Nishan e Haider

 Nishan-e-Haider (NH; Urdu: نشان حیدر‎, lit. 'Mark of the Lion'), is the highest military gallantry award of Pakistan.^[3][4] Nishan-e-Haider literally means "Emblem of the Lion" in the Urdu language.^[5] The word "Haider" is also the epithet of Ali, who is referred to as the 'Lion of God', a valiant warrior and leader.^[6]

Nishan-e-Haider نشان حیدر
Type	Medal
Awarded for	Acts of greatest heroism in circumstances of extreme danger,in the presence of the enemy on land, at sea or in the air.In addition the person must have also died in the line of duty.[1]
Country	Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Presented by	Government of Pakistan
Eligibility	Military personnel only
Post-nominals	NH
Ribbon
Status	Active
Established	16 March 1957 [2] (applied retrospectively from 1948 onwards)
First awarded	16 March 1957 – Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, Captain Muhammad Sarwar, Pakistan army
Last awarded	15 July 1999 – Kargil War, Havildar Lalak Jan, Pakistan army
Total	11 (1 Hilal-e-Kashmir)
Total awarded posthumously	11
Website	http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/awpreview/pDetails.aspx?pType=PressRelease&pID=67
Precedence
Next (higher)	None
Equivalent	Hilal-e-Kashmir
Next (lower)	Hilal-i-Jur'at Sitara-i-Jur'at Tamgha-i-Jur'at

The Nishan-e-Haider can only be awarded to members of the Pakistan Armed Forces for the highest acts of extraordinary bravery in the face of the enemy in air, land, or sea. Its exclusivity can be gauged by the fact that, since Pakistan's independence in 1947, it has been awarded only 11 times (now eleven, due to Hilal-e-Kashmir declared as Nishan-e-Haider).

HistoryEdit

The Nishan-e-Haider was established by the Government of Pakistan and named after Ali on 14 August 1947,^{[citation needed]} the year that Pakistan became a republic. It was applied retrospectively from the date of Pakistan's independence on 14 August 1947. It is Pakistan's highest award and takes precedence over all military and civil awards. Of the ten Nishan-e-Haider recipients to date, nine have been from the Army and one from the Air Force.

Although some consider it equivalent to the British Victoria Cross and the United States Medal of Honor, it is unique in that it has so far been awarded only posthumously.

CriterionEdit

The Nishan-e-Haider can be awarded to all ranks of the Armed Forces for showing feats of extraordinary courage in confronting the enemy. As a matter of practice and precedent, it has only been awarded where it has been established that the recipient acted despite high risks and was martyred(shaheed) in the act.^[7][8]

ManufacturingEdit

The Nishan-e-Haider is manufactured by Pakistan Mint on the order of the Ministry of Defence. It is forged from captured enemy equipment and consists of 88% copper, 10% Gold, and 2% zinc.

RecipientsEdit

Recipients

№	Name of the recipient	Regiment	Rank	Battle	Date of martyrdom
1	Raja Muhammad Sarwar	2/1 Punjab Regiment, Pakistan Army	Captain	Indo-Pakistani War of 1947	27 July 1948
2	Saif Ali Janjua Hilal-e-Kashmir	18 Azad Kashmir Regiment, Pakistan Army	Naik	Indo-Pakistani War of 1947	26 October 1948
3	Tufail Mohammad	16th Punjab Regiment Border Guards East Pakistan Rifles, Pakistan Army	Major	Indo-Pak Border skirmish 1958	7 August 1958
4	Raja Aziz Bhatti	17 Punjab Regiment, Pakistan Army	Major	Indo-Pakistani War of 1965	10 September 1965
5	Rashid Minhas	No. 2 Fighter Conversion Unit, Pakistan Air Force	Pilot Officer	Indo-Pakistani War of 1971	20 August 1971
6	Muhammad Akram	4 Frontier Force Regiment, Pakistan Army	Major	Indo-Pakistani War of 1971	5 December 1971
7	Shabbir Sharif	6 Frontier Force Regiment, Pakistan Army	Major	Indo-Pakistani War of 1971	6 December 1971
8	Muhammad Hussain Janjua	20 Lancers (Armoured Corps), Pakistan Army	Sowar	Indo-Pakistani War of 1971	10 December 1971
9	Muhammad Mahfuz	15 Punjab Regiment, Pakistan Army	Lance naik	Indo-Pakistani War of 1971	17 December 1971
10	Karnal Sher Khan	27 Sindh Regiment/12 Northern Light Infantry, Pakistan Army	Captain	Kargil War	5 July 1999
11	Lalak Jan	12 Northern Light Infantry, Pakistan Army	Havildar	Kargil War