Rahul Dev became the first person from the Hindu community to join the Pakistan Air Force. Dev, hails from Tharparkar district of Sindh province, has been recruited as a General Duty Pilot Officer, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said in a tweet.
"Good news during #COVID19 tense situation. Thar rocked again...Congratulations #RahulDev who hails from very remote village of Tharparkar has been selected as GD Pilot in #PAF," the PAF tweeted with Dev's photo.
Though Dev's exact age is not known, those inducted in PAF at his level are often around 20. The official Radio Pakistan said it is "for the first time in Pakistan's history" that a Hindu youth has been recruited as a general duty pilot officer in PAF.
Many praised the PAF for 'breaking barriers'. In 2019, PAF created headline when it inducted Kainat Junaid into the force. She was the first woman from Khyber-Pakthunkhwa province to have been selected for fighter pilot training.
Junaid not only secured the top position in PAF's test for general duty pilot, but also became Pakistan's first female fighter pilot to serve the country alongside her father Ahmed Junaid, who is a Squadron Leader in the PAF.
David Lammy
Seema Malhotra
Moments from the event
