Muhammad Mahmood Alam

Muhammad Mahmood Alam}} (6 July 1935 — 18 March 2013) best known as M. M. Alam and affectionately nicknamed Little Dragon and Peanut Alam, was a Pakistani flying ace, war hero, and a former one-star rank officer in the Pakistan Air Force.

Born in Calcutta, Alam became interested in aviation after witnessing RAF pilots defend his hometown during World War II. He supported the Pakistan Movement and moved to East Bengal after the Partition in 1947. Amid the turmoil, at the age of 11, Alam killed a man in act of self defence. By 1952, he joined the RPAF College. Commissioned into the Air Force in 1953 and attached to its first jet unit, the No. 11 Sqn, he eventually became the top-scorer of the PAF in air-to-air gunnery competitions.

Patrolling over Sargodha during the Indo-Pakistani air war of 1965 on 7 September, Squadron Leader Alam set a world combat record of shooting down five Indian Hawker Hunters with his F-86 Sabre in less than a minute which earned him the designation of 'ace in a day', making him the only known jet pilot to achieve such a feat. However, the claim has been disputed by the official history of the PAF, former colleague Sajad Haider, and historians who attributed the account to the fog of war. Nonetheless, Haider and Indian historian Pushpindar Singh Chopra credit Alam with two confirmed kills on that day. By the end of the war, he was credited with 9 total air kills and two aircraft damaged. Thereafter, he was awarded the Sitara-i-Jurat & Bar. Promoted to Wing Commander in 1967, he was appointed Officer Commanding No. 5 Sqn and oversaw the induction of newly acquired Dassault Mirage III aircraft. In 1968, he and his pilots ferried the jets from France to Pakistan.

In the early 1970s, Alam was deputed to Syria at the request of the Syrian government to train their pilots. After the 1971 War broke out back home, resulting in the secession of East Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh, he became depressed and did not report for duty for those months. He refused to accept his salary, as he believed he hadn't earned it. During the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, he led a group of 16 PAF pilots and flew combat missions against the Israeli Air Force. He then commanded a Syrian squadron of MiG-21s. As a student at the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1980, officials issued a report comparing him to Field Marshal William Slim. In 1981, as Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Plans), Alam advocated for the acquisition of F-16 fighter jets in a briefing to President General Zia-ul-Haq, challenging the position of his own Air Chief, Anwar Shamim.

That year, concerned by damaging allegations to the PAF's integrity, including that Air Chief Anwar Shamim had reportedly purchased a ranch in the United States for $500,000, Alam advised his Chief to investigate the rumors and lay them to rest. Described as the "blue-eyed boy" of the military regime, Shamim was offended that Alam even advised him and submitted a report to the Ministry of Defence, questioning Alam's integrity instead. Alam petitioned President General Zia-ul-Haq, but with Zia firmly in Shamim's corner, Alam's request was ignored, and he was prematurely retired in 1982. In protest, Alam refused his pension. In an attempt to appease him, General Zia offered him a diplomatic posting and the chairmanship of a thinktank, both of which he rejected.

Before his retirement, Alam had gradually embraced religion in the later years of his career and adopted a nomadic lifestyle afterward. He disappeared and it was eventually discovered that he had joined the Afghan Mujahideen to fight against the occupying Soviet army in Afghanistan. During his time there, Alam became close to Ahmad Shah Massoud. Afterwards, he lived in a PAF Mess and faced financial hardship as a result of refusing his pension, never seeking help from family or friends. By 2002, Air Chief Mushaf Ali Mir had a guesthouse built for him in Chaklala and convinced him to finally accept his pension. He lived there until the mid-2000s, when he was advised to temporarily move to PAF Base Faisal, though he intended to return, repeated delays kept him in Karachi, where he eventually settled in and rebuilt his personal library. At the age of 77, he died in early 2013 due to complications as a result of his smoking habits. Provided by Wikipedia