Nishan-e-Haider, The Highest Military Award in Pakistan

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Nishan-e-Haider
The highest military award in Pakistan
By Inqilab Ruknuddin Patel inqilab_at_ruknuddin.com
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Nishan-e-Haider

• The highest Military Award of Pakistan has
  been awarded to Shaheed Soldiers who have shown
  bravery and courage in Times of War Border
  battles1948,1956,1965,1971,1999

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Nishan-e-Haider

• Till now 7 officers and 3 Men
• (Non-Officer) have been
• awarded Nishan-e-Haider.
• Only one Nishan-e-Haider has been awarded to Air
  Force.

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Nishan-e-Haider

War No. of Nishan-e-Haider
1948 War 1
1958 Fight 1
1965 War 1
1971 War 5
1991 Kargil Conflict 2
5
Captain Mohammad Sarwar Shaheed
Born 1910, Singhori Village, District of
Rawalpindi Commissioned 1944, Punjab Regiment
During the Kashmir Operations soon after the
birth of Pakistan, as Company Commander of the
2nd Battalion of the Punjab Regiment, Captain
Sarwar launched an attack causing heavy
casualties against a strongly fortified enemy
position in the Uri Sector under heavy machine
gun, grenade and mortar fire. But on the 27th
July 1948, as he moved forward with six of his
men to cut their way through a barbed wire
barrier, he died when his chest was riddled by a
burst of heavy machine gun fire.
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Major Tufail Mohammad Shaheed
Born 1914, HoshiarpurCommissioned 1943, 16th
Punjab Regiment
Early in August 1958, Major Tufail, a Company
Commander in the East Pakistan Rifles, encircled
an illegal Indian post, which violated the
internationally recognized boundary between the
two countries, in the Lakshmipur area. And,
though mortally wounded in the hand-to-hand
encounter that followed, Major Tufail continued
to lead his troops till the Indians were driven
out, leaving four dead and three prisoners. He
died the same day on the 7th August 1958.
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Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed
Born 1928, Hong KongCommissioned 1950, Punjab
Regiment
On 6th September 1965, as Company Commander in
the Burki Area of the Lahore Sector, Major Bhatti
chose to move with his forward platoon under
incessant artillery and tank attacks for five
days and nights in Defence of the strategically
vital BRB Canal. Throughout, undaunghted by
constant fire from enemy small arms, tanks and
artillery, he organized the Defence of the canal,
directing his men to answer the fire until he was
hit by an enemy tank shell which killed him on
10th September 1965.
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Major Mohammad Akram Shaheed
Born 1938, Dingha Village, District of
GujratCommissioned 1963, Frontier Force
Regiment
Major Muhammad Akram and a company of the 4th FF
Regiment which he commanded in the forward area
of the Hilli district, in East Pakistan in 1971,
came under continuous and heavy air, artillery
and Armour attacks. But for an entire fortnight,
despite enemy superiority in both numbers and
fire power, he and his men, in near super human
ability, repulsed every attack, inflicting heavy
casualties on the enemy. Major Akram died during
this epic battle in 1971.
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Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed
Born 17th February 1951Commissioned 1971,
Pilot, P.A.F.
Pilot Officer Minhas was taxiing for take-off on
a routine training flight when an Instructor
Pilot forced his way into the rear cockpit,
seized control of the aircraft and took off. When
Minhas realized that the absconding pilot was
heading towards India, he tried to regain control
of the plane was unable to do so. Knowing that it
meant certain death, he damaged the controls and
forced the aircraft to crash thirty two miles
short of the border on 20th August 1971.
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Major Shabir Sharif Shaheed
Born 1943, Kunjah Village, District of
GujratCommissioned 1964, Frontier Force Regiment
ground near Sulemanki headwork defended by more
than a company of the Assam Regiment supported by
a squadron of tanks. In a well nigh super human
action, for the next three days and nights after
crossing a minefield and massive obstacles and
killing forty three soldiers and destroying four
tanks, Major Sharif and his men held two enemy
battalions at bay. But after he took over an
anti-tank gun from his gunner in an attack he was
killed by a direct hit on the afternoon of 6th
December.
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Jawan Sowar Mohammad Hussain Shaheed
Born 1949, Dhok Pir Bakhsh (now Dhok Muhammad
Hussain Janjua)Enlisted 1966, Driver
Although only a driver in the 20th Lancers, when
war broke out in 1971 Sowar Muhammad Hussain took
an active part in every battle in which his unit
was engaged unmindful of any danger, no matter
how grave. When he spotted the enemy digging in
along a minefield near the village of Harar Khurd
in December 1971 on his own initiative he
directed accurate fire at the enemy resulting in
the destruction of sixteen of their tanks. But
while directing fire from recoilless rifles, he
was hit in the chest by a burst of machine gun
fire and died on 10th December 1971.
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Lance Naik Mohammad Mahfuz Shaheed
Born 1944, Pind Malikan (now Mahfuzabad)
District of RawalpindiEnlisted 1962, Sipahi
Serving in the 'A' Company of the 15th Punjab
Regiment, when the war started in 1971, Lance
Naik Muhammad Mahfuz was deployed on the
Wagah-Attari Sector in East Pakistan where his
company was pinned down by unceasing frontal and
cross fire from automatic weapons. Although his
machine gun was destroyed by an enemy shell,
Mahfuz advanced towards an enemy bunker whose
automatic fire had inflicted heavy casualties.
Even though wounded in both legs by shell
splinters, when he reached the bunker he stood up
and pounced on the enemy, but was hit. Although
unarmed and amidst the enemy, he caught hold of
one of the enemy and was strangling him when
another bayoneted him to death during the night
of 17th December 1971..
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Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed
Enlisted 1990, Second Lt.
Serving in the 'A' Company of the 15th Punjab
Regiment, when the war started in 1971, Lance
Naik Muhammad Mahfuz was deployed on the
Wagah-Attari Sector in East Pakistan where his
company was pinned down by unceasing frontal and
cross fire from automatic weapons. Although his
machine gun was destroyed by an enemy shell,
Mahfuz advanced towards an enemy bunker whose
automatic fire had inflicted heavy casualties.
Even though wounded in both legs by shell
splinters, when he reached the bunker he stood up
and pounced on the enemy, but was hit. Although
unarmed and amidst the enemy, he caught hold of
one of the enemy and was strangling him when
another bayoneted him to death during the night
of 17th December 1971..
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Havaldaar Lalak Jan Shaheed
Hav. Lalak Jan of the Northern Light Infantry
(NLI) was one of those many who as a junior
leader fought from the forefront to thwart heavy
Indian attacks. He volunteered himself to be
deployed on the front positions located at the
jagged peak in May 1999. Hav. Lalak driven back
many aggressive ventures by the enemy and imposed
colossal losses on them. On July 7, Hav. Lalak
sustained serious injuries as enemies pounded the
area with heavy mortar shelling. But despite
being injured, he retained his position and
frustrated the Indian assault. He, however,
succumbed to his injuries at the same post he was
defending. Hav. Lalak was awarded with the
Nishan-i-Haider for his dauntless courage and
devotion.
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The End
By Inqilab Ruknuddin Patel Senior Computer
Teacher KN Academy Main Campus Malir Karachi RIC
Ruknuddin Institute of Computer