Zafar Masud

[3] In 1946, Masud graduated from Model High School and was commissioned into the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) to become a fighter pilot.

[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".

[citation needed] Air Cdre Masud suffered high-level local defections from his own staff when Group Captain A. K. Khandker and Wing Commander M. K. Bashar escaped to India in May 1971.

[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.

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