Major Rana Muhammad Shabbir Sharif ( ur, ; c. 28 April 1943 – 6 December 1971) was a

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent contex ...

in the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, 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 India, Partition of British India, wh ...

who was posthumously awarded the

Nishan-e-Haider Nishan-e-Haider (NH; ), is the highest military gallantry award of Pakistan. The Nishan-e-Haider is awarded posthumously and only to members of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It recognises the highest acts of extraordinary bravery in the face of ...

during the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Dec ...

. He is the only person ever who received both the

and

Sitara-e-Jurat Sitara-e-Jurat (, Star of Courage) is the third highest military award of Pakistan. It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a republic; however, it was instituted retrospectively back to 1947. It is awarded for gallantry or distinguished ...

for his bravery. He is regarded as the most decorated officer of the Pakistan Army.

Early life and education

Sharif was born on 28 April 1943 in a Punjabi Rajput Bhatti Family at

Kunjah Kunjah ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city in Gujrat District of Punjab, Pakistan. History Various accounts date the founding of Kunjah anywhere from the 4th century BCE during the time of Alexander the Great to the 8th century CE. Kunjah is named ...

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 ...

to Major Muhammad Muhammad Sharif. His father Major Muhammad Sharif & his mother Mohtarma Fazl Begum Sahiba was from a Punjabi Bhatti family.He attended

St. Anthony's High School, Lahore , motto_translation = Knowledge with Virtue , established = , type = Private pre-school, primary, high school and college , gender = Boys , religion = Catholicism , denomination = , patron = St. Anthony of Padua , affiliations = ...

. While at

Government College Lahore The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002. Overview In 1864, Gov ...

, he received a call to join

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 ...

(PMA)

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 ...

. He used to play squash and won an Army level swimming medal while he was in 4th Frontier Force Regiment.

Military career starting

He was commissioned in

on 19 April 1961 and after successfully completing his training, after which he was awarded the

Sword of Honor ''Sword of Honour'' is a trilogy of novels by Evelyn Waugh, set during the Second World War. Sword of Honour may also refer to: Media * ''Sword of Honour'' (1939 film), a British drama film * ''Sword of Honour'' (2001 film), a British television ...

, he was posted to the 6th Battalion of the

Frontier Force Regiment The Frontier Force Regiment is one of the six infantry regiments of the Pakistan Army. They are popularly known as the ''Piffers'' in reference to their military history as the PIF (Punjab Irregular Force) of the British Indian Army, or as the ...

Nishan-e-Haider action

In the

, the Pakistan Army launched an offensive on the Western front against the enemy. Sharif, as commander of a company of 6 Frontier Force Regiment, was ordered to capture high ground overlooking Grumukhi Khera and Beri, a village in the Sulemanki Sector. On 3 December 1971, in a well-organized action, he fought alongside his men and held Indian attacks at bay. He cleared the Jhangar post by passing through the minefield laid by enemy and swimming across a water obstacle, the 'Sabuna distributary', whilst under intense enemy fire and led his company to capture the objective. On the afternoon of 6 December, the enemy launched an offensive preceded by air strikes and heavy artillery shelling. After casualties among the crew, he took over as a gunner on an anti-tank gun and started firing on the enemy tanks. While this fight was on, one of the enemy tanks fired at him thus killing him. His last words were quoted as: “Don’t lose the bridge.” It was the same bridge he died defending from the Indian Army's attack.

Family

His younger brother, General

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 ...

was the

Chief of Army Staff Chief of Army Staff or Chief of the Army Staff which is generally abbreviated as COAS is a title commonly used for the appointment held by the most senior staff officer or the chief commander in several nations' armies. * Chief of Army (Australia ...

(November 2013 - November 2016), the highest rank in the Pakistan Army. He is also the relative of another Nishan-e-Haider holder,

Raja Aziz Bhatti Major 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 officer. He was awarded the ''Nishan-e-Haider'' for his actions of valour during the Batt ...

In popular culture

An Indian

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam ...

, '' 1971: Beyond Borders'', was inspired by the story of Major Shabbir Sharif.

Awards and decorations

Other awards he won are: *

References

External links

*
Major Shabbir Sharif
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharif, Shabbir 1943 births 1971 deaths People from Gujrat District Punjabi people St. Anthony's High School, Lahore alumni Government College University, Lahore alumni Pakistan Military Academy alumni Pakistani male swimmers Pakistan Army officers Recipients of Sitara-e-Jurat Pakistani military personnel killed in action Recipients of Nishan-e-Haider