Captain Bilal Zafar Shaheed

 Captain Bilal Zafar Abbasi (1982-2009) (Urdu: بلال ظفر) was a Pakistan Army officer who received Sitara-e-Basalat on the 62nd Independence Day of Pakistan.^[2] He was a Captain in the 42 Baloch Regiment(MIB).

Shaheed Bilal Zafar Abbasi Sitara-e-Basalat
Captain Bilal Zafar Shaheed (2 February 1982- 17 May 2009) on the occasion of United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Ivory Coast
Nickname(s)	Bali [1]
Born	2 February 1982 Rawalpindi, Punjab
Died	17 May 2009 (aged 27) Peochar Valley, Swat
Allegiance	Pakistan
Service/branch	Pakistan Army
Years of service	2003-2009
Rank	Captain
Service number	PA-40561
Unit	42 Baloch Regiment (MIB) Special Services Group
Battles/wars	(UNOCI) Operation Rah-e-Rast
Awards	Sitara-e-Basalat

Early lifeEdit

EducationEdit

He was born in Rawalpindi on 2 February 1982. Bilal Zafar got his early education from St. Paul’s Cambridge School, Rawalpindi and Government College University, Lahore.^[3]

Military BackgroundEdit

He belonged to a prominent family with a military background. His father, Zafar Tajamul, is a retired captain.^[4] His grandfather, Colonel Tajammal Hussain was a commissioned officer in the British Indian Army. His grandfather also fought in the Second World War and remained a PoW. Later on, he joined INA. After Independence, he opted for the Pakistan Army. He volunteered for the war of independence of Kashmir. He raised and commanded the first Bagh Brigade and fought on the Poonch front. For his valour and bravery, he was awarded the medal of FAKHR-E-KASHMIR. He was the Defence Secretary of the Azad Kashmir government. Later on, he raised the Civil Defence Department in the Azad Kashmir government.

The great-grandfather of Captain Bilal, Subedar Lal Khan, fought in the First World War. He lost his life during action. For his death in combat, he was awarded the INDIAN ORDER OF MERIT - the second-highest military award.

His brother, Captain Zarrar, is also a commando officer in the Pakistan army and has participated in many operations.

Military careerEdit

He joined the Pakistan Army in 2001 and was commissioned into 42 Baloch Regiment(Al-Havi) on 12 October 2003.^[3] Later, he joined the SSG.^[5] He also served in United Nations peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast.

DeathEdit

Operation Rah-e-Rast began in May 2009 and involved the Pakistan Army and Taliban militants in a fight for control of the Swat district of Pakistan. The SSG started an operation 'Janbaz' to clear Swat valley from militants. His company was given the task to clear Swat-Peochar Road. During this operation, Captain Bilal Zafar was martyred on 17 May 2009 after being hit by fire from a rocket launcher in the chest.^[5] One day after his death, he was buried in his native village Kehror Kotli Sattian on 18 May 2009.^[3] The Government of Pakistan announced the Sitara-e-Basalat for him on the 62nd Independence Day of Pakistan