Video Credits: Pakistan Air Force Directorate of Media Affairs
Marium Mukhtiar was the first female fighter pilot in Pakistan Air Force (PAF) who embraced martyrdom in the line of duty 2 years ago today when she was only 23 years old.
Marium Mukhtiar Shaikh was the daughter of Col. R. Mukhtiar Ahmed Shaikh, and her ancestors hailed from Sindh. She spent her early life in Karachi and chose to join the armed forces, the profession of her father, despite having previously pursued civil engineering and despite the fact that her pursuit was unprecedented.
She graduated as a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in 2007 with seven other female Pakistanis who also graduated as pilot officers. On 6 May 2011, she joined the Pakistan Air Force in 132 GD Pilot course.
On 24 November 2015, Marium Mukhtiar Shaikh was on her routine operational training mission in a PAF F-7PG aircraft when it developed a mechanical flaw and the engine caught fire. Marium had to eject but couldn’t survive the impact.