Major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

Raja Aziz Bhatti ( pa, ; ur, ; 6 August 1928– 12 September 1965) born as Aziz Ahmad but usually known as Raja Aziz Bhatti, was a

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

officer. He was awarded the '' Nishan-e-Haider'' for his actions of valour during the

Battle of Burki The Battle of Burki (Barki) was a battle fought by Indian infantry and Pakistani armour in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Barki is a village that lies south-east of Lahore near the border with Punjab,Just 11 km from the Allama Iqbal Internat ...

in the

Indo-Pak War of 1965 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

. He is revered as a hero of the 1965 war in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, till this day. Prior to gaining officer's commission in the Pakistan Army, Major Bhatti served in the

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

as an enlisted man and left the air force as a

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

in a favor of transferring to the Army. In his brief military career, he was a

staff officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...

working on administrative positions and widely popular as the "Muhafiz-e-Lahore" (Protector of Lahore). In 1997, he was the subject of a critically acclaimed

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

telefilm A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

, ''Major Raja Aziz Bhatti'', produced by the ISPR and directed by Salim Tahir of the PTV.

Biography

Early life and military career

Raja Aziz Ahmed Bhatti was born in

British Hong Kong Hong Kong was a colony and later a dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of occupation under the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War. The colonial period began with the British ...

on 6 August 1928 into a

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

family. His family hailed from a small village about 110 miles away from the

Gujrat District Gujrat (Punjabi and ur, ), is a district of Punjab Province in Pakistan. It is bounded on the northeast by Mirpur, on the northwest by the River Jhelum, which separates it from Jhelum District, on the east and southeast by the Chenab Riv ...

of the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, who had immigrated to

after his father and two uncles found employment in the

Hong Kong Police Force The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force (RHKPF) reverted to its former name after the t ...

. His father, Mohammad Abdullah Bhatti, was an alumnus of the Queen's College in Hong Kong who later served as an

Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

in the Hong Kong Police Force. Aziz Bhatti was educated in Hong Kong where he completed his

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...

and attended the Queen's College but his education was halted due to the Japanese invasion and occupation of Hong Kong in 1941. He was drafted into the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

in 1944, first serving at the rank of the

seaman recruit Seaman recruit (SR) is the lowest enlisted rate in the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, and the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps, U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps just below seaman apprentice; this rank was formerly ...

and as the tower watchman (

observation post An observation post (commonly abbreviated OP), temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers (such as in trench warfare), or to direct fire. In strict military terminology, an ...

) before being directed to attend the officer school offered by the Imperial Japanese Navy due to his educational qualifications. However in December 1945, the Bhatti family relocated to India, and Aziz Bhatti enlisted to join the

Royal Indian Air Force The Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) was the aerial force of British India and later the Dominion of India. Along with the Indian Army, and Royal Indian Navy, it was one of the Armed Forces of British Indian Empire. The Indian Air Force was offi ...

as an

airman An airman is a member of an air force or air arm of a nation's armed forces. In certain air forces, it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank. An airman can also be referred as a soldier in other definitions. In civilian aviation usage, t ...

in June 1946. After the establishment of Pakistan in 1947, Bhatti joined the

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

and promoted as

(Cpl.), which he continued to serve in the air force until 1948. Cpl. Bhatti was a prospective candidate to join the

Air Force Academy An air force academy or air academy is a national institution that provides initial officer training, possibly including undergraduate level education, to air force officer cadets who are preparing to be commissioned officers in a national air for ...

in Risalpur and was known to be among the brightest members of the Air Force in its early years. On 21 January 1948, Bhatti submitted an application to the

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

(MoD), asking to be transferred to the

, which was approved and Bhatti was directed to attend the

Pakistan Military Academy Pakistan Military Academy ( ur, ), also referred to by its acronym PMA. PMA is an officers training school located near Kakul village in the city and district of Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa established in 1947. It is the sole service academy ...

