View source for Muhammad Akram

{{Short description|Pakistani Army Officer (1938–1971)}}
{{other people|Mohammad Akram Awan}}
{{original research|date=November 2017}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| name          = Muhammad Akram
| honorific_suffix = [[Nishan-e-Haider|NH]]
| image         = Major Akram.jpg
| image_upright = 
| alt           = 
| caption       = 
| native_name   = 
| native_name_lang = 
| birth_name    = 
| other_name    = 
| nickname      = 
| birth_date    = {{birth date|df=yes|1938|04|04}}
| birth_place   = [[Jhelum]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British Raj|British India]]
| death_date    = {{death date and age|df=yes|1971|12|05|1938|04|04}}
| death_place   = [[Hili Railway Station|Hilli]], [[Rajshahi Division|Rajshahi]], Bangladesh
| placeofburial = [[Hakimpur]], [[Rangpur Division|Rangpur]], Bangladesh
| placeofburial_label = 
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!--{{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}}-->
| allegiance    = {{PAK}}
| branch        = {{army|PAK}}
| branch_label  = Branch/service
| serviceyears  = 1956–1971
| serviceyears_label = 
| rank          = [[File:OF-3 Pakistan Army.svg|20px]] [[Major (rank)|Major]]
| rank_label    = 
| servicenumber = 
| unit          = [[Frontier Force Regiment|4th Frontier Force Regiment]]
| commands      = 
| battles       = {{tree list}}
* [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]
* [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]
** [[Battle of Hilli]]{{KIA}}
{{tree list/end}}
| battles_label = 
| awards        = [[File:Nishan-e-Haider.png|50px]] [[Nishan-e-Haider]]
| alma_mater    = [[Pakistan Military Academy]]
| spouse        = <!--Add spouse if reliably sourced-->
| children      = 
| relations     = 
| laterwork     = 
| signature     = 
| signature_size = 
| signature_alt = 
| website       = [https://www.ispr.gov.pk/major-muhammad-akram-shaheed.php ISPR website]
| module        = 
}}

[[Major (rank)|Major]] '''Muhammad Akram''' {{small|[[Nishan-e-Haider|NH]]}} ({{Langx|ur|{{nq|محمد اکرم}}}}; 4 April 1938 – 5 December 1971) was a Pakistani [[military officer]] and the sixth recipient of Pakistan's highest military award, the [[Nishan-e-Haider]], which he was awarded [[Posthumous recognition|posthumously]] for his actions of valour in the [[Battle of Hilli]] during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]].<ref name="paws" />

==Biography==
Muhammad Akram  belonged to [[Nakka Kalan]], a small city in [[Jhelum District]].<ref name="www.saltnpepperblog.com, 2009">{{cite web |last1=bc |first1=bloggerscouncil |title=Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed Family {{!}} Sarah Peracha Blog |url=http://www.saltnpepperblog.com/2009/09/two-nishan-e-haider-pride-of-my-family.html |website=www.saltnpepperblog.com |publisher=Sarah Peracha |access-date=9 September 2021 |language=ur| date=6 September 2009}}</ref> He was born on 4 April 1938,<ref name="www.urdubiography.com, 2012">{{cite web |last1=ub |first1=urdubiography |title=Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed {{!}} Major Muhammad Akram History in Urdu |url=https://www.urdubiography.com/national-heroes/major-muhammad-akram-shaheed.html |website=www.urdubiography.com |access-date=26 May 2019 |language=ur|date=12 May 2012}}</ref> into an [[Awan (tribe)|Awan]] family.<ref>{{cite web |author=District Government of Gujrat |url=https://gujrat.punjab.gov.pk/important-personalities |title=Important Personalities &#124; District Gujrat |publisher=Government of Punjab |quote= to Dinga, a small City in Gujrat District,he belongs to Malik Awan family}}</ref> He was a [[military brat]] and his father, Malik S. Muhammad, was an enlisted personnel in the [[British Indian Army]] who later retired as a ''[[Havildar]]'', an [[non-commissioned officer|army n.c.o.]], in the [[Pakistan Army]].<ref name="www.urdubiography.com, 2012" />

After securing his graduation from a local middle school in [[Nakka Kalan]], Akram entered to join the [[Military College Jhelum]]– an [[Reserve Officers' Training Corps|ROTC]] and an army's [[Officer candidate school|OCS]] in [[Jhelum]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]].<ref name="www.urdubiography.com, 2012" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://militarycollege.edu.pk/new/alamgirian-shuhada/|title=ALAMGIRIAN SHUHADA – Military College Jhelum|website=militarycollege.edu.pk|language=en-US|access-date=2017-10-18}}</ref>

