Cecil Chaudhry | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1941-08-27)27 August 1941 |
| Died | 13 April 2012(2012-04-13) (aged 70) |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan |
| Branch |  Pakistan Air Force |
| Service years | 1958–1986 |
| Rank |  Group Captain |
| Service number | Pak/4055 |
| Unit | No. 5 SquadronFighting Falcons |
| Commands | Masroor Air Force Base Sargodha Air Force Base No. 32 Fighter Ground Attack Wing No. 38 Multi-Role Wing Combat Commander's School |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards |  Sitara-e-Jurat Sitara-e-Basalat Pride of Performance |
| Alma mater | St. Anthony High School, Lahore,Forman Christian College |
| Other work | Educationist |
Cecil Chaudhry[a]SJSBtPP (27 August 1941 – 13 April 2012) was a Pakistani academic, human rights activist, and a veteranfighter pilot. As aflight lieutenant, he fought in theIndo-Pakistani War of 1965 and as asquadron leader in theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971. During the 1965 war, Chaudhry and three other pilots, under the leadership ofWing CommanderAnwar Shamim, attacked theAmritsar Radar Station in a difficult operation. He was awarded theSitara-e-Jurat (Star of Courage) for his actions during that mission.[1][2]
During the 1971 war, his aircraft was shot down by ground fire, Cecil ejected safely and was recovered by Pakistan's troops of the40 Punjab inZafarwal Sector.
Chaudhry was born on 27 August 1941 to the onlyChristian (Roman Catholic) family of the villageDalwal, located in theSalt Range ofPunjab, British India. His father, Elmer Chaudhry, hailing fromEast Punjab and then based inLahore, was chief photographer withThe Times, Lahore, as well as aphysics andmathematics teacher atSt. Anthony's High School. Cecil Chaudhry was schooled at St. Anthony's, before pursuing higher studies at theForman Christian College, Lahore where he received hisB.S. in physics.[1][3]
As an Air Scout, he was awarded his glider pilot’s wings in 1956 by the then President of Pakistan,Iskander Mirza, at a ceremony in Karachi. He was admitted into thePakistan Air Force Academy on 12 March 1958 and enrolled in theengineering program. In 1960, he received his doubleBSc inaeronautics andmechanical engineering along with becoming an ace fighter pilot upon graduating from thePAF Academy. After nearly 28 years of service, he retired from the Pakistan Air Force in 1986.[1][3]
Cecil Chaudhry became an educationist after leaving the air force and was affiliated with the Punjab Education Foundation. He served as principal ofSt. Anthony's College for many years, before becoming principal ofSaint Mary's Academy, Lalazar,Rawalpindi, succeeding Sister Eileen Ann Daffy.[4] He retired from this post in July 2011.[1][2]
Chaudhry remained an influential, independent human rights activist, as well as working for the betterment of children with disabilities and for educational reform. He advised and worked closely with the lateShahbaz Bhatti from the early 1990s onwards and had been Executive Secretary of theAll Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) since its inception. He was also affiliated with theNational Commission for Justice and Peace and was instrumental in leading the fourteen-year campaign that led to the restoration of Pakistan's joint electorate system in 2002.[1][5]
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| PAF GD(P) BadgeRED (More than3000 Flying Hours) | |||
| Sitara-e-Jurat (Star of Courage) 1965 | |||
| Sitara-e-Basalat (Star of Good Conduct) | Tamgha-e-Diffa (General Service Medal) | Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War (War Star 1965) | Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War (War Star 1971) |
| Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War (War Medal 1965) | Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War (War Medal 1971) | Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e- (100th Birth Anniversary of 1976 | Hijri Tamgha (Hijri Medal) 1979 |
| Other Honours | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | President's Award for Pride of Performance[6][3] | |
Cecil Chaudhry died oflung cancer at the age of 70 in Lahore on 13 April 2012 after a long illness. He was buried with full military honors at the Jail Road's Christian Cemetery in Lahore, Pakistan.[1][3] His daughter, Michelle Chaudhry, founded the Cecil & Iris Chaudhry Foundation, an NGO active in the defence of minorities in Pakistan, in his memory. Among his survivors were three daughters and a son.[1][7]
