Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Karachi Protests, Sudan Plane Downing, IAF Helicopter, Housing Delays
Long ago, in 1986, people in a city called Karachi were very upset.
They were angry because five people had been killed by police in another city, Lahore, and many leaders had been arrested.
So they blocked streets and threw rocks.
The police used tear gas and then fired guns, and one person died.
In Africa, a plane from Sudan was flying when rebels shot it down.
About 60 people on the plane were feared dead.
In India, the Air Force wanted a new, very big helicopter from the Soviet Union.
It was called the MI-26 and was the biggest helicopter in the world.
Also, the government's housing projects were stuck waiting for approval for more than six months.
Police in Karachi opened fire on anti-government demonstrators, killing one person on the fifth consecutive day of protests.
Demonstrators were protesting five deaths in police firing in Lahore and the arrests of hundreds of opposition leaders.
Sudanese rebels shot down a Sudan Airways Fokker Friendship near Malakal, with about 60 passengers and crew feared killed.
The Indian Air Force is acquiring the Soviet MI-26 heavy-lift helicopter, believed to be the world's heaviest and most powerful.
The Ministry of Urban Development's housing finance and urban improvement projects remain pending clearance in the Finance Ministry more than six months after submission.
- Who
- Anti-government demonstrators and police in Karachi, Sudanese rebels, the Indian Air Force, and Indian ministries
- What
- Police firing killed one protester in Karachi; rebels shot down a Sudan Airways plane; the IAF planned to acquire an MI-26 helicopter; housing projects awaited clearance
- When
- August 18, 1986
- Where
- Karachi, Pakistan; near Malakal, Sudan; India
- Why
- Protests over deaths in Lahore and arrests of opposition leaders; rebel attack; IAF fleet augmentation; pending Finance Ministry approval
- Date
- August 18, 1986
- Karachi protest deaths
- 1 person killed in police firing
- Protest trigger
- 5 deaths in Lahore firing and hundreds of opposition leaders arrested
- Downed aircraft
- Sudan Airways Fokker Friendship
- Passengers feared killed
- About 60 (57 passengers plus crew)
- Downing location
- Near Malakal, south Sudan
- Helicopter
- Soviet MI-26, code-named 'Halo-7' by NATO
- Pending projects
- Housing finance and urban improvement projects, pending over 6 months