Muhammad Mehmood Alam who was popularly known as M. M. Alam was the iconic figure that Armed Forces all over the world and especially of Pakistan Air Force cannot forget. The nonpareil respect of MM Alam is evidenced by the fact that he was the world’s only jet ace in one mission!
People usually overlook the fact that this legend didn’t get his fame only due to the 1965 Indo-Pak war, Squadron Leader Mahmood Alam was already a notable and prized leader of the No 11 Squadron at the time of the 65 war. The veteran who excelled in gunnery competition, as well. Apart from being the best at his job, he was awarded Sitara e Jurrat (the star of courage) by the armed forces of Pakistan for his services during the war. The unforgettable record that every person in the field recognized him for was made when he shot down FIVE Indian air-crafts in less than a minute! Another fact that is lesser known to the world is that the first four of those air-crafts were shot down in the first 30 seconds –a world record.
The fighter pilot who managed alone to raise the pride worthiness of the Pakistani Air Forces to greater heights flew a North American F-86 Sabre. He retired from the Air Force in 1982 when he was ranked as an Air Commodore (a one star general rank). There on, he took up a more religious route in his life. During the 1965, it is not just the 5 air-crafts he downed; the famed Sabre, that MM Alam flew, had eleven little Indian flags, each one denoting an Indian aircraft that went down at his hands. Out of those, seven were Hawker Hunter fighters. Our country could have never been more proud of a patriot!
The legend, as we prefer to call him rightly, has been suffering greatly from respiratory issues in the past 18 months and often had to be moved to hospitals for treatment. On the 18th of March, this true war hero who had inspired numerous generations to join the air force breathed his last at the PNS Shifa. The Pakistani Air Force and Navy spokesmen were of the opinion that his health had deteriorated due to age. He was 78.
The eldest of 11 siblings, MM Alam was of Bengali origin, though patriotism knows no boundaries. He was laid to rest at the graveyard in Masroor Airbase Karachi. Air Vice Marshal Mahmood Akhtar praised the deceased in words that can simply not be altered saying that on September 8th, 1965, he was given the order to fly a B-57 bomber from Mauripur airbase along with another bomber for an across-the-border mission. He flew at 40,000 feet from Mauripur to Jodhpur and Amritsar in India and landed back in Peshawar without the Indian air force or their air defense intercepting it.
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