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KARACHI: Air Commodore (retd) Muhammad Mahmood Alam Khan, a veteran of the 1965 and 1971 wars, died in a hospital here on Monday after a long illness. He was 78.
Funeral prayer was offered at the Masroor Base and attended, among others, by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, PAF chief Air Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, Corps Commander Lt Gen Ejaz Chaudhry and senior officials of the Air Force, Navy and Army. He was laid to rest with military honours at in PAF graveyard in Masroor Air Base.
Air Marshal Butt expressed sorrow over the death of a legend and national hero, saying that any chronicle of the aviation world or accomplishments of the Pakistan Air Force would remain incomplete without the mention of Mahmood Alam.
“He was a daring pilot, a thorough professional and a role model not only for the air force, but also for Muslims across the world,” the PAF chief observed.
M.M. Alam was born in Kolkata on July 6, 1935, into an educated family. After completing his secondary education from the Government High School, Dhaka, in 1951, he joined the PAF in 1952 and was granted commission in Oct 1953.
He attended several courses in the United States and the United Kingdom.
His major appointments included at air gunnery and as tactical instructor at the Fighter Leader School, commanding officer of three squadrons, director of operations research and as assistant chief of the air staff (flight safety and plans) at the air headquarters.
During the 1965 war with India, Squadron Leader M.M. Alam shot down two enemy aircraft and damaged three on Sept 6. He was awarded Sitara-i-Jur’at in recognition of his gallantry.
Sept 7 was the day when he rewrote the history of air warfare by shooting down five Indian Hawker Hunter fighters in air-to-air combat, in less than 60 seconds. The first four came down within a span of 30 seconds.
For this awesome feat, M.M. Alam was again awarded Sitara-i-Jur’at (with Bar). In addition, the government named a road in Gulberg, Lahore, after his after him.
M.M. Alam was deputed to Syria after that country’s government acquired his services for its air force. He served there for five years.
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Comments (58) Closed
Mar 19, 2013 07:19am
?????? ?????? ????????? ???????? ????????? May Allah (swt) grant him jannah. Ameen.
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Mar 19, 2013 07:29am
May Allah grant his eternal mercy on him, Ameen.
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Mar 19, 2013 07:53am
May Allah bless our hero.
May Allah give us courage like his.
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Mar 19, 2013 08:33am
what kind of sick minded people are dislikeing this comment?
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Mar 19, 2013 08:33am
Rest in Peace
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Mar 19, 2013 08:36am
Ameen!
i wonder why you got one 'Hands-down' vote? hmmm...
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Mar 19, 2013 08:38am
To Allah we belong and to Allah we shall all return
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Mar 19, 2013 09:15am
Great man ....... WOW a real TOP GUN .
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Mar 19, 2013 09:52am
a real hero... very rare to find son of soil like him.... salute to this man courage and patriotism
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Mar 19, 2013 09:54am
Love you Sir and Salute to your bravery. May ALLAH gave place to you in Jannat-ul-Firdos, Ameen
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Mar 19, 2013 10:10am
May Allah bless his soul.
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Mar 19, 2013 10:43am
Despite being from the other side of the border, its good to see that in Pakistan people appreciate the work done by their armed forces and they honor their heroes. I remember when one of our heroes died, Field Manekshaw, there was not a single minister present, and not even the army chief.
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Mar 19, 2013 11:13am
Allah maghfirat fermae, aamin! Inna Lillah e Wa Inna Elahae Rajeoon. He was our hero better name islamabad International Airport atleast old one on his name.
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Mar 19, 2013 11:14am
I was a little kid when I first heard of his 1965 exploits. He was my instant hero. Then came 1971, and our great rumor-mill had all the bad words for him. I was still a kid, and believed all Bengalis were 'bad' traitors.
Of course, now I know that Pakistan was the aggressor in the 1965 war (and let us not even think about 1971), But I still believe that these wars are not the fault of individual soldiers, and that those how fought with courage and honor are heroes.
M.M. Alam is still my hero.
RIP.
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Mar 19, 2013 11:28am
Hats off for MM Alam.
He was the real hero of Pakistan but unfortunately we did not appreciate his efforts for the nation.
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Mar 19, 2013 11:35am
His services to the Nation would be long remembered, and his name would be written in golden words in years to come. May Allah (Subhanwatallah) enter him in Jannah..ameen.
