ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Monday urged the masses to avoid aerial firing on festivals and joyous occasions as it poses a risk to aircraft and pilot safety, Pakistani state media reported.
In an awareness message, a PAF spokesperson urged people to play their role as responsible citizens in protecting invaluable assets of the air force that are affected by aerial firing, the state-run APP news agency reported.
“Aerial firing during wedding ceremonies and joyous festivals like the independence day not only causes loss of human lives but also sometimes harm the aircraft, which can cause significant damage to the defence capability of the country,” the report quoted the PAF spokesperson.
It underlined that aerial firing was a punishable offence and as patriotic citizens it was everyone's duty to avoid it.
The awareness message came months after a PAF training aircraft crashed near the city of Mianwali during a routine mission. In March, a PAF plane crashed in an open area near the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing the pilot and co-pilot.
In 2019, 19 people died when a Pakistani military aircraft crashed into a residential area on the outskirts of the garrison city of Rawalpindi, most of them in their homes.
