equal to four Indian soldiers at that time.
A glorious and cherished example of the fact is the heroic martyrdom of the very famous Major Aziz Bhatti, who
had been awarded the sword of honor as a cadet carried
out his duty towards the nation with unconquerable professionalism and dedication an example of which can
eloquently be explained by an incident occurring a day
before his death, in which his commanding officer had
sent to him word that since he had been fighting untiringly for the last six days, he should take a little rest and
that another officer was being sent to replace him. Major
Aziz brimming with battle spirit and the will for martyrdom declined the offer to go back and fought till the last
drop of his blood was shed for his beloved homeland. As
the company commander, Major Bhatti chose to move
his platoon forward under constant firing from Indian
tanks and artillery. He resisted for five days and nights
defending a Pakistani outpost on the strategic BRB canal. On 11 September, he was reorganizing his company
and directing the gunners to shell the enemy positions.
In order to watch every move of the enemy, he had to
place himself in an elevated position, where he was exposed to enemy fire. He led his men from the front under
constant attack from Indian Artillery batteries. Although
he countered every Indian offensive in his area, he was
hit by an enemy tank shell in the chest while watching
the enemy's moves, and thus dying instantly. His death
struck many hard and is remembered by his countrymen
and was awarded Nishaan-e-Haider for his utmost commitment and determination.
The youngest recipient of Nishan-e-Haider, Pilot Officer
Rashid Minhas, while still under training, was taxiing
for take-off on a routine flight on August 20, 1971 when
an Instructor Pilot forced his way into the rear cockpit,
seized control of the aircraft and took off. Keeping his
wits together, Minhas realized that the intruding pilot was
heading towards India, he tried to regain control of the
aircraft but could not manage it against the superior skill
and experience of the seasoned instructor. With only forty miles to go to cross over into Indian territory, he made
yet another effort to steer the aircraft back to the base.
Realizing the futility of the struggle, he so interfered with
the controls as to render the Instructor Pilot helpless and
force the aircraft to crash 32 miles short of the border,
knowing that it meant certain death. For the supreme
sacrifice that he made for the honor of his country, Pilot
Officer Minhas was awarded Nishan-e-Haider.
Furthermore, the martyrs of Kargil have retained and
propagated the military tradition of unparalleled valiance
and bravery without losing their bond with the motherland and its security concerns. Captain Karnal Sher
Khan emerged as the symbol of mettle and courage
during the Kargil conflict on the Line of Control, joined
those eight legendary heroes who received the highest
military award of Nishan-e-Haider as he set personal
examples of bravery and inflicted heavy losses on the
enemy. Defending five strategic posts he repulsed many
Indian attacks. Despite many abortive attempts, the en-
ARTICLE
emy ringed the post of Capt. Sher Khan with the help
of two battalion and unleashed heavy mortar firing and
managed to capture some part of the post. Crushing the
enemy intentions by a counter-attack and succeeded in
re-capturing the lost parts while embracing shahadat.
Once again our lionhearted valorous soldiers have
taken on their strenuous shoulders the responsibility of
defending the precious homeland from a fresh and recent sprouting of internal threat that emanates from the
western borders and the Pakistani tribal regions. They
are forcing the militants and miscreants out and have
succeeded in their mission to a great extent.
Pakistan is playing the central role in war on terrorism with the help of armed forces as it has launched
a number of full-fledged military operation Rah-e-Rast
followed by Rah-e-Nijaat to fight day and night to ensure
country’s survival on national as well as global level. The
number of the causalities in the war is mind-boggling.
Pakistani Army has lost up to 30,457 soldiers in addition with their loss of serenity and comfort of homes,
while killing 17,742 terrorists a figure that is increasing
steadily day by day as a considerable area has been
recovered from the stronghold of militants.
It has to be made evident that the army has played
its due share in the purgation of the motherland and
its generous sacrifices can be hidden from none. The
credit has to be awarded to the Pakistan army who has
most valiantly