Tufail Mohammad
| Shaheed Tufail Mohammad NH | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1914 Hoshiarpur, Punjab Province, British India |
| Died |
7 August 1958 (aged 44) Lakshmipur District, East Pakistan |
| Allegiance |
 British India Pakistan |
| Service/branch |
 British Indian Army Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1958 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit |
16th Punjab Regiment East Pakistan Rifles |
| Battles/wars |
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 Pre–Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 border skirmish |
| Awards | Nishan-e-Haider |
Tufail Mohammad (Urdu: طفیل محمد; c. 1914 – 7 August 1958) was born in Hoshiarpur, Punjab.
Mohammad was posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan's highest military award and is the only person to win the award for an action outside the Indo-Pakistan Wars.
In 1958, Major Tufail Muhammed was posted to East Pakistan as company commander of a battalion of East Pakistan Rifles (a paramilitary force for border security). During his command, Indian troops violating international borders captured a village in the area of Laskhmipur of East Pakistan. On 7 August 1958 Major Tufail launched an assault, to force withdrawal of Indian troops from the village. He divided his men into three groups and attacked the Indian troops during the hours of darkness. The groups were able to reach the enemy without being detected but as the firefight started, the group came under heavy fire and Major Tufail received three bullets in his stomach. Despite being shot in stomach, he kept moving and was able to silence the incoming fire from machine gun. By tactically using grenades, Major Tufail was able to destroy key enemy posts. When he saw an enemy commander inflicting heavy casualties to his men he crawled towards enemy posting and engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand battle which resulted in the killing of a commander of the Indian Army. He killed him by hitting him with his steel helmet on the face. He continued the operation with his men which resulted in the withdrawal of Indian forces. Despite being heavily injured, he called his junior officer “I have completed my duty; the enemy is on the run.” He was rushed to hospital but died the same day.
Mohammad was buried with full military honours in his native city Burewala Punjab. His native village has been named after him and is now known as Tufailabad or Tufail Abad.
Awards and decorations
 | Nishan-e-Haider (NH) |
References
Major Tufail belonges to a Gujjar family.
