 After the partition of India in 1947, the Allam family moved from Bangalore to Rawalpindi via train, witnessing the violence and riots that was taking place in the trains at the time of the partition in 1947.Eventually, Mahboob Alam eventually found the employment at the Survey of Pakistan.After his matriculation, Alam went to attend the Lawrence College where he earned the diploma, which allowed to him to attend the Government College University (GCU) in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.