Karnal Sher Khan was a military officer of Pakistan Army.
Karnal Sher Khan is one of only eleven people to receive Nishan Haider.
He was a captain in the 27th Sindh Regiment of the Pakistan Army and was later posted to the 12th NIL Regiment during the Kargil conflict. Karna Sher Khan was martyred in action during the Kargil war. He was awarded the Nishan Haider, Pakistan’s highest military award, for his bravery during the Kargil war.
Colonel Sher Khan’s family
Colonel Sher Khan was born on January 1, 1970 in the Yousafzai tribe of Pashtuns in village Nawe Clay (now Karnal Sher Khan Clay Village) in Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He was the youngest of two brothers and two sisters, his mother died when he was 6 years old. Colonel Sher Khan was brought up by his father.
Education
Khan completed his intermediate education from a government post-graduate college in Swabi and later joined the Pakistan Armed Forces. Throughout his life, Khan cared for the poor people of his area and spent most of his salary to help them.
After completing his intermediate education, Khan first joined the Pakistan Air Force as an airman but later joined the Pakistan Army in 1992 as a commissioned officer. On 14 October 1994, Khan was commissioned in the 27th Sindh Regiment of Pakistan.
Kargil war
During the Kargil War, Khan was posted in the Gultri region. He along with his fellow soldiers established five strategic outposts at a height of 17,000 feet in Gultri. The Indian Army launched eight attacks on its position to capture strategic posts. However, Khan and his men were able to defend these strategic posts. On 5 July 1999, the Indian Army launched another attack and surrounded their posts with two battalions.
With heavy mortar fire, the Indian Army captured one of their posts. Khan personally led a successful counter-attack and was able to recapture the lost post. Despite the shortage of ammunition and men, Khan managed to force the enemy to retreat. However, he was hit by machine gun fire during the battle and was killed in action.
Brigadier MPS Bajwa of the Indian Army was impressed by Captain Khan’s combat actions and wrote to the Government of Pakistan citing the bravery of the young officer. Bajwa wrote an obituary for Khan and kept it in his pocket while returning his body to the Pakistani authorities. Khan’s actions during the war were also recognized by his fellow Pakistani soldiers and Khan was posthumously awarded Pakistan’s highest military award, the Nishan Haider.
