an editorial on 13th August 2011 titled, "National Interest: Fighting Shy" where he criticized Indian Air Force and the then IAF Chief Air Marshal Arjun Singh for poor preparedness and lack of coordination and above all, "constructing a fictional history" of IAF in that war. Indeed, one is mystified by apparent lack of action on the part of the IAF to allow a VIP aircraft to operate unescorted so close to the border, then not responding in time when the PAF fighter took-off from far away Karachi, entered 50 miles inside India and intercepted the Beechcraft. Shekhar pointed out many other fiascos that raised doubt on the credibility of Air Marshal Arjun Singh who had been recently elevated to the rank of Marshal of the Air Force (equivalent to Field Marshal of the Army).
Analysing the incident, it appeared to me that the IAF took lessons from that incident and after the '65 War built a new fighter base in Bhuj, close to where the interception took place and after '71 War, made another air base at Naliya, even closer to the Indo-Pak border. Incidentally, on 10th August 1999, two Indian Mig-21s operating from Naliya shot down a Pakistan Navy 'Atlantique', Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MRP) that was flying along the Kutch border, killing all ten Pakistani Naval officers and sailors on board. Although IAF claimed that the aircraft had violated Indian airspace when it was shot down, the debris actually fell close to the border on the Pakistani side.
If one has to take any lesson from these tragedies, the most important one would be that while the stories of bravery and heroism fades, personal tragedies suffered by individuals linger many years.

The writer was an officer in the erstwhile PAF, and especially worked for some time in the Radar station that controlled the fighter and also personally knew the Controller and his Officer Commanding.