Sowar Muhammad Hussain Janjua NH, (Punjabi, 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.
Muhammad Hussain Janjua | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | سوار محمد حسین جنجوعہ |
| Born | 18 January 1949 Dhok Pir Bakhsh, Rawalpindi District, West Punjab, Dominion of Pakistan |
| Died | 10 December 1971 (aged 22) Harar Khurd, Shakargarh, Narowal District, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Buried | Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan |
| Service |  Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1966–1971 |
| Rank | Sowar |
| Service number | 1028148[1] |
| Unit | 20 Lancers |
| Battles / wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 † |
| Awards |  Nishan-e-Haider |
| Memorials | |
| Spouse(s) |
Arzan Bibi (m. 1967) |
| Children | 2, including Munawar Hussain |
| Website | https://pakistanarmy.gov.pk/Sowar-Mohammad-Hussain.php |
Early life
editHussain 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
editHussain was married to Arzan Bibi and had two children. At the time of his death, his daughter was a little over two years old and his son Munawar Hussain, was three 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
editThis 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
editOn 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 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
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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
editAfter 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 number 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, stationery, 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. 15 September 2020.
- ^ "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