Nation pays tribute to Sawar Muhammad Hussain on martyrdom anniversary

RAWALPINDI: The 53rd martyrdom anniversary of Lance Naik Sawar Muhammad Hussain is being observed on Tuesday.

Sawar Muhammad Hussain, the first soldier to receive the Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan’s highest military honor, has been remembered for his supreme sacrifice during the 1971 war. The Pakistan Army paid a heartfelt tribute to him for his valor and sacrifice.

Born on January 18, 1949, in Dhok Pir Bakhsh, District Attock, Sawar Hussain joined the 20 Lancers of the Armoured Corps in September 1966 at the age of 17. After his martyrdom, his village was renamed Dhok Muhammad Hussain Janjua in his honor.

Though a driver in the Armoured Corps, Sawar Hussain participated in every battle his unit was engaged in during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. On December 5, 1971, while under heavy enemy fire in the Zafarwal-Shakargarh area, he courageously delivered ammunition from one trench to another.

On December 10, 1971, during a daring mission, Sawar Hussain led the effort to engage enemy patrols. He spotted an enemy tank and directed a recoil-less rifle crew towards it, eventually contributing to the destruction of 16 enemy tanks. He was mortally wounded in the chest by machine-gun fire while exposing himself to direct the rifle fire and was martyred.