Muhammad Hussain (soldier)
Muhammad Hussain Janjua | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Native name | سوار محمد حسین جنجوعہ |
Born | 18 January 1949 Dhok Pir Bakhsh, Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Dominion of Pakistan |
Died | 10 December 1971 Harar Khurd, Shakargarh, Narowal District, Punjab, West Pakistan | (aged 22)
Buried | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() |
Years of service | 1966–1971 |
Rank | Sowar |
Service number | 1028148[1] |
Unit | 20 Lancers |
Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 † |
Awards | ![]() |
Memorials | |
Spouse(s) |
Arzan Bibi (m. 1967) |
Children | 2, (including Munawar Hussain) |
Website | https://pakistanarmy.gov.pk/Sowar-Mohammad-Hussain.php |
Sowar Muhammad Hussain Janjua NH, (Urdu: سوار محمد حسین جنجوعہ; 18 January 1949 – 10 December 1971) was a Pakistani soldier and the 8th recipient of Pakistan's highest military award, the Nishan-e-Haider, and the only soldier of the Pakistan Armoured Corps to be given this award.[2][3] He is known for destroying 16 tanks with a Recoilless rifle in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Early life
[edit]Hussain was born in the village of Dhok Pir Bakhsh into a Punjabi Janjua Rajput family on 18 January 1949 to Roz Ali, a farmer.[4][5]
Personal life
[edit]Hussain was married to Arzan Bibi and had 2 children. At the time of his death, his daughter was a little over 2 years old and his son Munawar Hussain, was 3 months old. Sowar Hussain did not have a chance to see his son due to not getting leave and Hussain died before his son's birth.[6]
Military career
[edit]![]() | This section may be confusing or unclear to readers. (August 2024) |
He enlisted into the Pakistan Armoured Corps as a Driver on 3 September 1966 at the age of 17 and later joined the 20th Lancers on 23 May 1967.[7][3]
Although he was a Driver in the Armoured Corps, he would take part in every battle his unit got engaged in during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. On 5 December 1971, in the Zafarwal-Shakargarh area, he crawled from trench to trench under heavy enemy fire to deliver ammunition.
Death
[edit]On 10 December 1971, he took part in a dangerous mission and went out for reconnaissance and to fight enemy patrols. During reconnaissance, near the village Harar Khurd he spotted enemy tanks and on his own initiative, directed a recoil-less rifle crew towards the enemy and destroyed 16 enemy tanks. He was hit in the chest by a burst of machine-gun fire and killed while as he was directing fire from recoilless rifles.[8] After his death, his father proudly said "My son received bullets on his chest like a lion"[3]
Naib Risaldar Ali Nawab and Lance daffadar Abdur Rehman picked up his body from the battlefield.[4]
Burial
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Sawar_Muhammad_Hussain_Shaheed_Nishan_e_Haider_-_The_Tomb_%287833450064%29.jpg/200px-Sawar_Muhammad_Hussain_Shaheed_Nishan_e_Haider_-_The_Tomb_%287833450064%29.jpg)
Hussain was buried in a makeshift military graveyard in Shakargar but his body was later excavated and buried in his native village of Dhok Pir Bakhsh.
Memorials
[edit]After Sawar Hussain's death his village Dhok Pir Bakhsh was renamed Dhok Muhammad Hussain to commemorate his sacrifice. It is also referred to as Dhok Nishan-e-Haider due to Hussain being a receiver of the award.
Sawar Muhamad Hussain Shaheed (N.H) Boys Hostel was established in October 1992 to give free education to male children of Shaheed, deceased, war wounded and retired/serving Junior Commissioned Officers and Soldiers of the Pakistan Armoured Corps who were appointed on merit. When the school was established, the amount of students was 40 and rose to 82. Students from year six to Intermediate are eligible for admission into the Hostel. All expenses such as boarding, lodging, medical treatment, books, stationary, school and extra coaching fee, etc are paid by the Armoured Corps Centre.[1]
Awards and decorations
[edit]![]() |
Nishan-e-Haider (NH) |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Armoured corps. History". pakistanarmy.gov.pk. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ "Sawar Muhammad Hussain Janjua - Nishan-e-Haider". www.kiva.org. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ a b c "SAWAR MUHAMMAD HUSSAIN (SHAHEED)". www.pakarmymuseum.com. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Sawar Muhammad Hussain". 25 January 2018.
- ^ "Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed - Biography & Life History in Urdu/Hindi | Kitaab Suno". YouTube.
- ^ "Sawar Muhammad Hussain". www.meemainseen.com. 25 January 2018.
- ^ "Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed". Daily Pakistan. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ "Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan". Archived from the original on 9 August 2019.
External links
[edit]- Sowar Hussain Shaheed ispr.gov.pk Archived 9 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- 1949 births
- 1971 deaths
- Recipients of Nishan-e-Haider
- Pakistan Army personnel
- People of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
- Pakistani military personnel killed in action
- People from Gujar Khan
- People from Rawalpindi District
- 20th-century Pakistani military personnel
- Pakistani military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
- People of the Bangladesh Liberation War
- Pakistan Army officers
- Pakistan Armoured Corps officers