Cecil Chaudhry ... !!!
Whenever the war of 1965 and 1971 is mentioned, a name of the Air Force will come to the fore. Cecil Chaudhry is the fourth name to be taken with legendary pilots like MM Alam, Younis Hassan Khawaja and Sarfraz Rafiqi. Cecil, who was born in August 1941 in the Dalwal area of Chakwal district to renowned press photographer FE Chaudhry (Fauston Elmer), has been interested in joining the army since childhood. His father was a photographer as well as a teacher of mathematics and physics. After attending St. Anthony's School, Cecil obtained a BS degree in Physics from Foreman Christian College, Lahore. Then in 1958, he enrolled in the engineering program of the Pakistan Air Force Academy and became a fighter pilot with a double BSc degree.
۔ In 1960, Cecil was commissioned into the Pakistan Air Force. In 1964, she married Iris Chaudhry. The very next year, the Pak-India war broke out.
Flight Lieutenant Cecil Chaudhry took part in many important battles in this war and also shot down three Indian planes. Once in a battle fought in Indian air, Cecil Chaudhry's plane ran out of fuel. Returning to Sargodha Air Base was impossible. The plane could have been taken to a safe area and taken out by parachute, but one plane was valuable to Pakistan. Present-minded Cecil made a very bold decision. With the help of the remaining fuel, they took the ship to a very high altitude and then glided it to Sargodha. No Pakistani pilot had glided a fighter jet before. In recognition of Cecil Chaudhry's courageous deeds in this war, he was given the Star of Courage.
In 1971, while Squadron Leader Cecil Chaudhry was heading to Sargodha Air Base for battle, Iris asked Cecil to be very careful. By this time God had added three little daughters to their home. Cecil replied that he would fight this war not only for his three daughters but for the thousands of daughters in his homeland.
In 1971, Cecil Chaudhry was stationed at Sargodha Airbase for the war. Cecil Chaudhry's plane caught fire during a mission in Indian territory. Cecil jumped with the help of a parachute and landed in a minefield on the Pak-India border. They had to cover a distance of only 300 yards to reach the Pakistani fronts.
His coming out of the area alive was nothing short of a miracle. Pakistani soldiers rushed him to the hospital because he had broken four ribs. Doctors ordered him to rest completely, but with the help of his brother, he escaped from the hospital in the dark of night and reached his base. After that, suffering from broken ribs, Cecil Chaudhry took part in 14 air battles. This time he was given the Basalt Star.
After the war, Cecil Chaudhry remained stationed in various areas till 1979. He also headed the highest air force of the Pakistan Air Force. He was also the head of the Combat Commander School. In late 1978, Cecil Chaudhry was sent to the Pakistani embassy in the United Kingdom as a military attach. Cecil arrived, but before his family could leave, the chief of the Pakistan Air Force recalled Cecil and told him that General Zia-ul-Haq had canceled his appointment. The investigation revealed that General Zia-ul-Haq thought that the post was very sensitive and it would not be appropriate to hand it over to a Christian. Zia-ul-Haq, who did not win any medal of bravery in the wars of 1965 and 1971, doubted the loyalty of the man who fought for Pakistan with his head in his hands in both wars.
In September 1979, Cecil Chaudhry went to Iraq on deputation and began training Iraqi pilots. In recognition of his services, he was awarded Iraq's highest civilian honor. At the end of his term in 1981, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein requested that the government of Pakistan extend the stay of Cecil Chaudhry. That's how he came back in 1982. He was offered a permanent job as a consultant in the Iraqi Air Force, but declined.
On his return from Iraq, Cecil Chaudhry was expected to be promoted to a higher position, but Cecil realized that his promotion had been halted on the basis of religion and that those with lesser qualifications had been promoted above him. With a broken heart, Cecil Chaudhry resigned from the Pakistan Air Force in 1986. After that, Cecil continued to teach to keep himself busy. Apart from being an aviator, he also worked as an educator at the Punjab Education Foundation and as the principal of St. Anthony's College. He was known as a human rights activist in Pakistan. He passed away on April 3, 2012 in Lahore due to lung cancer.
Cecil Chaudhry's son Cecil Shane Chaudhry says that Cecil Chaudhry's name was also mentioned in his childhood books along with other heroes of the wars of 1965 and 1971. They also had curriculum lessons. But gradually they were eliminated. Cecil Shane Chaudhry says that non-Muslim heroes should also be part of the curriculum with Muslim heroes because their love for Pakistan is no less than any other citizen and Pakistani children should be aware of their sacrifices for Pakistan.
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