M M Alam still tops hall of fames

ISLAMABAD: M M Alam the hero of 1965 Pak India War still tops the hall of fame as his record of shooting down five Indian war planes in less than a minute remains unbeaten.

Alam who was nicknamed as Little Dragon altogether downed nine planes while piloting an F 86 Sabre.

He was the first ever fighter pilot for Pakistan Air Force (PAF) listed on top in the hall of famers list at the PAF Museum in Karachi.

For his remarkable show of brilliance in the 1965 war he was awarded Sitara e Jurat and BAR medal.

Born on July 6 1935 in Calcutta (India) he was the eldest of 11 siblings.

He was the only in his family to join the armed forces.

In 1965 when India started war in the late mist dark night Alam who was the first commanding officer of the first squadron of Assaults Mirage III took his F 86 Sabre jet plane equipped with AIM 9 sidewinder missiles and flied over the skies of Sargodha to defeat the enemies who had entered in Pakistani air space.

He made the unforgettable history by knocking down nine Indian fighter jets Hawker Hunters in air to air combat despite Hawker Hunter superiority over F 86. Five of the Indian aircraft were shot down in 30 seconds a world record.

When Radio Pakistan announced his brilliance the people across the country started raising the slogans of Allah o Akbar.

Alam retired in 1982 as an Air Commodore and breathed his last on March 18 2013 in Karachi after battling illness since December 2012.