Sitara-e-Jurat (, Star of Courage) is the third highest military award of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. 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 service in

combat Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...

; and can be bestowed upon

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

junior commissioned officer Junior commissioned officer (JCO) is a group of military ranks which is higher than havildar (non-commissioned officer) and lower than lieutenant (commissioned officer). The term is only used by Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Senior havi ...

petty officer A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as chief petty officers. Petty officers are usually sailors that have ...

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

s, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and equivalents in 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 ...

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

, and various

paramilitary force A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

s under federal control, such as the

Frontier Corps The Frontier Corps (, reporting name: FC) are a group of four paramilitary forces of Pakistan, operating in the provinces of Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to maintain law and order while overseeing the country's b ...

, the

Frontier Constabulary The Frontier Constabulary () is a federal paramilitary force of Pakistan under the control of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, which is largely drawn from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, but operates in several districts of Pakistan. It is res ...

, and the

Pakistan Rangers The Pakistan Rangers () are a pair of paramilitary federal law enforcement corps' in Pakistan. The two corps are the Punjab Rangers (operating in Punjab province with headquarters in Lahore) and the Sindh Rangers (operating in Sindh province w ...

. It may be considered to be roughly equivalent to the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

and the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

List of recipients

Pakistan Army

''Azad Kashmir Regiment, 1965''

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Abdul Jalil Orakzai (Shaheed) 14 AK Regiment at Kalidhar AJK 1965 War

''Corps of Engineer, 1965''

*PA-4117 Lt.Col.(Major in 1965) Malik Aftab Ahmed Khan (SJ) FIRST Recipient of 1965,0045 hours, 7th, Sep. 1965

''Frontier Force Regiment, 1965''

*Major Shabbir Sharif Shaheed (NH, SJ) *Major Aqil Daad, 1965 *Captain Sher Badshah Mahsud 5 FF Kashmir War 1948 *Major Ziauddin Ahmed Abbasi Shaheed (Received SJ for his fought bravely in Battlefield of Chowinda. Guides Cavalry *11 September 1965 PA-2163 Lt Col Muhammad Hayat Khan (4FFR) Zafarwal (12 September 1965), *Lt. Col. (later Brigadier) Khalid Nazir (40 FFR) Kargil, 1998

''Punjab Regiment, 1965''

*PA-? Lt Col Asghar Ali Raja SJ 3rd Punjab Regiment for leading the surprise attack at Jassar bridge in 1965 against the Indian army. *PA-83 Major Muhammad Akbar Khan SJ(1948 Kashmir War) *PA-? Lt Col Muhammad Rafiq SJ *PA-882 Major General Muhammad Jamshed, MC SJ *PA-? Brigadier Muhammad Taj, SJ & Bar *PA-? Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed Khan SJ, SI(M) * Lt Gen. M Masood Aslam HI (M) & HI (Civil), SJ *PA-* Brigadier Abu Rashid, SJ & HI(M) *PSS-15177 Major

Malik Munawar Khan Awan Malik Munawar Khan Awan () was a Major rank officer in the Pakistan Army, whose career had begun in the British Indian Army and included spells in the Imperial Japanese Army and the revolutionary Indian National Army that fought against the All ...

, SJ & Bar, 21 AK Regiment, Commander of only successful

Ghaznavi Force Operation Gibraltar was the codename of a military operation planned and executed by the Pakistan Army in the territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India in August 1965. The operation's strategy was to covertly cross the Line of Control (LoC) an ...

Operation Gibraltar Operation Gibraltar was the codename of a military operation planned and executed by the Pakistan Army in the territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India in August 1965. The operation's strategy was to covertly cross the Line of Control (LoC) an ...

. *Number-335139 Sepoy

Maqbool Hussain Sepoy Maqbool Hussain Khan (1940 — 28 August 2018) was a Pakistani soldier who was well known for his capture and imprisonment for four decades in Indian military jails when he was wounded during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and subsequen ...

, SJ, 4 AK Regiment. *PA-? Lieutenant Colonel Sahibzad Gul Shaheed *PA-? Captain Abdul Jalil Orakzai Shaheed 3rd Punjab Regiment at Kalidhar AJK 1965 War *''PA-? Capt Sagheer Hussain Shaheed, SJ. Punjab Regt.'' *PA-1525 Lt Col J.F. Golwalla, SJ. 16th Punjab Regt, 1965 War (Dograi)

''6 Lancers, Armed Corps., Khem Karan, 1965''

*Major

Ziaur Rahman Ziaur Rahman (19 January 193630 May 1981) was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the sixth president of Bangladesh from 1977 until Assassination of Ziaur Rahman, his assassination in 1981. One of the leading figures of t ...

