Wing Commander Namansh Syal was the pilot of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas that crashed at the Dubai air show. A fine Pakistani air warrior and gentleman, Air Commodore Pervez Akhtar Khan, wrote about this guardian of the sky.
My friend Hamid Hussain, who lives in the USA and is well versed with the military hierarchies of India and Pakistan, has sent me a copy of his letter under the title “IAF’s Tejas: A Salute Across Skies”. The text is below:
The Letter
‘The news of an Indian Air Force Tejas crashing during an aerobatic display at the Dubai Air Show is heartbreaking beyond words. Aerobatics are flown on the razor’s edge of the flight envelope, where skill, courage, and precision exist in unforgiving margins. These are not stunts; they are acts of professional mastery, performed by men and women who accept personal risk in the service of national pride and technological confidence.
To the Indian Air Force and to the grieving family of the fallen airman: I offer my deepest and sincerest condolences. A pilot is not merely lost; a guardian of the sky is silenced.
What pains me further is the disgraceful reaction of a few on our side of the border who choose mockery over empathy. This is not patriotism; this is moral illiteracy. One may question policies, decisions, even doctrines, but never the courage of a fellow aviator doing his duty. He flew not for applause, but for his flag, just as we fly for ours. That deserves honour, not ridicule.
I too have lost brothers in uniform under similar unforgiving circumstances; Sherdil Leader Flt Lt Alamdar and Sqn Ldr Hasnat — men who lived and died at the far edge of performance. There are no nationalities in the moment an aircraft goes quiet. There is only loss, and a family left in shattered silence.
A true professional respects another professional. A true warrior salutes another warrior, even across enemy lines. Anything less stains our own uniform.
May the departed pilot find eternal blue skies beyond turbulence. May his family find strength where words fail. And may we, on both sides, find the maturity to honour courage.
Earlier Episodes
My friend Hamid Hussain added three episodes in the same vein and some of your readers may also recall my article titled ‘OPINION Old Schoolboys on the Battlefield’ of 03 Oct 2025 in The Citizen: a-narrative-from-the-india-pakistan-wars-of-1965-and-1971
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Squadron Leader Shabbir Alam's bomber was shot down in 1965 near Jamnagar, and he was labelled missing in action. His wife Shahnaz wanted the closure and to the credit of Indian Air Force (IAF) they arranged for her visit to the crash site in 2007. In a moving scene, young Indian pilots accompanying her were overwhelmed with emotions. I saw a picture of Shahnaz hugging one of the pilots. I wrote a letter of thanks and appreciation to then IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Tyagi who was kind enough to send a reply through the air attaché.
Brig. Nisar Ahmad of 13 Lancers had fired the tank shell that killed Second Lieutenant Arun Khetrapal of Poona Horse in 1971, who was awarded the highest gallantry of India, the Param Vir Chakra (PVC). A few decades later in 2001 when Arun’s father Brigadier (R) Madan Lal Khetrapal visited Pakistan, Nisar arranged for Brig. Madan to stay at his home.
Nisar's family went out of their way to make Brig. Madan comfortable, and Brig. Madan was overwhelmed by the kindness shown by his hosts. Nisar then disclosed to him that it was his tank that fired the fateful shell. Nisar wrote a memorable note about Arun's courage and handed it over to his family.
In 1965, Flight Lieutenant Qais Hussain shot down the Beechcraft carrying the then Gujrat Chief Minister killing all (seven passengers and the pilot). The pilot was Jahangir Jangu Engineer,one of the three famous Engineer brothers of the Indian Air Force. In 2011, he wrote a touching note of condolence to Engineer’s daughter Farida Singh about the tragedy and Farida replied with emotional thanks and a worthwhile quote; “we are all pawns in this terrible game of war and peace”.
In my own work on the military history of the region and interacting with a number of officers on both sides, I found that the most amazing part is that people on both sides who actually fought each other as well as their family members who lost loved ones are less jingoistic, proud of the old bonds and peace advocates than those who have no memory of these connections. The most rabid promoters of hate and conflict are usually civilians or those who have never heard a shot fired in anger.
We need to remember that "an enemy is the one whose story we have not heard".
In conclusion, I would leave you with an article by a good friend, late Col TN Raman, a smart Gunner. It touches the subject from another angle, internally.
On 20 October 2012, the War Wounded Foundation, of which I was the President, had organised a Rally to honour all war disabled veterans belonging to the four Southern states of the nation. It was fully supported by local formations and units and the venue was the Chanakya Auditorium of the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA), Chennai. The meticulous planning and detailed overseeing by Col Raman had ensured that the function was conducted with military precision. Former Chief of Army Staff General S Padmanabhan was the Chief Guest.
Amongst the veteran guests was an elderly couple in the gathering, both in their seventies. The lady introduced herself as Kamalam, wife of Naik ME Shariff.
Shariff had both the hands below his elbows missing and he was also blind, but he too was always smiling like his wife. She said, “Today we are very happy because somebody still remembers us and calls us for a function like this”.
Naik Shariff was serving with 7 Engineer Regiment, Madras Engineers Group, when he first met Kamalam in Bangalore in her house. Her brother was his friend. It was love at first sight. However, the 1965 war broke out between India and Pakistan and he was called to the front.
On 17 September 1965, somewhere in Sialkot Sector, when his Section was clearing the enemy minefield, an air strike in the area triggered off several mines in close vicinity. Though the other members of his Section escaped, he sustained severe injuries. He was evacuated to the Jammu Military Hospital, where the Surgeons battled to save his life. His life was saved at the cost of his hands and eyes.
“I knew that my life would not be the same again. I cannot marry the girl I had loved. The treatment continued for nearly a year. Then he was shifted to Coimbatore for recuperation. Kamalam came to know of my condition and came to Coimbatore and stayed there looking after me. I told her that the marriage plans must be abandoned. However, she would not agree”. Kamalam then joined the conversation. “Sir, how could I marry any other man than the one whom I had loved? We had overcome the first great obstacle to our marriage which was the religious barrier. I am a Hindu from Kerala and he is a Muslim from Tamil Nadu. You can, no doubt visualize what a tough time we both had in convincing our parents for the proposal. After he was wounded, initially there was absolutely no chance of our marriage, but I had decided to live only with him, despite all his handicaps. We got married in 1967.”
They had three children. Their eldest son was around 38 years and employed in the District Soldiers' Board at Salem. The second son was managing a modest eatery. The third, a daughter, is also married and settled well. They now live in Coimbatore.
Kamalam says, “I was fortunate to get him alive after his miraculous escape. We were in love for two years before the tragedy struck him”.
Love definitely is many splendored. It always wins, ultimately.
I must end this episode by mentioning the wonderful way the couple was taken care of by the Commanding Officer of 25 PUNJAB, located at Pallavaram, Chennai. On reaching the Railway Station they were picked up by a vehicle and transported to the Unit. The CO personally escorted them to a married Jawan's quarter and made them comfortable.
When asked after they had returned home about their trip, Shariff had stated:
“The Army has not changed, it has improved and continues to be apolitical, with its own religion”!!
Wing Commander Afshan Akhtar, bids farewell to her husband Wing Commander Namansh Syal who died in the Tejas crash at Dubai.
Lt General Vijay Oberoi is a former Vice Chief of the Indian Army and had set up the Think Tank of the Indian Army: Centre for Land Warfare Studies {CLAWS}, of which he is now Director Emeritus.The views expressed here are the writer’s own.