Kakul Kakul (Kakol) is a village situated in the Tehsil and District Abbottabad, at an elevation of 1300 metres, 5 km northeast of center of Abbottabad city near the Thandiani Hills. Abbottabad is a District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Paki ...

in 1948. There, he distinguish himself in studies and athletics among his classmates, and passed out from the academy at the top of his class in the class of the first PMA Long Course, in 1950. He was awarded the Sword of Honor and the Norman gold medallion by the ceremony's chief guest,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan ( ur, ; 1 October 1895 – 16 October 1951), also referred to in Pakistan as ''Quaid-e-Millat'' () or ''Shaheed-e-Millat'' ( ur, lit=Martyr of the Nation, label=none, ), was a Pakistani statesman, lawyer, political theoris ...

. He was commissioned as the 2nd-Lt. in the 4th battalion of the

16th Punjab Regiment The 16th Punjab Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. Upon the Partition of India, it was transferred to the newly-raised Pakistan Army. It ceased to exist in this form in 1956, when it was amalgamate ...

(4/16th Punjab Regiment). He was promoted to

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in 1951 and to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1953. In 1956, Aziz was sent to Canada to attend the staff course at the

Canadian Army Command and Staff College The Canadian Army Command and Staff College (CACSC), formerly the Canadian Land Force Command and Staff College, is a school for officers of the Canadian Forces, specializing in staff and army operations courses. It is located at Fort Frontenac, ...

where he remained until graduation from strategic studies courses in 1960. Upon returning to Pakistan, Capt. Aziz was posted with the 17th Punjab Regiment as a

General Staff Officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...

(GSO) until 1962. After being promoted as

in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

in 1962, Maj. Aziz was taken in the faculty of the School of Infantry and Tactics in

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of th ...

, which he remained until 1964.

Indo-Pakistani war of 1965

From January 1965 till May 1965, Maj. Bhatti served as the

(GSO) of the 17th Punjab Regiment, but was later posted as the commander of the two

military companies A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–250 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain. Most companies are formed of three to seven platoons, although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure. ...

after the Indian Army's launching the invasion by crossing the

international borders Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

in September 1965. Leading the

, Maj. Bhatti was initially deployed on the forward positions of the BRB Canal near the

Burki The Ormur ( ps, اورمړ), also called Burki or Baraki ( ps, برکي), are an Eastern Iranic people mainly living in Baraki Barak, Logar, Afghanistan and in Kaniguram, South Waziristan. Despite speaking their own distinct Eastern Iranian l ...

area that falls in the vicinity of the Lahore District in Pakistan-side Punjab. Official engagement with the Indian Army took place between 7–10 September when the Indian Army begin its push of capturing the Burki sector through artillery and armory in a view of entering in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

. Despite Indian Army's efforts of relatively easily capturing of the Burki sector through the BRB Canal, the outnumbered

under Major Bhatti had forced the Indian Army to engage in hand-to-hand combat during the night of the 7/8 September 1965, and the fighting continued till the next three days despite Indian Army having numerical advantage. Although the defense of the Burki sector through the BRB Canal had less importance in the views of military strategists working at the Army GHQ in Rawalpindi, its defense was fierce and tenacious, and the Indian Army had to halt its plans of capturing Lahore and focused on capturing the Burki sector and destroying the bridge connecting the BRB Canal. It is unclear why the Pakistan Army did not send the reinforcement teams to provide back up to Maj. Bhatti's teams and the questionnaire-based controversy was later generated on why Maj. Bhatti and his teams were left alone to fight bravely for a long time. Bhatti declined an offer to take leave with his family in Lahore and instead told a sergeant, "Do not recall me. I don't want to go back. I will shed the last drop of my blood in the defense of my dear homeland." Maj. Bhatti moved towards building up the

trenches A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). In geology, trenches result from erosi ...

and positioned himself towards forward observation to view enemy movements, where he would often stand for a better view to direct

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

fire. Bhatti was killed on 10 September 1965. He stood up to observe enemy positions and direct artillery fire, despite warnings to take cover, and was killed by shellfire. Maj. Bhatti was 37 years old at the time of his death.

