| Hilal-i-Jurat | |
|---|---|
 Hilal-i-Jurat |
|
| Awarded by Pakistan | |
| Type | Military Decoration |
| Eligibility | Military only (Conferrable upon officers only) |
| Awarded for | "...for act of valour, courage or devotion to duty performed on land, at sea or in the air" [1] |
| Status | Currently awarded |
| Post-nominals | HJ |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 16 March 1957[2] |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | (1) Nishan-i-Haider |
| Next (lower) | (3) Sitara-i-Jurat (4) Tamgha-i-Jurat |
Hilal-i-Jurat (Crescent of Courage) is the second highest military award of Pakistan. It was established in 1957 after Pakistan became a Republic, however, it was instituted retrospectively back to 1947. Only officers serving in the Pakistani armed forces are eligible for the award and it is conferred for acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty. It is considered to be roughly equivalent to the Distinguished Service Order under the British honours system and the United States Distinguished Service Cross.
Contents |
Description
The Hilal-i-Jurat is the Pakistan's second highest military award, behind the Nishan-i-Haider, and it is awarded to officers from the Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force for "acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty in the face of the enemy".[3] The decoration may be awarded for leadership and as such is considered roughly equivalent to the British Distinguished Service Order and the United States Distinguished Service Cross. It was established on 16 March 1957,[2] after Pakistan became a republic in 1956. Prior to that Pakistan had been a dominion of Great Britain and had as such come under the British honours system. When the award was established, however, it was instituted retrospectively back to 15 August 1947—the date of Indian Independence and Partition of India—and it was subsequently conferred on a number of Pakistani officers for service during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.
The first four recipients of the Hilal-e Jurat were Brigadier Mian Hayaud-Din; Brigadier Mohammad Aslam Khan (brother of Air Marshal Mohammad Asghar Khan—the first Pakistani to become Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force); Brigadier Nawabzada Sher Ali Khan Pataudi and Major General Mohammad Ayub Khan.[citation needed] The first three officers named above received the award for valour and distinction in combat, commanding Pakistani troops and volunteers in operations against Indian forces in Kashmir, in conformity with the criteria for the award. Ayub Khan, however, was not serving in Kashmir nor was he involved in combat with Indian Army forces anywhere at that time. He was the commander of Pakistani troops in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) about 1000 miles away from Kashmir, as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the single Division of the Pakistan Army that formed the garrison there. He was awarded the Hilal-i-Jurat for dealing with smugglers operating across the border between India and East Pakistan.[citation needed]
Later, these were awarded in 1965, when there were military actions in the Rann of Katch in the spring and the following war with India in September.[citation needed] Since then further awards were made.
List of all recipients
Pakistan Army
In Chronological Order of Award:
- PA - 18. Major General Mian Hayaud-Din HJ, MBE, MC, Commandeur-Legion d'Honneur, Legion of Merit
- PA - 919. Brigadier Muhammad Aslam Khan HJ
- PA - 24. Major General Nawabzada Sher Ali Khan Pataudi HJ
- PA - 10. Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan HPk, HJ, MBE
- PA - 28. General Muhammad Musa Khan HJ
- PA - 148. Lieutenant General Akhtar Hussain Malik HJ
- PA - 159. Major General Abrar Hussain HJ, MBE
- PA - ??. Lieutenant General ( then Major ) Akhtar Abdur Rahman , HJ , TB , HI.
- PA - 477. Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi HJ (Bar), SK, MC
- PA - 524. Lieutenant General Abdul Ali Malik HJ
- PA - 624. Brigadier Amjad Ali Chaudhri HJ
- PA - ?? Brigadier Ahsan Rashid Shami
- PA - ? Major General Naseerullah Khan Babar HJ (& Bar)
- PA - 649. Major General A. O. Mitha HJ, SPk, SQA
- PA - 332 Brig Abdul Qayum Sher HJ
- PA - 4049. Lieutenant Colonel Ghulam Hussain Chaudry HJ
- PA - ?. Lieutenant Colonel Raja Mohammad Akram HJ
- PA - 1986 Major General Amir Hamza Khan HJ, SJ (10 Punjab, Commander 105 Independent Brigade 1971 War)
-
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Pakistan/Bangladesh Army
- PA/BA - ? Lieutenant General Ziaur Rahman
Pakistan Air Force
- Air Marshal Nur Khan HJ
- Group Captain M Zafar Masud HJ (later Air Commodore)
- Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui HJ
- Air Marshal A Rahim Khan HJ
- Air Commodore Inamul Haq Khan HJ (later Air Marshal)
Pakistan Navy
- Vice Admiral Afzal Rahman Khan, HJ
- PN-138 Rear Admiral Mohammad Shariff, HJ (later Admiral)
See also
- Awards and decorations of the Pakistan military
- Nishan-e-Haider
- Pakistan Military
- Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
Notes
- ^ PAF Combat website on military awards
- ^ a b Robertson, Megan. "Crescent of Courage (Hilal-i-Jur'at)" (in English). Medals.org. http://www.medals.org.uk/pakistan/pakistan017.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ "Honours and Awards" (in English). Pakistan Army. http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/AWPReview/TextContent.aspx?pId=32&rnd=182. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
References
- Citation of PAF Shaheeds, at PakDef.info
- Air Commodore Mitti Masud, HJ, SBt
External links
| This Pakistani military article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
