Marium Mukhtiar (May 19, 1992 – November 24, 2015) was a Pakistani fighter pilot.[1] She died flying a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) FT-7PG aircraft that crashed near Kundian in Mianwali District, northwestern Punjab, Pakistan on November 24, 2015.[2] She was the first female Pakistani fighter pilot to die in the line of duty.[3]
On 24 November 2015, Mukhtiar and squadron leader Saqib Abbasi were on a routine training mission when their FT-7PG crashed near Kundian, Mianwali, Punjab.[6][7][8][9][10] Both occupants ejected from the cockpit;[11] Abbasi suffered minor injuries, but Mukhtiar died of her injuries in a military hospital.[12] Mukhtiar and her Instructor Pilot had ejected at too low an altitude, an air force spokesman said. Abbasi survived possibly because he had managed to eject seconds earlier.[3]
Mukhtiar's death was declared a martyrdom (or shahadat) by the PAF, which said both pilots "handled the serious emergency with professionalism and courage and tried to save the ill-fated aircraft until the very last minute. Flying Officer Mukhtiar could have saved her life had she ejected before taking PAF FT-7PG out of populous areas but both pilots decided to take the risk to keep flying the falling jet."[13][14]
