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PAKISTAN-MILITARY-ACCIDENT
Pakistan fighter jet crashes in capital during parade rehearsal
ISLAMABAD, March 11, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – A Pakistani F-16 fighter jet
crashed in Islamabad Wednesday, killing the pilot, during a rehearsal for a
national day military parade, officials said.
Footage on social media showed a plume of smoke billowing into the sky
after the plane hit the ground having apparently attempted a loop.
A Pakistani Air Force spokesman said the pilot, Wing Commander Nauman
Akram, died in the crash.
“Pakistan Air Force reports with regret that a PAF F-16 aircraft crashed
near Shakarparian, Islamabad during the rehearsals of 23rd March parade,” the
air force said in a statement.
The rehearsals were for the annual military parade in Islamabad this month
to celebrate Pakistan Day.
The F-16 jets are among the most valuable hardware in the Pakistani
military’s arsenal and the country has a fleet of about 50 — each worth at
least $40 million.
Pakistan has a chequered military and civilian aviation safety record,
with frequent plane and helicopter crashes over the years.
Wednesday’s incident comes just months after a fighter jet crashed during
a training mission near Mianwali in Punjab province, killing both pilots.
In July last year at least 18 people were killed when a small army plane
crashed in Rawalpindi.
And in 2016, a Pakistan International Airlines plane burst into flames
after one of its two turboprop engines failed while flying from remote
northern Pakistan to Islamabad, killing more than 40 people.
Pakistan’s powerful military consumes a large portion of the country’s
budget — spending millions on sophisticated hardware in the impoverished
nation — which critics say has come at the expense of investment in other
sectors.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1800HRS