New Delhi: Amid the mockery and vitriol emanating from Pakistan over Friday’s Tejas crash at the Dubai Air Show, the brother of a Pakistan Air Force pilot who lost his life in a similar accident has expressed solidarity with the family of Wing Commander Namansh Syal.
Salman Akram’s brother, Wing Commander Nauman Akram, died in March 2020 when his F-16 crashed while he was attempting a mid-air manoeuvre during parade rehearsals for Pakistan Day, observed on 23 March.
Akram told ThePrint: “I don’t know how the general response was in India back then, but the mocking memes and comments I got were not pleasant. Our religion and morality don’t allow mocking anyone’s death, even if it’s an enemy. The IAF pilot was not on the battlefield and gave his life for the flag he had on his uniform.”
In a statement on X earlier, Salman shared his condolences with the family of Syal, pointing out that the “last thing anyone should do is to celebrate a professional soldier’s death in an unfortunate accident”.
He told ThePrint, “He has friends and family, and I have been through what they must be going through now. My tweet was the minimum I could do for them.”
The Tejas jet of the Indian Air Force was undertaking a maneuver in front of a crowd at the Al Maktoum International Airport Friday before it plummeted to the ground and burst into flames. Wing Commander Syal perished in the accident, being unable to eject.
After the air crash, a number of social media users originating in Pakistan criticised the Tejas aircraft while making light of the incident. One Pakistani journalist, Kiran Khan, mocked the aircraft, comparing it to a samosa multiple times.
India proving again that money can’t buy proper take offs.. pic.twitter.com/M7chPjwV2y
— Kiran Khan (@HelloKiranKhan) November 21, 2025
Pakistani "journalists" resort to derogatory comments after India's Tejas Crash at the Dubai Air show: pic.twitter.com/apMF5gwrMG
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) November 21, 2025
جنگ میں سات جہاز تباہ کرنے کے بعداب دبئی ایئر شو میں Tejas گر گیا، اور بھارت کو پھر سے منہ کی کھانی پڑ گئی اگر واقعی کچھ سیکھنا ہے تو بھارتی پائلٹس کو پاکستانی فضائیہ سے سبق سیکھنا چاہیے یا کچھ کلاسز کی لے لینی چاہیے۔۔!!!
#TejasCrash #DubaiAirshow https://t.co/k61SWCuxNL
— Kiran Khan (@HelloKiranKhan) November 21, 2025
The Pakistan Strategic Forum, a think-tank, has also shared its condolences to Syal’s family and the IAF. “Our rivalry belongs to the skies ONLY, & as per the teachings of Quran & Sunnah, we do not celebrate any unfortunate incident. Over to the skies & beyond, RIP BRAVE HEART,” the Forum said in its statement Friday.
Meanwhile, a court of inquiry has been constituted to investigate the causes of the latest Tejas accident. The aircraft reached Dubai on 17 November, a few days before the airshow.
The previous accident involving India’s indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was in March 2024, when a Tejas Mark 1 crashed into a hostel in the outskirts of Jaisalmer. At the time, the pilot was able to eject from the aircraft.
Wing Commander Syal was originally from Patialakad village in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district. He comes from a family with links to the armed forces. His father, Jagan Nath Syal, served in the Army Medical Corps before retiring. Later, he worked as a school principal, as reported by ThePrint.
Commissioned in 2009, Syal had a long association with the Tejas aircraft. He was part of No. 45 Squadron of the IAF, also known as the “Flying Daggers”. The squadron is based at Sulur Air Base near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The squadron operates the Tejas.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: A tribute to Tejas. India’s delay culture is the real enemy in the skies