Zafar Mahmud

Who is Zafar Mahmud?

Zafar Mahmud was a Royal Indian Air Force officer during the second world war, originally stationed in Burma.

After the partition of India he had the responsibility of transporting a number of planes from India to Pakistan under hazardous conditions. During one such transfer flight, his fuel was contaminated by sugar by parties opposed to those transfers and the plane he was flying crashed near the Indian/Pakistani border.

He continued his career in the Pakistan Air Force and represented the Air Force's interests in the Hamood-ur-Rahman commission that was created by the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto following the 1971 war with India and the breakup of the country into two entities, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

He also defended Zia-ul-Haq when Zia was investigated for disobeying orders and participating in the operations of Black September in Jordan in 1970 General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq eventually went on to become the President and Military ruler of Pakistan after a military coup in 1977.

In 1975, Zafar joined the Pakistan foreign service and served as the country's ambassador to Somalia and Poland before retiring in 1985.