Zafar Masud

Air Commodore Muhammad Zafar Masud, (Urdu: محمد مسعود ظفر) (October 17, 1927[1] – October 7, 2003) HJ, SBt, also known as Mitty Masud, was a one star air officer in the Pakistan Air Force and a military strategist who was known for his role as air officer commanding of the Dacca airbase in East Pakistan.

This article is about the general. For the banker, see Zafar Masud (banker).

Air Commodore

Zafar Masud
Zafar Masud (1927-2003)
Birth nameMuhammad Masud Zafar
Nickname(s)MZ Masud
Mitty
Born17 October 1927
Gujranwala, Punjab, India
(Present-day Gujranwala, Punjab in Pakistan)
Died7 October 2003
PAF Hospital Islamabad in Islamabad
Buried
PAF Cemetery, Nur Khan Air Force Base
Allegiance Pakistan
Years of service1946–1971
Rank Air-Commodore
UnitNo. 9 Squadron Griffins
Commands heldPAF Base, Dhaka
PAF Base Sargodha
PAF Sherdils
No. 11 Squadron Arrows
Battles/warsIndo-Pakistani War of 1965 Bangladesh Liberation War
Awards Hilal-i-Jurat (1965)
Sitara-e-Basalat (1971)
Spouse(s)Elizabeth Harniette
Other workFlight instructor

Masud had the area responsibility of defending the airspace border of East-Pakistan, but resigned from his commission after the military operation took place on March 26, 1971, and left the command to Air Cdre Inamul Haq on March 30, 1971.[2]

Early life and Air Force career

Muhammad Masud Zafar was born in Gujranwala, Punjab in British India to a prominent[1] Punjabi family in 1927.[3] His father, Zafar Hussain, was an alumnus of Punjab University and served as a civil officer in the Indian Railways. When his father was appointed as a senior officer of the Railway Board, the family moved to Delhi.[3] In 1946, Masud graduated from Model High School and was commissioned into the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) to become a fighter pilot.[3] When India was partitioned in 1947, Masud joined the newly created Pakistan Air Force.[3] He did not participate in the first war with India in 1947 as he joined the air force faculty.[3] In 1948, F/O Masud joined the faculty of Air Force Academy in Risalpur where he began flight instructions to young air force cadets.[3] In 1952, he did further training on flight management and qualified as a fighter pilot when he completed a Fighter Leader Course at the RAF.[4] In 1957–58, Wg.Cdr. Masud was tasked by Air Cdr-in-C, Air Marshal Asghar Khan, to organize, train, and lead an aerobatics team, the PAF Sherdils, of 16 F-86 Sabre jets that would set a world record, validating the PAF's place among the well-regarded air arms of the world.[5]

War and staff appointments in Pakistan Air Force

Gp Capt. Masud's first command assignment was included as base commander Sargodha Air Force Base, which would emerged him as the top hero of the 1965 war.[6]:Conts[7]

In 1965, he actively participated in second war with India when he led a team of fighter pilots, including Flt. Lt Mervyn Middlecoat, Sqn. Ldr. Cecil Chaudhry, and Sq. Ldr. MM Allam, against the Indian Air Force.[8] Gp Capt. Masud flew against the Indian Air Force in Sargodha Sector with great courage and was regarded as an ace fighter for his ability in dogfight against the Indian pilots.[9]

From 1966–69, Gp Capt. Masud continued his role as a flight instructor with the Air Force and was appointed in the Air AHQ as Director-General of Air Operations (DGAO).[3] In 1969, Gp. Capt. Masud was promoted to one star rank, Air Commodore, and was being speculated as a probable future air force chief once the retirement of Air Marshal Abdur Rahim Khan.[5]

AOC, Dacca airbase and Bangladesh liberation war
Main articles: Pakistan Eastern Command and Bangladesh liberation war

In 1970, Air Cdre Masud was appointed as the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of Dacca airbase, East Pakistan.[8]

In April 1971, Air Cdre Masud relayed his concern to then-Governor East Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan and Eastern Command commander Lieutenant-General Yaqub Ali Khan, who decided to call upon President General Yahya Khan to visit East Pakistan. Air Cdre Masud was in clear view that situation was such that the army could not hold the ground of it, and had lobbied for supporting the Ahsan-Yakob Mission for resolving the peaceful solution.[10]

