Wings of Duty — Page 7
7 the crowd. There were people who thought that this might have been a secret plot to abduct Huzoor. Others started to cry, while some began to pray. Their prayers were ongoing when the plane came into sight from the east, flying at a considerable height. There was a sudden sense of relief and various people fell in prostration in gratitude to God. After landing, Huzoor explained that he had asked Mr Chawla to fly to the Beas River so that he could see the area between Qadian and the river from the air. The pilot’s seat was at the front of the plane and a wide seat for two passengers was at the back. Huzoor announced a list of names of those who would take turns going up. Each person was given the opportunity to fly for one circuit, which lasted about 7 minutes. The following day—the last one of Mr Chawla’s visit— some children were also given an opportunity and one adult and two children would go up in turns. My heart yearned for the chance to fly. Perhaps Huzoor sensed something of my desire because suddenly I heard my name called out. I felt like I had won the lottery. In my group there was Sahibzada Mirza Daud Ahmad, later a colonel in the army, Huzoor’s daughter Sahibzadi Amtul Hakeem who was 7 years old at the time and of course myself. The experience made me keen to fly