Muhammad Hussain (soldier)

Sawar Muhammad Hussain Janjua NH, (Urdu: سوار محمد حسین جنجوعہ; 18 January 1949 – 10 December 1971) was a soldier in the Pakistan Army and was the 8th soldier to be awarded the highest military award of Pakistan, the Nishan-e-Haider and the only soldier of the Pakistan Armoured Corps to be given this award.[3][4] He is known for destroying 16 tanks with a Recoilless rifle in the 1971 Indo-Pak War

Sowar

Sawar Muhammad Hussain Janjua

Nishan-e-Haider
Native name
سوار محمد حسین جنجوعہ
Born18 January 1949 (1949-01-18)
Dhok Pir Bakhsh, Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Dominion of Pakistan
Died10 December 1971(1971-12-10) (aged 22)
Gajgal, Shakargarh, Narowal District, West Pakistan
Buried
Pothoar Plateau, Punjab, Pakistan
Allegiance Pakistan
Service/branch Pakistan Army
Years of service1966–1971
RankSowar
Service number1028148[1]
Unit20 Lancers
Battles/warsIndo-Pakistani War of 1971 †
Awards Nishan-e-Haider
Memorials
  • Dhok Pir Bakhsh village renamed to Dhok Muhammad Husain Janjua
  • Sawar Muhamad Hussain Shaheed (N.H) Boys Hostel[2]
Spouse(s)
Arzan Bibi
​
(m. 1967)​
Children2, (including Munawar Hussain)
Websitehttps://pakistanarmy.gov.pk/Sowar-Mohammad-Hussain.php

Early life

Hussain was born in the village of Dhok Pir Bakhsh into a Punjabi Janjua Rajput family on 18 January 1949 to Roz Ali, a farmer.[5][6]

Personal life

Hussain was married to Arzan Bibi and had 2 children. At the time of his death, his daughter was a little over 2 years old and his son Munawar Hussain, was 3 months old. Sawar did not have a chance to see his son due to being in the army.[7]

Military career

He enlisted into the Pakistan Armoured Corps as a Private/Driver on 3 September 1966 at the age of 17 and later joined the 20th Lancers on 23 May 1967.[8][4]

Although he was a Driver in the Armoured Corps, he would take part in every battle his unit got engaged in during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. On 5 December 1971, in the Zafarwal-Shakargarh area, he crawled from trench to trench under heavy enemy fire to deliver ammunition.

Death

On 10 December 1971, he took part in a dangerous mission and went out for reconnaissance and to fight enemy patrols. During reconnaissance, near the village Harar Khurd he spotted enemy tanks and on his own initiative, directed a recoil-less rifle crew towards the enemy and destroyed 16 enemy tanks. He was hit in the chest by a burst of machine-gun fire and killed while as he was directing fire from recoilless rifles.[9] After his death, his father proudly said "My son received bullets on his chest like a lion"[4]

Naib Risaldar Ali Nawab and Lance daffadar Abdur Rehman picked up his body from the battlefield.[10]

Burial
The tomb of Hussain Janjua

Hussain was buried in a makeshift military graveyard in Shakargar but his body was later excavated and buried in his native village of Dhok Pir Bakhsh.

Memorials

After Sawar Hussain's death his village Dhok Pir Bakhsh was renamed Dhok Muhammad Hussain to commemorate his sacrifice. It is also referred to as Dhok Nishan-e-Haider due to Hussain being a receiver of the award.

Sawar Muhamad Hussain Shaheed (N.H) Boys Hostel was established in October 1992 to give free education to male children of Shaheed, deceased, war wounded and retired/serving Junior Commissioned Officers and Soldiers of the Pakistan Armoured Corps who were appointed on merit. When the school was established, the amount of students was 40 and rose to 82. Students from year six to Intermediate are eligible for admission into the Hostel. All expenses such as boarding, lodging, medical treatment, books, stationary, school and extra coaching fee, etc are paid by the Armoured Corps Centre.[11]

Awards and decorations
Nishan-e-Haider (NH)

References
  1. https://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/Armoured-corps.php
  2. https://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/Armoured-corps.php
  3. "Sawar Muhammad Hussain Janjua - Nishan-e-Haider". www.kiva.org. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  4. "SAWAR MUHAMMAD HUSSAIN (SHAHEED)". www.pakarmymuseum.com. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  5. "Sawar Muhammad Hussain". 25 January 2018.
  6. "Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed - Biography & Life History in Urdu/Hindi | Kitaab Suno". YouTube.
  7. "Sawar Muhammad Hussain". www.meemainseen.com. 25 January 2018.
  8. "Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed". Daily Pakistan. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  9. "Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan". Archived from the original on 9 August 2019.
  10. "Sawar Muhammad Hussain". 25 January 2018.
  11. https://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/Armoured-corps.php
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