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Mar 19, 2013 11:37am
Pak Armed Forces ,, tujay mera salam!!!
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Mar 19, 2013 11:47am
May Allah grant you eternal peace and janna sir ...,,
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Mar 19, 2013 11:58am
May God bless him.. and enter in jannat.. i wish other Commander be the same like him.
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Mar 19, 2013 12:18pm
May his soul rest in Peace in heaven. Pakistanis salute you for your great services for country and nation.
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Mar 19, 2013 01:08pm
Must be the offspring of his victims
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Mar 19, 2013 01:20pm
My father use to take me to the park where his plane was parked. I loved just looking at it. A true Pakistani by heart.
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Mar 19, 2013 01:33pm
The claims sound unreal. Four airplanes in 30 seconds?! Unless they were on the ground, sounds impossible. But anyway, PAF is known just like IAF for ridiculous claims. RIP
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Mar 19, 2013 01:49pm
Great Man, Great Fighter
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Mar 19, 2013 02:34pm
I am surprised by all these "neighbors to the east" coming to Dawn.com only spew hatred. He was a soldier who fought for his country. Please take your small mindedness else where.
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Mar 19, 2013 03:14pm
Brother ignore, Allah will take care of the bad people.
Khalid, Engineer USA
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Mar 19, 2013 03:32pm
Dear it is true and this is available in guinnes world records.
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Mar 19, 2013 03:33pm
Look up the Indian Air Force records. They admit 4. The 5th they say was from ground support. 4 in 60 seconds is also a world record.
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Mar 19, 2013 04:07pm
I was surprised to see the comments of Destum. Whenever PAF or IAF shoots down an aircraft,
you can always see it on camera. I knew MM Alam personally as my younger brother Flt Lt Shams
served with Alam. All friends of Alam had given him a nickname of Peanut Alam because he was
so tiny and cute. He has a world record to his credit because he shot 5 much superior aircraft with
an obsolete aircraft F-86. It just proves one thing. Man behind the gun. My brother Shams received
SJ for taking maximum Bombing missions in 1965 even when he was declared unfit to fly by the
medical board. When 1965 war started , Shams was in CMH Rawalpindi getting ready for a major kidney surgery. He quietly slipped out of hospital and reported to his base and took on his missions. Immediately after the war, he was hospitalized and his kidney removed. He along with 6 other heros of PAF are always mentioned on 7th September every year
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Mar 19, 2013 04:09pm
?????? ?????? ????????? ???????? ?????????
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Mar 19, 2013 04:58pm
You should refer to the numerous books written by your air force folks and you will find MM Alam's praise and a proof of his extraordinary acheivement in almost every book.
Also read some unbiased books written by brits and Americans and you will find the proof in there. Sometimes the grace lies in admitting that your enemy is better than you.
May his soul rest in peace.
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Mar 19, 2013 04:59pm
Well said!
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Mar 19, 2013 05:03pm
He was indeed a great hero, He proved his skills at the time when they were most needed. He will be remembered in our hearts forever. May his soul rest in peace.
I hiope PAF is still having that kind of professionalism.
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Mar 19, 2013 05:53pm
Hats off to him. He was a great national asset who rose Pakistan to great fame. May his soul rest in peace. Ameen
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Mar 19, 2013 05:59pm
You have no idea about an air to air combat Mr Destum...most air battles are over within seconds...Mr. Alam's achievements are well documented by both the indian and pakistani air forces, hence Mr. Alam's world renound status as a fighter pilot!
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Mar 19, 2013 06:34pm
You are right. The claim that enemy planes, - four fighter jets mind you that were neither toys nor flying little ducks - shot down in 30 seconds sounds pretty rediculous. But then truth they say is the first casualtry in a conflict!
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Mar 19, 2013 06:35pm
may his soul rest in peace,indeed a great moment of sorrow for the entire nation.
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Mar 19, 2013 06:56pm
Oh my Hero! Today My Country is one more hero scarce. From where we will bring more heroes like you. May Allah bless you with eternal peace.