*Major Mohammad Zia Uddin Uppal Shaheed, SJ, 30 SP (Wagah) *Abdul Rab Niazi 30 SP Artillery Regiment, Wagah, 1965
PSS 3682 *Major Saiyid Naseem Haider Rizvi( Shaheed ) SJ 14BR Sialkot Sector 1965 war ( Recommended for Nishan-e-Haider) 53 Field Artillery, East Pakistan, 1971 PA. Brig Tariq Khalil (then Major) (SJ, IS with Bar, Gallantry), East Pakistan, 1971 Baloch Regiment, 1965 War *PA-? Capt Hafiz Muhammad Ahmad, SJ- 25th Cavalry *Major General Mumtaz Ali SJ & Bar *PA-919 * Brigadier M.Aslam Khan, SJ, Pakistan war hero- Liberation War Gilgit-Baltistan, 1948 29 Cavalry (Armoured Corps) *2nd Lieutenant Abdul Mohsin Khalid Kark (Shaheed), 29 Cavalary, Kushtia, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), 9 December 1971 *

Mujahida Hussain Bibi Mujahida Hussain Bibi usually known as Bibi Sahiba or Shaheeda Mai Hussain Bibi registered as a regular soldier in the Local Azad Kashmir Army who fought in the First Kashmir War. Bibi Sahiba received third highest award for her valour, the Si ...

, SJ, 5 AK Regiment (1947- 48 Kashmir War) First Female Sitara-e-Jurat of Pakistan *Major Mujahid Mirani Shaheed - 26 November Salala 2011 *PSS 15720 Major Mohammad Din SJ 1965 1st AK Regiment Unknown Regiment *PA- 6368 Major Muhummad Asjad Latif (Ord Depot Qta/2 E BR) (29-3-71 East Pakistan) *PA- 45622 Capt. Muhammad Umair Butt *Lt.Col. Muhammad Sher Khan, SJ, 5 AK Regiment (1947- 48 Kashmir War) *Capt Mehboob Niazi 9 FF (1947- 48 Kashmir War)

''Indo-Pakistan War of 1971''

* Lt. Col. (later Brig.) Mumtaz Malik (SJ)

''Naval units''

Pakistan Navy Submarine Force Pakistan Navy Submarine Force, officially referred to as the PN Submarine Force, is the principal underwater warfare component of the Pakistan Navy. It is responsible for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and offensive operations during w ...

, contributions to the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 and

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

Pakistan Navy

*PN-643 Commander Zafar Muhammad Khan SJ & HJ, Submarine PNS/M Ghazi *Vice Admiral (Retd) Irfan Ahmed (SJ & HI-Military) - Indo-Pak War of 1971 (serving as Lieutenant on a PN Gunboat in erstwhile East Pakistan). *Lieutenant Abdul Qayyum Khan PN *

Admiral Shahid Karimullah Shahid Karimullah (Urdu:) was an Admiral of the Pakistan Navy who served as the 11th Chief of the Naval Staff. He also served as Pakistan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Biography Early life and naval career Gurimullah was born in Assam , Nalba ...

- Indo-Pak War of 1971 - (Serving as a CO of a Gunboat during the war in East Pakistan) *

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Ahmad Tasnim Ahmad Tasnim (; born 1935) is a retired three-star rank admiral of the Pakistan Navy who is known for his command of ''Hangor'', a submarine that sank INS Khukri on 8 December 1971 during Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, off the coast of Diu, G ...

- Indo-Pak War of 1965 (Serving as Executive Officer of PNS Ghazi) Indo-Pak War of 1971 (Commander of

PNS Hangor PNS/M ''Hangor'' (S-131) (nicknamed: "Shark") was a diesel-electric submarine that served in the Pakistan Navy from 1969 until its decommissioning in 2006. It is the first submarine to sink a ship after World War II. ''Hangor'' (S131) was th ...

