Naik Muhammad Mahfuz (born 25 October 1944 – 18 December 1971) was a Pakistani military officer and the ninth recipient of Pakistan's highest military award,

Nishan-e-Haider Nishan-e-Haider (NH; or 'Emblem of the Lion') is the highest military gallantry award of Pakistan. The Nishan-e-Haider is awarded only to members of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It recognises the highest acts of extraordinary bravery in the f ...

. He was posthumously awarded for his gallant and valorous actions during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

Early life

Muhammad Mahfuz was born in Pind Malikan (now renamed Mahfuzabad in his honour) in

Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district located in the northernmost part of the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the district form part of the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropo ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

. He joined the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

on 25 October 1962 as an infantry soldier.

Nishan-e-Haider action

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, a company of the 15th Punjab Regiment was under command of the 43 Punjab Regiment which was deployed in the Wagah- Attari sector along the Indian border. On 16 December 1971, Pakistan had signed instrument of surrender in Dhaka; while on 18 December 1971, during the attack on the enemy at Pul Kanjri post, his company was pinned down by enemy fire and his machine-gun was destroyed by an Indian shell. Company of 43 Punjab Regiment under the command of Major Subha Sadiq (also killed in the same battle), came for support and fought hard until the capture of the strategic town of Pul Kanjri. Even though Lance Naik Muhammad Mehfuz Shaheed, NH was wounded in his legs by shrapnel, he moved towards an enemy bunker, from whose gunfire had caused the death of many Pakistanis. Upon entering the bunker, he began strangling the enemy soldier who shot him, shortly after he was killed by another with a

bayonet A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...

Awards and decorations

Immediately after the war was over, the Indian Army recognized his bravery and said that if he were in the Indian Army, they would award him the '' Vir Chakra''. On 23 March 1972, Mahfooz was posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Haider, the highest gallantry award of Pakistan.

References

External links

* https://www.ispr.gov.pk/lance-naik-muhammad-mahfuz-shaheed.php {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahfuz, Muhammad 1944 births 1971 deaths Pakistan Army personnel People of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Pakistani military personnel killed in action Recipients of Nishan-e-Haider Deaths by bayonet Deaths by stabbing in Pakistan People from Punjab Province (British India)