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Mar 19, 2013 07:16pm
the real hero of pakistan
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Mar 19, 2013 07:31pm
All the books I have read of credible Pakistani authors as well as Americans who were pro PAF ( due to American vs Russian equipment) have unanimously agreed that this feat, at high speeds and at low heights is not possible. He may be a good pilot, and may have shot many enemy planes, but this one is a little fishy. RIP, MM Alam. He chose to stay in (Western) Pakistan when our people were massacring his. He was also not allowed to fly in the 1971 war due to his Bengali roots.
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Mar 19, 2013 08:29pm
Air Commodore (R) M.M.ALAM was a very faithful Pakistani. He was a very decent Moslem person. His loyalty until the end was with Pakistan. He was a great man and a dedicated professional. His contribution in the field he picked as his career stands out in the world. His illustarius career indicates that he does not need any introduction. His achievements are a record and with so much advancement in avaition industry, still no combat fighter air plane pilot has come close to his kills in the air. On that Sept. 7, 1965 day he was on a F-86 fighter jet and he shot down 5 enemy fighter jet planes within a minute or so. In the 1965 war he shot down 9 enemy air plane in total. In 1971 war due to some departemental controversies he could not fly and did not get security clearance to fly against the advance enemy air force. He was such a popular pilot in those days that at times the enemy pilots will listen the radio chat of Pakistan Air Force and request to send Alam up in the air. General Yeager who was an observer in the wars and the best combat pilot from USA has spoken very highly about M.M. Alam and his skills to fly a bird with so much confidfence, control and precision. "MAY ALLAH BLESS HIS SOUL AND GIVE HIM A PLACE IN THE HEAVENS" AMEEN.
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Mar 19, 2013 08:57pm
May Allah bless his soul, Ameen. He was a hero for all the
muslim world as suggessted in the article. He will live on
forever in our folklore.
Who are these insane and deranged people who are
disliking best wishes and prayers for M M Alam Marhoom
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Mar 19, 2013 10:39pm
The dislikes show that this article has also attracted attention from across the border and they are going to show their usual narrow midedness.
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Mar 19, 2013 10:56pm
Jealousy at its best
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Mar 19, 2013 10:58pm
Couldn't agree more. There r more people on dawn from the other side of the border.
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Mar 19, 2013 11:00pm
A true hero and one of the stars from our great PAF. Pakistan Zindabad. May allah grant him a high place in Jannat. Ameen.
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Mar 19, 2013 11:54pm
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEASE.TRUE SONS OF PAKISTAN ARE PAAASING AWAY ONE BY ONE AND ALL WE ARE LEFT WITH ARE SCOUDRELS AND THIEVES RULING LIKE HELL OVER US.WE WILL NEVEER FORGET YOU SIR ALAM.ALLAH AAP KI MAGFIRAT FARMAYAY AUR JAANNAT AL FIRDOUS MEIN JAGA ATA FARMAYAY.AMEEN SUM AMEEN.
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Mar 20, 2013 12:24am
Destum, you will not believe it because you are an Indian.
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Mar 20, 2013 03:56am
He was the link between East and West Pakistan.
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Mar 20, 2013 05:10am
This is not Times of India site where conconated stories are published it's Dawn. RIP
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Mar 20, 2013 05:26am
What a GEM OF A FIGHTER PILOT he was.
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Mar 20, 2013 05:30am
During 1965 war P A F downed more than twice the number of I A F fighters than I A F had. And the result was clear. On Sundays Indians from border cities and town used visit the Patton Park, and F 4 Ground right with in the boundary of District Lahore.I did go too.
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Mar 20, 2013 06:51am
The Real hero! He would surely get his award, RIP Hero..
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Mar 20, 2013 08:54am
May his soul rest in eternal peace. The Government must name a prominent building / road / park after his name in Karachi also.
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Mar 20, 2013 11:36am
May his soul rest in peace!
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Mar 20, 2013 01:46pm
no wonder pakistan lost all wars,,, even now the drone attack,,,cant do a thing....have a enquiry,why pak is failing
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Mar 20, 2013 01:48pm
Four Indian Hawker Hunter fighters came down within a span of 30 seconds. What is the world record of shooting down the Hawker Hunter fighters? The Pakistan army should forwarded his name for the Guinness World Records.
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Mar 20, 2013 02:07pm
He was a hero for Pakistanis and a villain for the other side hence getting dislikes. Thats their way of disliking him.
His deed on the day was remarkable, amazing son of this land.
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