PAF fighter pilot Saiful Azam passes away in Bangladesh

DHAKA: One of the greatest Bangladeshi fighter pilots, Saiful Azam, has died at a hospital in Bangladesh.

The former 80-year-old, who was awarded Sitara-i-Jura’at for his heroics in the 1965 war against India, breathed his last in Dhaka on Sunday morning.

Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh (CAAB) chief served at the organization for two terms (from 1982 to 1984, 1987 to 1988) had been undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) around 1 pm.

Saiful Azam was born in 1941 in Pabna, Bangladesh, he served in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) from 1960-1971, and the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) from 1971-1979.

During the 1965 war, he served in No. 17 Squadron at PAF’s Sargodha base. Apart from inflicting heavy damage to Indian forces in 12 ground-attack missions, Azam also downed an Indian Air Force aircraft and was awarded Sitara-i-Jura’at.

The United States government also awarded him as one of the world’s 22 ‘Living Eagles’ for his outstanding war skills and courage.