Defence Day: Nation pays homage to heroes who defended motherland with patriotic zeal

By Fakhar Alam

PESHAWAR, Sep 6 (APP)::The entire Pakistani nation came together on September 6, as memories of courage and sacrifice once again came alive across the country, paying tribute to the heroes who defended the motherland from external and internal threats.

People from Karachi to Chitral and Gwadar to Khunjerab will present glowing tributes to all martyrs and Ghazis of Pakistan who laid down their lives during wars and anti-terror operations for the defence of the motherland.

On the 61st Defence Day of Pakistan, the spirit of courage and sacrifice once again echoed across the country on September 6, as civil and military officials, politicians, traders, businessmen, media persons, relatives, colleagues and others visited the residences of martyrs and recipients of Nishan-e-Haider in all provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Floral wreaths were laid on the graves of martyrs who fought the battles with indomitable courage and gallantry.

The smartly turned-out contingents of the armed forces presented a solemn salute, paying tribute to the recipients of Nishan-e-Haider, whose ultimate sacrifices and unmatched courage secured the nation’s freedom, safety and prosperous future.

The entire nation pays homage to all martyrs of the Armed Forces of Pakistan, including recipients of Nishan-e-Haider (NH), Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed, Major Muhammad Tufail Shaheed, Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed, Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed, Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed, Major Shabbir Sharif Shaheed, Lance Naik Muhammad Mehfuz Shaheed, Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed, Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed, Havaldar Lalak Jan Shaheed and Naik Saif Ali Janjua Shaheed, who was decorated with Hilal-e-Kashmir, equivalent to Nishan-e-Haider.

Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed (Nishan-e-Haider) had successfully defended the strategic BRB Canal near Lahore for five days, where he embraced shahadat after being hit by an enemy tank shell on September 10, 1965.

Squadron Leader Muhammad Mahmood Alam, popularly known as M.M. Alam, shot down two enemy Hunter aircraft and damaged three others on September 6 and destroyed five more enemy Hunter aircraft in less than a minute on September 7, an unprecedented feat in the history of the Pakistan Air Force.

Many soldiers die in wars and thousands return as Ghazis, while some earn respect and appreciation from opposing armies for their indomitable courage and heroic battlefield performance and become immortalized forever.

Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed (Nishan-e-Haider) was one of those celebrated officers of the Pakistan Army whose indomitable courage, unmatched valor, devotion to duty, leadership qualities and heroic battlefield performance during the Kargil conflict in 1999 were highly praised by the Indian Army.

“Death was meaningless for the 29-year-old young officer of the 12th Northern Light Infantry (NLI) Regiment, who fought like a lion against both the enemy and harsh weather at an altitude of 17,000 feet on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Gultari mountainous region, where he inflicted heavy human and material losses on the adversary before embracing shahadat on July 5, 1999,” said Brigadier (Retd) Mehmood Shah, former Secretary Law and Order of erstwhile FATA, while talking to APP.

He said the courageous feat of Capt Sher Khan in accomplishing the assigned mission of forcing the enemy to withdraw had left Indian commander Brigadier M.P.S. Bajwa impressed by his splendid battlefield performance and indomitable courage. He said the Indian commander wrote a citation letter requesting Pakistan to recognize Capt Sher Khan Shaheed for his bravery.

Later, Capt Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed (1970-1999) and Havaldar Lalak Jan Shaheed (1967-1999) of the 12th NLI Regiment were decorated with Nishan-e-Haider, the highest military gallantry award of Pakistan, posthumously for their matchless sacrifices for the defence of the motherland.

Capt Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed was the first Army officer from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be awarded the prestigious Nishan-e-Haider.

His grandfather had immense love for the Armed Forces of Pakistan and wished someone from his family to join the Pakistan Army to serve the country.

That is why he gave his grandson Sher Khan the title of “Karnal”, a Pashto version of colonel, which later became a permanent part of his name.

“On July 5, 1999, Indian forces, with the help of two battalions, attacked these posts and managed to capture some portion of one of his posts. In spite of facing all odds, he led a counter-attack and recaptured the lost portion,” said Brigadier Mehmood Shah.

True to his name, Capt Sher Khan chased the enemy and conducted many successful raids in the enemy area. During one such raid, he went inside the enemy camp, where he inflicted heavy losses on them.

During the fierce battle, he received a burst of machine-gun fire in the chest and embraced shahadat on July 5, 1999. His epic action on the battlefield, true to his name, earned him the title of “Lion of Kargil”.

He said September 6, 1965, was the day when India attacked Pakistan in darkness without a warning or a declaration of war and violated international laws, conventions and agreements.

He said the whole Pakistani nation, along with their valiant military forces, stood up against the enemy and showed unmatched valor in the 1965 War.

Brigadier Mehmood Shah said the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Artillery had broken the back of the enemy in the 1965 War.

During the 1965 War, Pakistan had occupied about 1,617 square miles of Indian territory, and, according to Brigadier Mehmood Shah, the country was in a strong position to occupy Delhi if the war had continued for a few more days, as the morale of enemy troops had been completely shattered.

Brigadier Mehmood Shah recalled that most of the enemy officers of the 1965 War had served with Pakistani commanders during the Second World War, and the latter knew about their fighting abilities and war skills, which helped Pakistani forces to foil their designs.

“The motivational songs of legendary Madam Noor Jehan, such as ‘Aye Watan Ke Sajeelay Jawano’ and ‘Rang Laayega Shaheedon Ka Lahoo’, aired by Radio Pakistan, had infused the spirit of patriotism and national fervor among Pakistanis regardless of their ethnicity, religion, caste, colour or political affiliation during the 1965 War.”

Brigadier Mehmood Shah said the legacy of unmatched gallantry and sacrifices of Army officers and Jawans started with the martyrdom of Capt Raja Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed (NH) in the 1948 Kashmir War and was carried forward by Major Aziz Bhatti Shaheed (NH) in the 1965 War and Capt Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed (NH) in the Kargil conflict in 1999.

The shooting down of two Indian warplanes inside the LoC, with one falling in Azad Kashmir and the other in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, besides the capture of an Indian pilot on February 27, 2019, proved, according to Brigadier Mehmood Shah, the high level of preparedness, professionalism and strength of the Pakistan Air Force.

He said the unity exhibited by the Pakistani nation after the Indian air strike on Balakot in February 2019 was like the unity witnessed during the 1965 War.

Later, in Marka-e-Haq in 2025, Pakistan defeated the enemy in air, land and sea operations besides technological warfare and shot down multiple enemy jets, he added.

Pakistan officially described Marka-e-Haq as the broader military campaign in April-May 2025, with Operation Bunyanum Marsoos as an integral part of it.