Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Tufail Mohammad ( ur, ; b. 22 June 1914 8 August 1958), was a

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

in the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

and the second military officer in the Pakistani military who was cited with the Nishan-e-Haider () for his "distinguished actions of valor other than bravery" in the

1958 East Pakistan–India border skirmish The 1958 East Pakistan–India border skirmish was a border skirmish which took place in August 1958 at the Bangladesh–India border, East Pakistan-India border. The fighting started after Indian forces infiltrated into East Pakistan and captured ...

Biography

Tufail Mohammad was born in Hoshiarpur, Punjab in India into a

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

Gujjar family on 22 June 1914 according to his gravestone markings. His family was of Pakistani descent – and was educated at the D.A.V. College in Jalandhar. In 1932, he enlisted in the Indian Army and was

trained Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

at the Indian Military Academy in

Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...

in 1941, gaining commission in the Indian Army into the 1st Battalion of the

16th Punjab Regiment The 16th Punjab Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. Upon the Partition of India, it was transferred to the newly-raised Pakistan Army. It ceased to exist in this form in 1956, when it was amalgamated ...

(1/16th) of the Indian Army in 1943. Attached to the Punjab Regiment, he served on the training assignments to the

Punjab Regiment Punjab Regiment may refer to the following existing units: *Punjab Regiment (India) *Punjab Regiment (Pakistan) From 1922 to 1947, the British Indian Army included 6 numbered Punjab Regiments: *1st Punjab Regiment * 2nd Punjab Regiment *8th Punj ...

of the Indian Army and later serving on the administrative positions on the

of the

in 1947–58. From 1947–54, he was later deputed by the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

to the provincial governments to serve as an advisor and trainer to the law enforcement agencies before permanently dispatched to the

East Pakistan Rifles East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

in 1954. His career in the military mostly served with the

where he served as the

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the

military company A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–250 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain. Most companies are formed of three to seven platoons, although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structur ...

near the Indo-East Pakistani border. In 1957, the Indian troops crossed the Border, and occupied the Laxmipur District in East-Pakistan. Responding to the infiltration, Major Tufail was ordered to form three quick response teams to launch an attack on three sides on the resting Indian Army battalion. On 7 August 1958, Major Tufail made a slow quadrupedal movement towards the Indian Army posts and engaged in a firefight with the enemy forces as close as 15 yards in an attempt to make them withdraw from their positions. Leading attack team from the back side of the post while other two teams engaged the enemy from front and right sides, Major Tufail was the first casualty who sustained the injury from the upcoming fire inside the bunker, and threw a

grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

at the near post, that killed the enemy machine gunners. Inside the bunker, the mortally wounded Major Tufail had to engage in a close quarters battle with the Indian Army soldiers, eventually taking out the machine gunners that were targeting the Pakistan Army soldiers on the front side by throwing grenades and engaging with machine guns. His actions of valor reportedly saved many Pakistan Army soldiers when he led the attacking team from the back side of the battalion bunker as the Indian Army soldiers were driven out retreated to their original positions, leaving four dead and three of their personnel behind, who were taken as the

war prisoners A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

. Despite receiving immediate medical attention, Major Tufail himself succumbed to his wounds and quoted his last word to his junior officer: "''I have completed my duty; the enemy is on the run''." On 7 August 1958, Major Tufail succumbed to his wounds– he was 43–44 years old at the time of his death. Major Tufail was buried in Burewala, Punjab in Pakistan, and the

later built a marble tomb in 1967. In 1993, he was subjected to a biographical war telefilm, "''Major Tufail Mohammad Shaheed''" produced and directed by the Qasim Jilali of the PTV. In 1967, he was posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Haider by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Presidential Nishan-e-Haider citation on his grave is written in Urdu; and it reads with translation as: Citation: After the establishment of Pakistan, Tufail Muhammad served with distinction in the 13th Punjab, leading to promotion to Major. In 1958, the Maj. Tufail was affiliated with the

and was trusted as the commanding officer of the quick response teams of the close quarters combat to liberate the Lakshmipur District by undertaking the difficult mission. Success of these efforts came....with the display of the tremendous courage despite being mortally wounded while being under fire. The "Green and White Flag with the Star and Crescent" was hoisted by the troops at the Lakshmipur District in East-Pakistan. On 7 August 1958, Maj. Tufail sacrificed his life to save his subordinate troops and is posthumously presented with the Nishan-e-Haider.

Galleries

Awards and Decorations

Foreign Decorations

References

External links