Slain Indian pilot's daughter accepts Pak man's apology

Islamabad, Aug 12 (PTI) The daughter of the pilot of an
Indian civilian aircraft shot down during the 1965 war has
accepted the apology of a Pakistan Air Force pilot who downed
the plane and expressed the hope that such steps would "heal
wounds" in both countries.
Qais Hussain, the PAF pilot who shot down the Beechcraft
piloted by distinguished ex-Indian Air Force officer Jehangir
Engineer, had sent an email to Engineer's daughter Farida
Singh on August 5, apologising for the act
Singh responded to Hussain's missive five days later,
saying in her email: "It took courage for you to write this."
She further said she knew that Hussain's gesture "was not an
easy thing for you to do."
"However, I am glad that it is now public as it can do
nothing but heal wounds, not just on a personal scale but in a
much wider arena. And most of all, my father would have liked
that it goes towards bringing a spark of forgiveness between
our two peoples, who after all were one," Singh wrote in her
email to Hussain.
Fresh information that has come to light about the
incident which occurred on September 19, 1965 suggests that
PAF officials could have mistaken the Beechcraft for a C-119
Packet transport aircraft of the IAF.
Acting on the orders of a ground controller, Hussain, a
rookie pilot flying an F-86 Sabre jet, shot down the civilian
aircraft piloted by Engineer and carrying then Gujarat Chief
Minister Balwantrai Mehta.
The Chief Minister's wife Sarojben Mehta, three members
of his personal staff, a crew member and a reporter were also
killed in the incident.