GENERAL Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash on 17 August 1988. After witnessing a US M1 Abrams tank demonstration in Bahawalpur, Zia had left the city in the Punjab province by C-130B Hercules aircraft. The aircraft departed from Bahawalpur Airport for Islamabad International Airport but shortly after a smooth takeoff, the control tower lost contact with the aircraft. Witnesses who saw the plane in the air afterward claim it was flying erratically, then nosedived and exploded on impact. In addition to Zia, 31 others died in the plane crash, including chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Akhtar Abdur Rahman, a close associate of Zia — Brigadier Siddique Salik, the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Lewis Raphel and Brigadier General Herbert M. Wassom, the head of the US military aid mission to Pakistan.
The former president has been hailed as a reformer but also labeled as a cruel dictator and usurper of power but this narration is about my personal experience with him. In 1975, while undergoing training at the Transport Conversion School at Chaklala, as a Pilot Officer, I was detailed for a training mission to Sweden, via Jeddah and Paris. My fellow students, Pilot Officers Muhammad Ali Siddiqui (May Allah Bless his soul) and Nayyer Qayyum Khaja along with Lieutenant Sikander Hayat of Pakistan Navy, along with our instructors comprised the aircrew.
When we boarded the aircraft, we discovered that VIP seats had been installed for a Lieutenant General of Pakistan Army and his family. We used to fly in shifts; the ones who were in the cockpit, were comfortable but the rest of us were in the cargo compartment. Since all seats apart from the VIP seats had been removed to accommodate cargo, those not flying had to sit on hard wooden boxes. We would envy the Army General and his family, enjoying the comfortable seats.
When we landed at Jeddah, the Military Attaché, an Army Colonel, whisked the General and his family in his staff car while we were left to fend for ourselves. This was our first flight abroad and we were at a loss to find accommodation in an alien city. Lugging our Aircrew bags, we were trudging along in our flying coveralls, in the hot Jeddah sun, seeking suitable accommodation. We found one at last and after a shower and lunch, we decided to proceed for Umrah. On reaching the Haram Sharif at Makkah, we saw the military Attaché carrying the General’s young daughter on his back, performing Tawaf with Zia and his wife.
The next morning, the Military Attaché brought the General and his family to the aircraft and also handed over baskets of fruit containing ripe Chiquita Bananas and red juicy Lebanese apples. It angered us even more while we partook spartan flying meals comprising cheese and Khubz. Out of spite, when the General was not looking, we would steal a banana or apple and enjoy it. When the General visited the urinal, one of us occupied his comfortable VIP seat and pretended to be sleeping. When he returned, instead of disturbing the one occupying his seat, he humbly sat on the wooden crate. We felt bad and woke our comrade up to vacate the General’s seat.
We parted company in Paris, since he was on his way to London, to get treatment for his daughter. After returning, we forgot about the incident but in 1976, while watching TV, we saw the General’s face in the news and learnt that he had been appointed as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). As luck would have it, I was detailed to go to Multan and bring him to Islamabad. I was dreading that he would recognize me and recall our obnoxious behaviour.
Lo and behold, when I stood at the gangway at Multan to receive him, I saluted him; he not only recognized me but smilingly addressed me by my name and asked how I was doing. After landing at Chaklala, in the late afternoon, while I was resting in my room at the officers’ mess, there was a knock on the door. I came out to see an Army jeep parked outside and I was sure I would be hauled to the Army House for a balking but an Army Major hopped out bearing gifts from the newly appointed COAS. It was a jai-namaz (praying mat) and a few books on Islam, addressed to me, with compliments of General Zia-ul-Haq. It took me by surprise and I was touched by his magnanimity.
Later on, he became the President and I was posted to the VVIP Communication Squadron and undertook numerous missions flying General Zia-ul-Haq. Each flight, if the time of prayer would fall during the mission, he would request me to inform him of the exact prayer time since at higher altitudes, the prayer time differs from that on the ground. Whenever we flew through inclement weather, unlike other VIPs I have flown with, he displayed nerves of steel and remained unfazed and would congratulate the aircrew after landing for their excellent airmanship. Meals for the General would come from the Presidency and a doctor on duty would taste the food before it was brought on board. His favourite beverage was freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. To ensure freshness and avoid fermentation, the juice had to be changed every two hours. If his departure was delayed for more than two hours, the aircrew would gladly consume the pomegranate juice since it would be replaced by fresh one. During the last couple of years of his rule, he had become a little paranoid. After a missile was fired at his aircraft from the ground, just after takeoff from Chaklala airfield, he started coming late for departure.
I was not on the fateful flight on 17 August 1988 because I had been sent for attending the Staff College Course. When news of his fatal crash came, it shook me horribly. Not only did I lose a number of my close friends, who were the aircrew but I was recalling the numerous missions I had flown with General Zia-ul-Haq. I attended his funeral on 19 August 1988 near the Faisal Mosque. The funeral prayers were attended by diplomats, senior civil and military officers and a large number of Afghan Mujahedin. Zia-ul-Haq may have been a complex and controversial personality but as an aircrew, we had no concern with politics so for me he was an amicable and cheerful person. May his soul rest in peace (Ameen).
—The writer is a Retired Group Captain of PAF, who has written several books on China.
Email: sultanm.hali@gmail.com