Memorials

Major Aziz Bhatti Shaheed - Gravestone (7537828020)

Ancestral Home

Maj. Aziz Bhatti was buried in the courtyard of his ancestral home at Ladian, a small village near Gujrat,

in Pakistan. In 1966, the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-gover ...

accepted the recommendations and announced to posthumously award the Nishan-e-Haider for his gallantry and actions of valor during the defense of the Burki. Later the

funded to build the marble tombstone at his ancestral home in 1967 at his locality. The Presidential Nishan-e-Haider citation on his grave is written in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Memorial at Barki

A memorial to Major Aziz Bhatti was built in 2019 at the site where he was killed defending against an Indian attack on 6 September 1965. The memorial is located approximately 500 metres north of the Barki Road/BRB Canal checkpoint on the west side of BRB Canal. The citation reads as follows in English (with editorial additions):

Major Raja Aziz Bhatti known as "Muhafiz-e-Lahore (Defender of Lahore)" received Pakistans highest award for his valor. He was born in Hong Kong in Muslim Rajput family (belongs to Lahore) in 1928. He got commissioned in hePakistan Army in 1950 (17 Punjab Regiment). Major Aziz Bhatti was posted to Barki sector Lahore, during heIndo Pakwar 1965. Being Company Commander, he moved his Platoon forward to this bank of BRBLC RB Canalunder constant fire of enemy tanks and artillery. He resisted for five days and nights in defending hisPakistani outpost on hestrategic BRBLC without rest. On 6 September 1965, he left his company Headquarter and move to his forward Platoon and stayed with them under incessant artillery & tank attacks. He positioned himself in this elevated place to watch every move of heenemy. This point was vulnerable to enemy tank & artillery fire. After five days of continuous fighting on hefront he was offered to be relieved for rest but he refused of icbeing relieved and said "I do not want to go back, I will shed the last drop of my blood in the defense of my dear homeland." On 10 September 1965, Major Aziz Bhatti was hit by enemy tank shell in the chest while observing heenemy move from this elevated place. He was awarded with highest Gallantry heaward of Nishan-e-Haider on s a result of hissupreme act of bravery.

Galleries

Popular culture and extended family

In 1968, a paintings exhibition was inaugurated in

, Punjab in Pakistan depicting Pakistan's war heroes including the first sketched portrait of Maj. Aziz Bhatti. In 1997, he was the subject of a popular and critically acclaimed

, ''Major Raja Aziz Bhatti'', produced by the ISPR and directed by Salim Tahir of the PTV. It was reported in media that former

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Raheel Sharif General Raheel Sharif (Urdu: ; born 16 June 1956), is a retired four-star army general of the Pakistan Army who served as the 9th Chief of Army Staff from 29 November 2013 to 29 November 2016. After his retirement as Pakistan's army chief, he ...

who was the former Chief of Army Staff and

Shabbir Sharif Major Rana Muhammad Shabbir Sharif ( ur, ; c. 28 April 1943 – 6 December 1971) was a military officer in the Pakistan Army who was posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Haider during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He is the only person ever ...

, another recipient of Nishan-e-Haider of

, are the nephews of Major Raja Aziz Bhatti. His grandson Babar Bhatti, a Canada-based businessman, is married to the famous supermodel-turned-actress

Iman Ali Iman Ali ( ur, ; born 19 December 1980) is a Pakistani actress, model, and singer who appears in Urdu films. Ali made her film debut with a leading role in the 2007 thriller film '' Khuda Kay Liye'', for which she won a Lux Style Award for ...

."Pakistani model and actor Iman Ali ties the knot in Lahore"
(22 February 2019), Samaa. Retrieved 25 February 2019.

Awards and Decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatti, Raja Aziz 1928 births 1965 deaths Punjabi people People of British Hong Kong Imperial Japanese Navy personnel of World War II Pakistani expatriates in Hong Kong People from Kharian Pakistani Muslims Pakistan Air Force personnel Pakistan Military Academy alumni Pakistan Army officers Pakistani expatriates in Canada Military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Pakistani military personnel killed in action Recipients of Nishan-e-Haider Alumni of Queen's College, Hong Kong