By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Group Captain (Retd) Saiful Azam, Sitara-e-Jurrat, war veteran of 1965 Indo-Pak war, breathed his last in Bangladesh after prolonged illness. Chief of the Air staff Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan expressed heartfelt grief on the demise of the great war veteran.
While paying rich tributes to Group Captain (Retd) Saif-ul-Azam, the air chief acknowledged his heroic deeds during the 1965 Indo-Pak and 1967 Arab-Israel wars. He further added that he was an exceptional fighter pilot who would always be remembered for his valour and professionalism. Group Captain (Retd) Saiful Azam was born in Pabna District, East Bengal in 1941. He was commissioned as a fighter pilot in October, 1960.
During 1965 War, he served in No17 Squadron at PAF Base Sargodha. Apart from inflicting heavy damage to Indian forces in 12 ground-attack missions, Azam also had one IAF aircraft kill to his credit as well. For his valour and devotion to duty in 1965 war, he was awarded with Sitara-e-Jura’at†.
Group Captain Saiful Azam also attained global repute when he shot down three Israeli aircraft during 1967 Arab-Israel war. In recognition of his heroic contributions he was honoured with the military awards by the governments of Jordan and Iraq. The US government also bestowed upon him the title of “Living Eagle†in 2001.
