ISLAMABAD – Today is the martyrdom anniversary of the legendry soldier ofPakistan Army Major Muhammad Tufail Shaheed.
Major Muhammed Tufail Shaheed, the second recipient of Nishan-e-Haider, thehighest military award of Pakistan was remembered on his death anniversarytoday.
Major Tufail was born in Hoshiarpur in 1914 and commissioned in the 16Punjab regiment in 1943.
After a distinguished career, which included several instructional andcommand appointments in his own Battalion and also in the Civil ArmedForces, he was posted to the East Pakistan Rifles in 1958 as a CompanyCommander.
Also in August, Indian troops captured a village in East Pakistan. MajorTufail divided his men in three groups and it was decided that they wouldlaunch the assault during the dark hours of 7th august.
He encircled an illegal Indian post, which violated the internationallyrecognized boundary between the two countries, in the Lakshmipur area.
When major Tufail group was about fifteen yards from enemy, they came underheavy fire and three bullets entered major’s stomach. Despite the shower ofblood from his stomach, he kept moving forward and silenced the machinegunwith a grenade.
When another enemy machine-gun opened fire, killing his second in command,Major Tufail destroyed that gun too with a well-aimed grenade.
During the hand-to-hand encounter that followed, he noticed the commanderof the Indian post moving silently to attack one of his men.
Though fatally wounded, Major Tufail crawled towards the enemy commander.He stretched out one of his legs and as the enemy stumbled he hit him inthe face with his steel helmet, thus saving his troop.
Major continued directing the operation until the enemy was driven outleaving behind four dead and three prisoners.
Due to loss of so much blood, Major Tufail fell on the ground, and then gotup and said to his officer “I have completed my duty, the enemy is on therun”.
Major Tufail was taken to hospital but he later died the same day, the 7thAugust 1958.