PK-661: Pilots remembered as loving extroverts

Funerals performed for crew members, recovered bodies sent for burial

RAWALPINDI: The families of Captain Saleh Janjua and Aly Akram – the pilots of the PIA plane that crashed near Havelian – remain in shock as they anxiously wait for the two men’s bodies to be transferred to them. Both men lived in Rawalpindi.

Janjua, from Chakri Rajgan in Jhelum, has left behind a wife and four daughters. Saleh’s late father, Sher Alam Janjua, was also a PIA pilot.

He has two elder brothers. One – Bakhtiar Janjua – is also a PIA pilot, and the other lives in the United States.



Saleh was reportedly inducted in PIA as a pilot in 1995-96. He was considered a thorough professional.

Janjua came from a family with a rich military history – former chief of army staff General Asif Nawaz Janjua was a cousin of his father.

Raja Kashif Saleem, a close family friend, said Janjua was an avid photographer and would regularly take shots of scenic areas.

He said Janjua had also uploaded numerous videos on YouTube of the scenic views of Gilgit and Chitral. Kashif said that according to his family, Janjua also sent photos of Chitral to his daughters before taking off for Islamabad.

First officer Aly Akram lived in the New Lalazar area and was inducted in PIA as a pilot in 2000-01. He had obtained a pilot’s license from Rawalpindi Flying Club.

Akram, 40, was fond of cricket and played for the Islamabad Club team. He had been married for eight years but had no children.

His father, Lt Col (retd) Ejaz Akram was a Special Services Group officer and had also served with army aviation. His grandfather Muhammad Akram was also a solider.

Akram also had a sister and a brother. His older brother Raza Akram works for a cellular company.

Muhammad Salman, a close friend of Akram’s, told The Express Tribune that Akram was an extrovert, while adding that they were scheduled to play cricket on Saturday. Salman said the match was cancelled after news of his death broke.

Salman said that according to Akram’s family, he called his brother Raza before he boarded the plane. He suggested that his brother visit Chitral as the weather was quite pleasant. The brothers were planning to drop by their sister’s house after Akram landed in Islamabad.

Copilot Ahmed Janjua, 24, was inducted in PIA just two years ago. He lived with his family in Westridge, Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, funeral prayers for flight attendant Asma Adil were offered near her house in Airport Housing Society, while funeral prayers for ASF officials Safifullah and Ahsan were offered at Benazir Bhutto International Airport. After the funerals, their bodies were sent to their hometowns for burial.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2016.