Nishan E Haider

Nishan-e-Haider نشان حیدر

Nishan-e-Haider (Urdu:نشان حیدر  translated as "Emblem of Haider, where Haider is the epithet of  Hazrat Ali and means Lion", abbreviated as NH ), is the highest military award given by Pakistan. It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a Republic, however, it was instituted retrospectively back to 1947. It is awarded to military personnel, regardless of rank, for extraordinary bravery in combat. The award is considered to be the highest military award and is only awarded to those who have sacrificed their life. Its exclusivity may be gauged by the fact that since it was established only 10 awards have been made, along with one equivalent award. To date all awards have been made posthumously. Of the 10 recipients, 9 have been from the Pakistan Army, one has been from the Pakistan Air Force. As yet there have been no recipients from the Pakistan Navy.

Recipients of Nishan-e-Haider نشان حیدر  
 

• Captain Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed  (1910–July 27, 1948), 6/8 Punjab
• Major Muhammad Tufail Shaheed  (1914–August 7, 1958), 1 Battlion East Pakistan Rifles
• Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed  (1928–September 10, 1965), 17 Punjab
• Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed  (1938–1971), 4 FF
• Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed  (1951–August 20, 1971), PAF Training Squadron
• Major Shabbir Sharif Shaheed  (1943–December 6, 1971), 6 FF
• Jawan Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed  (1949–December 10, 1971), 20 Lancers
• Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz Shaheed  (1944–December 17, 1971), 15 Punjab
• Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed  (1970–July 5, 1999), 12 NLI
• Havaildar Lalak Jan Shaheed  (1967–July 7, 1999), 12 NLI.
• Naik Saif Ali Janjua Shaheed (25 April 1922 ,26th April 1948) . He was awarded Hilal-e-Kashmir, by the government of Azad Kashmir in the 1948 War. This award has since been made the equivalent of the Nishan-e-Haider and is considered as one.