In March 1971, President Yahya Khan finally arrived in Dhaka and chaired a meeting at the Eastern Command HQ where Air Cdre Masud argued in favor of political solution, noting that "in the prevailing military imbalance, a semi-autonomous East Pakistan was far preferable to the certainty of a military defeat in the event that India decided to intervene".[5] During the meeting, President Yahya interjected several times and was in view of agreeing with Air Cdre Masud's view and supported his stance by quoting: "You must surely know that I too do not want a war and am doing my best to persuade Mujib and Bhutto to find a way out of the crisis".[11]

On 7 March 1971, Governor East Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan and Eastern Commander Lieutenant-General Yaqub Ali Khan were relieved of their respected post, leaving to Lieutenant-General Tikka Khan who initiated the massive military crackdown after the raid in the Dhaka University. Air Cdre Masud suffered with high-level of local defections in his own staff when Air Cdre Masud's Officer Commanding (Admin. Wing) Gp Capt A. K. Khandker defected to Bangladesh in an official plane in May 1971.[12]:67–68 This was followed by the defection of Wg. Cdr Hamidullah Khan and Sqn Ldr M. G. Tawab who joined the Bangladesh Force against the PAF in East.[12]:68 During Operation Blitzkrieg, Masud refused an order to dispatch an air strike against armed civilians.[11]

During this time, Masud made many contacts with President Yahya Khan but was unable to reach to him, eventually deciding to visit in Army GHQ in Rawalpindi. Masud handed over the air command to Air Cdre Inamul Haque Khan and arrived in Pakistan but was unable to hold the meeting with President Yahya which eventually led Masud disheartened and frustrated.[8]

Despite urging against the early and premature retirement, Masud tendered his resignation from the Pakistan Air Force, which attracted the news media correspondents who tried getting his opinion but he declined to comment.[8]

Later life and death

After seeking retirement in July 1971, Masud worked as a civilian flight instructor for the Rawalpindi Flying Club from 1974 onwards for some years.[2]

He was married to a German national, Elizabeth, who worked as technician at Siemens Engineering in 1959; his wife died in 2019. He had one son, Salaar, who became a Software engineer.[13] Masud died due to a cardiac arrest in PAF Hospital in Islamabad and is buried at PAF cemetery in Islamabad; the place of burial of his wife is in Karachi.[5]

References
  1. "Air Commodore Zafar Masud: A Pakistani Hero". Daily Pakistan Global. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  2. Yousaf, Nasim (2015). Air Commodore M. Zafar Masud - A Pioneer of the Pakistan Air Force. Karachi, Pakistan: AMZ Publications. pp. 126–134. ISBN 9780982611067. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  3. "A tribute to Air Commodore Zafar Masud (HJ, SBt)". The News International (Editorial). 7 October 2003. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  4. Khan, Iqtedar A. (28 October 2003). "Tribute to Mitty Masud". Dawn. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  5. Khan, ACM Jamal A. (13 October 2003). "Mitty Masud folds his wings". Dawn. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  6. Ahmed, Ayaz (March 1999). "Obituary - A Hero Fades away". Defence Journal. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  7. Bowman, Martin (2016). Cold War Jet Combat: Air-to-Air Jet Fighter Operations 1950-1972. Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781473874626. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  8. Yousaf, Nasim (10 December 2015). "Air Commodore Zafar Masud and the Separation of East Pakistan". Daily Pakistan Global. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  9. Qadir, PA, Col. Azam (2016). "A Pakistan Army Doctor Who Took Surrender of the Indian Air Force Jet". ISPR Hilal Magazine. Vol. 53 no. 9. Islamabad, Pakistan: ISPR. pp. 2–4. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  10. Osman., Mitha, Aboobaker (2003). Unlikely beginnings: a soldier's life. Karachi, Sindh, Pk: Oxford University Press. pp. 333–334. ISBN 9780195794137.
  11. Tripathi, Salil (2016). The Colonel Who Would Not Repent: The Bangladesh War and Its Unquiet Legacy. Yale University Press. pp. 188–189. ISBN 978-0-300-22102-2.
  12. Indian Left Review https://books.google.com/books?id=Oe4sAAAAIAAJ&q=Khandker+. Retrieved 8 August 2017. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. Yousaf, Nasim (6 September 2015). "Air Commodore Zafar Masud: A Pakistani Hero". Daily Pakistan Global. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  • Yousaf, Nasim (2015). Air Commodore M. Zafar Masud— A Pioneer of the Pakistan Air Force. Karachi, Pakistan: AMZ Publications. p. 138. ISBN 9780982611067. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  • World record by Air Cdre Masud
Military offices
Preceded by
 Air Officer Commanding, Pakistan Air Force Base Dacca
1970 – 7 March 1971		 Succeeded by
Air Commodore Inamul Haque Khan
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