Muhammad Mahfuz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Mahfooz |
| Nickname(s) | Boxer |
| Born | 25 October 1944 (1944-10-25) Pind Malikan (now Mehfoozabad),Rawalpindi District,Punjab,British India |
| Died | 18 December 1971(1971-12-18) (aged 27) Wahga-Attari Sector |
| Buried | Mehfoozabad,Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan |
| Service |  Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1962–1971 |
| Rank |  Lance Naik |
| Unit |  3/16th Punjab Regiment15 Punjab Regiment |
| Battles / wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 † |
| Awards |  Nishan-e-Haider |
NaikMuhammad Mahfuz[1] (born 25 October 1944 – 18 December 1971) was a Pakistanimilitary officer and the ninth recipient of Pakistan's highest military award,Nishan-e-Haider.[2] He was posthumously awarded for his gallant and valorous actions during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Muhammad Mahfuz was born in Pind Malikan (now renamed Mahfuzabad in his honour) inRawalpindi District,Punjab. He joined thePakistan Army on 25 October 1962 as an infantry soldier.[2]
During theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971, a company of the 15th Punjab Regiment was under command of the 43 Punjab Regiment which was deployed in theWagah-Attari sector along the Indian border. On 16 December 1971, Pakistan had signed instrument of surrender in Dhaka; while on 18 December 1971, during the attack on the enemy atPul Kanjri post, his company was pinned down by enemy fire and his machine-gun was destroyed by an Indian shell. Company of 43 Punjab Regiment under the command of Major Subha Sadiq (also killed in the same battle), came for support and fought hard until the capture of the strategic town ofPul Kanjri. Even though Lance Naik Muhammad Mehfuz Shaheed, NH was wounded in his legs byshrapnel, he moved towards an enemy bunker, from whose gunfire had caused the death of many Pakistanis. Upon entering the bunker, he began strangling the enemy soldier who shot him, shortly after he was killed by another with abayonet.[3][2]
Immediately after the war was over, the Indian Army recognized his bravery and said that if he were in the Indian Army, they would award him theVir Chakra. On 23 March 1972, Mahfooz was posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Haider, the highest gallantry award of Pakistan.[4]
Nishan-e-Haider recipients | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1948-1970 |
|  |
| Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 | ||
| Kargil War | ||