First Nishan-e-Haider recipient Captain Sarwar being remembered

Author: Web Desk

The 72nd martyrdom anniversary of Captain Muhammad Sarwar who sacrificed his life during the 1948 war in Kashmir is being observed today.

Raja Muhammad Sarwar was commissioned in Punjab Regiment in 1944. He rendered supreme sacrifice for the nation and embraced martyrdom on July 27, 1948 at Orhi sector in Kashmir war against the Indian Army.

He was posthumously awarded the first Nishan-e-Haider, the highest and most prestigious gallantry award in the army.

Raja Muhammad Sarwar was born in Singhori village in Gujar Khan Tehsil on November 10, 1910. His father, Raja Muhammad Hayat Khan, served in the British army as a constable.

Raja Sarwar obtained his early education from Islamia High School in Faisalabad. He had three brothers and one sister. He was married in 1936 and became father to a son and a daughter.

He entered into the army as a sepoy in April 1929 and served in the Baloch regiment till 1941. He was commissioned in the Punjabregiment in 1944 and also got promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant that very year.

As he along with his battalion continued moving forward, the intensity of gun-fire, grenade attacks and mortar fire increased. He received martyrdom on July 27, 1948, after receiving multiple shots on his chest as he attempted to cut a barbed wire barrier while making an effort to progress further into enemy lines.

In recognition of his courage, Captain Sarwar was awarded with the Nishan-e-Haider by Pakistan army.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Babar Iftikhar, in a tweet, paid tribute to Captain Sarwar.

“Nation venerates supreme sacrifice of Capt Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed, Nishan-e-Haider, Kashmir War 1948. His insurmountable courage and unwavering loyalty will forever be an epitome of valiance. Every bullet he took for country, for Kashmir, strengthens our resolve to defend Pakistan at all cost,” said a statement by the military press wing.