) *

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Karamat Rahman Niazi - Indo-Pak War of 1965 (Serving as Commander of PNS Ghazi)

Pakistan Air Force

Yunus Hussain Flight Lieutenant Yunus Hussain (1 June 1935 — 6 September 1965) was a fighter pilot, aerobatic pilot, and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) officer. He shot down two Hawker Hunter aircraft of the Indian Air Force, including one piloted by Flying Offic ...

* Flight Lieutenant

Saiful Azam Saiful Azam (; 11 September 1941 – 14 June 2020) was a Pakistani and later Bangladeshi fighter pilot and flying ace, and politician. He first served as a fighter pilot for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and later the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF). ...

PAF's No. 17 Squadron from PAF Base Sargodha, post 1971-joined BAF * Muhammad Shafique *Iftikhar Ahmad Khan Ghory *Air Commodore

Sajad Haider Sayed Sajad Haider (26 December 1932 – 3 January 2025), better known by his aliases as Nosy Haider and Saviour of Lahore, was a Pakistani fighter pilot and one-star rank officer in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). He was also an author, columni ...

*Flt Lt (Later Air Marshal)

Azim Daudpota Mohammed Azim Daudpota (; 14 September 1933 – 3 April 2017) was a three-star officer in the Pakistan Air Force who went on to serve as the Chief of Air Staff of the Air Force of Zimbabwe, and then to briefly serve as Governor of Sindh. E ...

*Sqn Ldr (Later Air Chief Marshal & Chief of Air Staff) Jamal Ahmed Khan *Wg Cdr (Later Air Chief Marshal & Chief of Air Staff)

Anwar Shamim Mohammad Anwar Shamim (); (1 October 1931 – 4 January 2013) was the Chief of Air Staff, appointed to the post in 1978 until retiring in 1985. Born in Haripur, British India, he was a career fighter pilot who participated in conflict with ...

*Flt Lt (Later Air Chief Marshal & Chief of Air Staff)

Hakimullah Khan Durrani Hakimullah Khan Durrani (; 15 October 1935 – 23 February 2024); best known as Hakimullah, was a four-star air officer who tenured as the 5th Chief of Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force, appointed in this post from 9 March 1988 until retiring ...

* Flt Lt Saadat Mohammad Akhtar Khan (Indo-Pak War 1965) * Sqd Ldr Alauddin Ahmed (Indo Pak War 1965) * Sqd Ldr Muhammad Iqbal (Indo Pak War 1965) * Sqd Ldr Munir Ahmed (Indo Pak War 1965) *Sqn Ldr

Ghani Akbar Squadron leader, Squadron Leader (retired) Ghani Akbar Sitara-e-Jurat, SJ (Urdu: غاني أكبر),is a retired Pakistani fighter pilot and recipient of Pakistan's third highest military award, the Sitara-e-Jurat. He is best known for his exce ...

*Masood Ahmed Sikander *Abdul Samad Ali Changazi * Syed Saad Akhtar Hatmi *

Muhammad Mahmood Alam Muhammad Mahmood Alam (; ) (6 July 1935 – 18 March 2013), popularly known as M. M. Alam, was a Pakistani fighter pilot and flying ace of the Pakistan Air Force. He is officially credited with having downed five Indian fighter aircraft in ...

*Wg Cdr Syed Manzoor ul Hassan Hashmi * Sarfraz Rafiqui *

Imtiaz Bhatti Imtiaz Bhatti (18 April 1933 – 2 July 2024) was a Pakistani cyclist and Air Force pilot and officer. Bhatti was the Pakistan cycling champion during his student days at Punjab Agriculture College, Lyallpur (now University of Agriculture, ...

* Farooq Umar * Flight Lieutenant Yusuf Ali Khan * ST Muhammad Hussain Warraich *Wg Cdr Noman Ali Khan *Sqn Ldr Rashid Mir *

Cecil Chaudhry Cecil Chaudhry (Urdu:; 27 August 1941 – 13 April 2012) was a Pakistani academic, human rights activist, and a veteran fighter pilot. As a flight lieutenant, he fought in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and as a squadron leader in the I ...

* Squadron Leader Khusro

References

External links

Nishan-e-Haider
from Pakistan Television Corp (PTV). Television drama on Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed, Rashid Minhas Shaheed, and Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed
1965 first Air combat - a thrilling dog fight

Paktribune.com

Pakistan's Medals
* PAF {{DEFAULTSORT:Sitara-E-Jurat Military awards and decorations of Pakistan