It was a clear sky over Dimapur, with just a few clouds floating by as Capt. Shahabuddin Ahmed, a Pakistan International Airlines pilot, who had volunteered to fly combat sorties for the yet-to-be-born nation of Bangladesh drew himself up to attention along with a motley crew of eight other pilots and 49 technicians.
Fifty years ago to this date, Indian Air force chief Air Chief Marshall P C Lal and Group Capt. A K Khandker, deputy chief of Bangladesh Armed Forces or 'Mukti Bahini' (Freedom Force) as it was popularly called, walked down the tarmac to inspect them and declare the formation of the Bangladesh Air Force.
The day remains etched in my memory I had crossed over to India on March 3, with help from a couple of Indian journalists a day after Pakistan Air Force had bombed Chuadanga. Till then, I had been a pilot with PIA. I was itching to join our liberation effort and this ceremony on September 28, 1971, was the starting point for it, Capt. Shahabuddin told .
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