Pakistani officer laid to rest as Turkish pilot's body found
LAHORE - Anatolia News Agency
AA photo
A military funeral was held for Maj. Massoud Hussein Chhachhar, 35, who was killed in a training flight off Turkey's Aegean coast Jun. 16, in the Pakistani city of Lahore today.Chhachhar was training Turkish pilot Lt. Serkan Sağır on a D-137 plane when it crashed into the Aegean Sea near the western province of İzmir, killing both pilots.
The funeral was attended by Gen. Recep Yüksel of Turkey's Air Training Command, Turkish Ambassador to Islamabad Babür Hızlan, Punjab Provincial Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and ranking officers from the Pakistani air force. Turkish President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent laurels to the funeral.
Chhachhar has been training Turkish pilots for the past two years as part of a military cooperation agreement between Turkey and Pakistan. He had the most flight hours among servicemen in his rank and Turkish officials had requested to extend his tour of duty for another year due to "outstanding service," the report said.
Chhachhar's coffin, wrapped in both the Turkish and Pakistani flags, was flown to his home village for burial after the ceremony. He has been married for three years.
Search and rescue teams have spotted the dead body of Turkish Lt. Sağır who died in the crash at around noon today.
