Our ace

On June 14, 2020 Group Captain Saif-ul-Azam (r) passed away in Bangladesh holds a unique world record of flying as a fighter pilot for four different countries, namely Pakistan, Jordan, Iraq and Bangladesh. During the 1965 Indo-Pak war he shot down an Indian jet and was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurrat for his feat of courage and skill. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, he was deputed in Jordan and shot down an Israeli fighter aircraft. His service in the war continued in Iraq where he shot down a much superior Mirage aircraft and a Vautour bomber belonging to the Israeli Air Force. Jordan and Iraq honoured him with gallantry awards. In 2001 The Gathering of Eagles Foundation, a US based non-profit, rewarded Captain Azam as one of the 22 ‘Living Eagles’, affirming his place among the pantheon of ace aviators like Chuck Yeager and John Glenn.

Like me, he was a proud ‘Sargodhian’, among the initial entrants of PAF Public School/College, Sargodha. After the 1971 war, he shifted to Bangladesh and visited Sargodha in the early 2000s to attend the Golden Jubilee of PAF Public School/College, Sargodha. I request the government as well as the Pakistan Air Forc) to name an institution or road/place after him and to commission a documentary highlighting his extraordinary achievements.

M Asif

Karachi