{{Gallery|File:Major Akram Memorial.jpg|Major Akram's Memorial|width=190|height=250|align=left|mode=nolines|noborder=no}}In 1953, he dropped out from the [[Military College Jhelum]] due to his father's deployment, and had to take the High School equivalency exam where he took examinations in [[geography]] and [[intermediate education]].<ref name="www.urdubiography.com, 2012" />

In 1956, he was enlisted in the [[Pakistan Army]] and posted with the [[8th Punjab Regiment]] near [[India-Pakistan border]].<ref name="www.urdubiography.com, 2012" />

In 1959, Muhammad Akram was selected to attend the [[Pakistan Military Academy]] but only spent a semester after being deployed in [[East Pakistan|East-Pakistan]] as a [[Naik (military rank)|Naik]] (equivalent to [[Corporal (rank)|Corporal]]).<ref name="www.urdubiography.com, 2012" />

He received [[Commissioned officer|commission]] in the Army through his years of attendance at the army's [[Officer candidate school|OCS]] in [[Jhelum]] in 1961 in the [[Frontier Force Regiment]], and was attached to the [[East Pakistan Rifles]] from 1963 to 1965.<ref name="www.urdubiography.com, 2012" />

In 1965, Capt. Akram was stationed in different parts of the [[West Pakistan|West-Pakistan]] before being deployed in [[East Pakistan|East-Pakistan]] as a [[quartermaster]] with the [[Frontier Force Regiment]] till 1967–68.<ref name="www.urdubiography.com, 2012" />

==Nishan-e-Haider action==
In 1968–70, [[Major (United Kingdom)|Maj.]] Akram served with the 4th [[battalion]] posted with the [[Frontier Force Regiment]], eventually becoming its [[second-in-command]] by 1971.<ref name="Dost Pakistan">{{cite web |title=Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed - Dost Pakistan |url=http://www.dostpakistan.pk/major-muhammad-akram-shaheed/ |website=www.dostpakistan.pk |access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref>

During the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]], the 4th FF Regiment, which at that time was commanded by then Lt. Col. Muhammad Mumtaz Malik, was placed in the forward area of the Hilli Municipality (under Hakimpur Upazila, Dinajpur District), in what was then [[East Pakistan]]. {{citation needed|date=February 2013}} The regiment came under continuous and heavy air, artillery and armour attacks from the [[Indian Army]]. Despite enemy superiority in both numbers and firepower, Akram and his men repulsed many attacks, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.<ref name="sfws"/> He was killed in action in the battle and was [[Posthumous recognition|posthumously]] awarded the [[Nishan-e-Haider]], Pakistan's highest military honour.<ref name="sfws" />

He was buried in the village of Boaldar, Thana/Upozila-Hakimpur (Banglahilly), District-Dinajpur. There is a monument, Major Akram Shaheed Memorial, in the midst of [[Jhelum (city)|Jhelum]] city.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

==Awards and decorations==
{{Infobox award
| name = [[Nishan-e-Haider|Nishan-e-Haider Recipient]]
| image = 
| imagesize = 105px
| caption = Muhammad Akram received<br>the '''[[Nishan-e-Haider]]''' Award
| country = [[Islamic Republic of Pakistan]]
| date = 1971
| presenter = [[Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto|President Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto]]
}}
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Nishan-e-Haider.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War Ribbon.png|width=130}}
|
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Republic Medal 1956 (Pakistan).png|width=130}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| colspan="2" |'''[[Nishan-e-Haider]]'''
''(Emblem of the Lion)''

'''[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|1971 War]]'''

'''<u>Posthumously</u>'''
| colspan="2" |'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War]]'''
''(War Star 1965)''
|-
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War]]'''
''(War Star 1971)''

'''<u>Posthumously</u>'''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War]]'''
''(War Medal 1965)''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Campaign / war medals|Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War]]'''
''(War Medal 1971)''

'''<u>Posthumously</u>'''
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces#Commemorative medals|Tamgha-e-Jamhuria]]'''
''(Republic Commemoration Medal)''

'''1956'''
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="paws">{{citation | title=Pakistan Army Website | url=http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/awpreview/TextContent.aspx?pId=182 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824194224/http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/AWPReview/TextContent.aspx?pId=182 | url-status=dead | archive-date=24 August 2010 | access-date=10 February 2013 }}</ref>
<ref name="sfws">{{citation | title=Shaheed Foundation Website | url=http://www.shaheedfoundation.org/NishaneHaider.asp | access-date=10 February 2013}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Raja Muhammad Akram}}

{{Navboxes
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{{Nishan-e-Haider}}
{{1971 Indo-Pak War}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Akram, Muhammad}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:1971 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Gujrat District]]
[[Category:People from Jhelum]]
[[Category:Pakistan Military Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Pakistan Army officers]]
[[Category:People of East Pakistan]]
[[Category:People of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]
[[Category:Pakistani military personnel killed in action]]
[[Category:Recipients of Nishan-e-Haider]]
[[Category:People from Punjab Province (British India)]]