Muhammad Hussain (soldier)

Sowar Muhammad Hussain Janjua, (18 January 1949 – 10 December 1971) was a Pakistani soldier and the 8th recipient of Pakistan's highest military award, the Nishan-e-Haider, and the only soldier of the Pakistan Armoured Corps to be given this award. He is known for destroying 16 tanks with a Recoilless rifle in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

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.

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. Sowar Hussain did not have a chance to see his son due to not getting leave.

Military career
He enlisted into the Pakistan Armoured Corps as a Driver on 3 September 1966 at the age of 17 and later joined the 20th Lancers on 23 May 1967.

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. After his death, his father proudly said "My son received bullets on his chest like a lion"

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

Burial
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.