Derek Joseph (; 13 November 1945 – 29 July 2021) was a Pakistani military officer of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

descent and a veteran of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, accredited with destroying seven Indian tanks on the West Punjab front. He was awarded

Tamgha-i-Jurat Tamgha-i-Jurat (), is the fourth highest military award of Pakistan. This citation is awarded for extraordinary heroism while engaged in armed combat with an opposing force on Pakistan soil or outside its borders. The award was established in 195 ...

for his actions during the war. After the war, Joseph chose to be sent on deputation to the

United Arab Emirates Armed Forces The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces () are the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates. They consist of the United Arab Emirates Army, UAE Army, United Arab Emirates Navy, UAE Navy, United Arab Emirates Air Force, UAE Air Force, United Arab E ...

, where he served for three years before returning to Pakistan. He retired in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Personal life

Joseph was born on 13 November 1945 in

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

North-West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ) was a province of British India from 1901 to 1947, of the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955, and of the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan from 1970 to 2010. It was established on 9 November ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. His brother, Dennis Joseph, a retired professor at

Edwardes College Edwardes College Peshawar (Urdu: ایڈورڈز کالج پشاور, Pashto: اېډوارډز کالج پېښور) is a semi-government degree college which is the oldest higher education institution in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkh ...

, says that their family came from

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and stayed in

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

and

Nangarhar Nangarhār (Pashto: ; Dari: ), also called Nangrahar or Ningrahar, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country and bordering Logar, Kabul, Laghman and Kunar provinces as well as having an internatio ...

before moving to British India following the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan. Joseph's family arrived in

, capital of then

(now known as

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

), in 1890 and have remained there ever since. Derek Joseph's father, Dr. Paul Joseph, was a general surgeon at the Mission Hospital in Peshawar and his mother used to teach English at various colleges.

Military career

Joseph was commissioned into the Pakistan Army on 20 April 1969 (40th PMA long course) and later fought in Indo-Pakistan war of 1971. During the war he destroyed seven Indian tanks and was awarded Tamgha-i-Jurat for his valour.

Possibility of becoming a General

Colonel Joseph's friend, Retd Brigadier Muhammad Saad, said that considering Colonel Joseph's abilities, it was clear that he would reach the rank of General, but instead of going to the

Command and Staff College in Quetta The Command and Staff College Quetta is a staff college for the Pakistan Armed Forces and military officers from allied countries. Established in 1905 as Staff College, Deolali, it was later shifted to its present location in 1907 and has been ...

, Colonel Joseph left Pakistan and joined the

Death

Derek Joseph died on 29 July 2021 in his birthplace,

. He was found dead in his home after his brother arrived at the home to do a welfare check because he didn't answer his phone call. He was buried with full military honors in a military graveyard. A number of retired Pakistani military personnel and civil servants described Joseph as brave soldier and expressed their grief over the death of Joseph.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Derek 1945 births 2021 deaths Armenian diaspora in Asia Pakistan Army officers Pakistani people of Armenian descent Pakistani military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Pakistani Christians Military personnel from Peshawar

Personal life

Military career

Possibility of becoming a General

Death

See also

References