Saiful Azam

Saiful Azam (; 11 September 1941 – 14 June 2020) was a Bangladeshi fighter pilot and flying ace, and politician. He first served as a fighter pilot for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and later the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF). He also took part in 12 ground-attack missions against the Indian Armed Forces. His father, Nurul Amin, worked in Calcutta where Azam spent much of his childhood up until the Partition of Bengal in 1947. After completing his secondary schooling in East Pakistan, he moved to West Pakistan and joined the Pakistan Air Force College in Sargodha. After that, he joined Pakistan Air Force Academy, Risalpur in 1958, successfully gaining commission as an officer in the PAF's General Duties Pilot or GD (P) branch in 1960. Saiful Azam was married to Nishat Azam, a lawyer.

Career Service with the Pakistan Air Force (1960–1971) After training with the Cessna T-37C Tweet aircraft and further education at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, with North American F-86F Sabres, in 1963, Azam was posted briefly in Dhaka before becoming an instructor with the Lockheed T-33A T-Birds at PAF's No. 2 Squadron (Jet Conversion Unit) in Mauripur, Karachi. In 1966, he assumed the command of PAF's No. 2 Squadron.

In November 1966, he was sent by the Pakistan Air Force on deputation as an adviser to the Royal Jordanian Air Force. To date, he holds the record for most Israeli Air Force aircraft shot down.

In 1969, after completing his overseas deputation, he returned in service to the PAF and spent several years as flight commander at various PAF bases before the creation of Bangladesh.

Post-retirement (1988–2020) Following his retirement from the military, he joined Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). As a BNP candidate, Saiful took part in the 1991 Bangladeshi general election from Pabna-3 and achieved victory.

Subsequently, he entered the private business sector as the managing director of Natasha Trading Agency and as the director of a travel agency with his wife. Ahmed Rabie stated that "on behalf of all Palestinians, I send our deepest condolences to his family in Pakistan and in Bangladesh."