According to a press release from the PAF media device, the chief of the Pakistan Air Force, Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, expressed deep sorrow at the death of the great war veteran. Paying tribute to Azam, the PAF chief said the former fighter pilot will always be remembered for his professionalism and role in Indo-Pak and the Arab-Israeli wars of 1965 to 1967.
Legendary fighter pilot Saiful Azam, who received Sitara-i-Jura for his proceeds in the war against India in 1965, blew his last breath in the Bengal capital of Dhaka on Sunday morning, officials and media said.
The group’s 80-year-old retired captain died in his home, says local newspaper Jugantor. For a long time he suffered from various age complications.
“We discovered his death, but we did not publish it on our official website because he is a retired official,” said Colonel Lt. Col. Abdullah Ibn Zaid, ISPR director.
According to APP, Azam was born in 1941 in what was then the Pabna district of East Bengal. At the age of 18, he returned home to register with PAF and was hired as a Pakistani fighter pilot in 1960.
During the 1965 war, he served in squadron No. 17 at the PAF base in Sargodha. Azam not only caused serious damage to Indian troops in 12 ground attack missions, but also crashed an Indian Air Force aircraft and was assigned to Sitara-i-Jura’at.
According to the available data, Azam is the unique figure of the Air Force in the history of Bangladesh, having fought as a fighter pilot in three different countries: Jordan, Iraq and Pakistan. He is the only fighter pilot to have shot down four Israeli aircraft during the 1967 Arab – Israeli War, which is also a world record.
The US government also recognized him as one of the 22 “living eagles” in the world for his outstanding war skills and courage.
After the recruitment of Bangladesh in 1971, the veteran joined the Bangladesh Air Force. Azam, also a former legislator from the Pabna-3 constituency in far north Bangladesh, was considered a legend by the Bangladeshi people because of his pristine track record as a fighter pilot.
In 1980, he retired from the military and developed a career in public service and later became a politician.
