Tariq Mehmood (8 Oct 1938 – 29 May 1989) was a Pakistani military officer of

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 ...

. He was serving as the Commander of Pakistan Army's

Special Service Group The Special Service Group (SSG) are the special forces of the Pakistan Army. They are also known by their nickname of "Maroon Berets" due to their headgear. The SSG is responsible to deploy and execute five doctrinal missions: foreign inte ...

(SSG), when he died in an accident in 1989 due to malfunctioning of his parachute during a free fall display at Rahwali, near Gujranwala. Mehmood was one of the most decorated Army officers who served with the SSG in two wars and various special operations.

Early life and education

Mehmood was born on 8 October 1938 at

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

. His father was a senior police officer. After completing his intermediate education from Gordon Christian College, Rawalpindi in 1956, he went to Lahore and graduated from Government College in 1959. He was also a member of Government College cricket team captained by

Javed Burki Javed Burki (; born 8 May 1938) is a Pakistani former cricketer, government official, and businessman. Early life and family Burki received his early education from Saint Mary's Academy at Rawalpindi. He also played cricket while studying at ...

. After graduation he went to Peshawar to study law at

University of Peshawar The University of Peshawar (; ; ; abbreviated UoP; known more popularly as Peshawar University) is a public research university located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The university is one of the oldest universities in the provi ...

, but he also got selected for Pakistan Army at the same time. He made a choice to serve his country and joined

Pakistan Military Academy Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) is a military academy located nearby Kakul village in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Established in October 1947, it is the only service academy in Pakistan that trains cadets to serve as army of ...

as a cadet in 1960. He graduated from PMA in 1963 with a double BSc in Military science and War studies. He also attended Command and Staff College, Quetta, and completed his Staff Course in 1969.

Military career

Mahmood was commissioned in 2nd Battalion of The

Baloch Regiment The Baloch Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in May 1956 by the merger of 8th Punjab Regiment, 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments with the 10th Baluch Regiment, Baluch Regiment. Since then, fur ...

in 1960, passing out from PMA in 1963. The same year, he was inducted in 51st Paratrooper Division, Airborne Corps, and from there, he was selected for the

(SSG). After completing the Special Training of SSG he was posted to the 1st Commando Battalion (Yaldram)(Shaheen Company).

1965 Indo-Pakistani War

In 1965, SSG was preparing for covert Operations in Kashmir, meanwhile Mehmood was selected for an advance course with

U.S. Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, is a branch of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). The core missionset of Special Forces ...

, but he opted himself for covert operations instead of leaving for the United States to attend the advance course. He was awarded Sitara-e-Jurat (SJ) for his acts of bravery during the Indo-Pak war of 1965. Tariq Mahmood was promoted to the rank of Major in 1970 and was stationed in Peshawar. Mehmood was posted as the commandant Parachute Training School.

1971 Indo-Pakistani War

In 1971, Mehmood volunteered to go

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

to participate in the Bangladesh-Pakistani War of 1971. In this conflict, Mehmood was sent to

Shahjalal International Airport Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Dhaka (; ) is the main international airport serving Dhaka City, the capital city of Bangladesh, and it is the largest airport in the country. It is located in Kurmitola, from the city centre, in the ...

(

Dhaka Airport Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Dhaka (; ) is the main international airport serving Dhaka, Dhaka City, the capital city of Bangladesh, and it is the largest airport in the country. It is located in Kurmitola, from the Motijheel Than ...

) to lead an operation against Indian-led Bangladeshi forces. The airport was heavily guarded and it was considered a no-fly zone. Mehmood commanded the Shaheen Company, 1st commando battalion and his company saw heavy fighting in the airport. After 34 hours, the Shaheen Company gained control of the airport and its surrounding areas. Both sides had suffered heavy casualties and the airport was nearly destroyed in the battle. He was again awarded Sitara-e-Jurat (SJ) for this gallantry act.

1984 Siachen War

In 1979, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, and in 1982, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier. Mehmood, now a one-star general, was made

commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...

of the Special Service Group. In 1984, Mehmood commanded the Special Service Group at

Siachen Conflict The Siachen conflict, sometimes referred to as the Siachen Glacier conflict or the Siachen War, was a military conflict Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts, between India and Pakistan over the disputed Siachen Glacier region in Kashmir. The conf ...

. SSG launched an aggressive and quick operation against the Indian Army. Mehmood secured a narrow victory in 1984.

Other operations

Throughout the 1980s, the SSG and ISI were collaborating with American intelligence to lead

Operation Cyclone Operation Cyclone was the code name for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) program to arm and finance the Afghan mujahideen in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1992, prior to and during the military intervention by the USSR in support ...

. Mehmood was also a commanding officer of the fierce

Battle for Hill 3234 } The Battle for Hill 3234 () was a successful defensive battle fought by the 9th Company of the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment, Soviet Airborne Troops, part of Operation Magistral, supported by the Afghan Army’s 15th Tank Briga ...

in January 1988, although the Soviet Airborne troops managed to hold their position. On 5 September 1986,

Pan Am Flight 73 Pan Am Flight 73 was a Pan American World Airways flight from Bombay, India, to New York City, United States, with scheduled stops in Karachi, Pakistan, and Frankfurt, West Germany. On September 5, 1986, the Boeing 747-121 serving the flight wa ...

was hijacked in Karachi, Sindh. He came to public prominence after having led the successful Operation PANAM to liberate the airline from terrorists. The hijackers opened fire on the SSG team, killing and injuring the passengers but soon all the hijackers were arrested and many lives were saved. Later, in 1987–88, he led operations against criminals in Sindh.

Death and legacy

Brigadier TM died on 29 May 1989 when he led a team of SSG paratroopers for a free-fall at Pakistan Army Aviation School, Rahwali, Gujranwala. The jump was part of Army Aviation's Passing Out parade. The incident happened during a demonstration jump from an

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

's Mi-17 helicopter when Mehmood's main and reserve parachute failed to open. According to the investigations, his first parachute did not open and the ropes were badly entangled. Mehmood attempted to cut the ropes with his dagger, and tried to open the backup parachute. Unintentionally, he had released both back up and main parachutes, and he descended at very high speed.