Remembering a Hero

Major Raja Aziz Bhatti sacrificed his life valiantly fighting the enemy in 1965

One cannot speak about the 1965 Indo-Pak War without mentioning the outstanding leadership and great sacrifice made by Major Raja Aziz Bhatti shaheed. A man of outstanding military skill and unparalleled courage, Bhatti is a true symbol of the Pakistan Army’s selfless devotion to the nation.

Originally named Aziz Ahmad, Major Aziz Bhatti was born in 1928. In 1946, Major Aziz Bhatti enlisted as an airman with the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) and within a short period rose to the rank of Corporal. At the time of partition, he decided to join the Pakistan Army and applied for selection as an officer. He was selected for the first course to be organised and run at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) – the first PMA Long Course. The course started in the last week of January, 1948. Gentleman Cadet Aziz Bhatti excelled and performed well in all aspects of life at the PMA.

On the passing out parade of the first PMA Long Course, Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, was the chief guest. For distinguishing himself as the best all-around cadet, and for being the most brilliant in academics, the Prime Minister presented the Sword of Honour and the Norman Gold Medal to Gentleman Cadet Raja Aziz Bhatti. It was generally accepted that of all the parades held at the PMA, this happened to be the finest. There was such alacrity and power in the ‘words of command’ of Bhatti, that even the spectators came to ‘attention’ in their seats!

At the time of passing out, he joined the 4/16 Punjab Regiment – now the 17 Punjab – as a commissioned officer. With only 11 months of service, he was appointed as Adjutant of the Battalion. He was later posted to the Quetta School of Infantry & Tactics from where he appeared for the entrance examination for Command and Staff College.

Humble as ever he asked all his friends to pray for his success. As expected, his name appeared on top of the list of successful candidates. His selection for the foreign staff course at Kingston Staff College, Canada was due to the recognition of his brilliance as an officer. Leaving aside Pakistan, there was hardly any other country where an officer with such a short service was selected for that course. He was promoted to the rank of Major before he left for Canada. Very popular in the College, he distinguished himself in every test. Writing to Brigadier Niazi from there, he said, “my English seems to be better than that of the Britishers, my exercise books hardly have any red marks on the pages.” During the Kingston Course, Major General Hayauddin, who was killed in the Cairo crash, came over from New York. When he saw the results of the tests Major Bhatti had taken at the Staff College, he was immensely pleased and congratulated him. Bhatti passed his Canadian Staff Course with distinction. In return, the Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Army General Muhammad Ayub Khan, sent him a special message of felicitations.

Answering the Call

When the September, 1965 War broke out, Major Bhatti’s Alpha Company was deployed forward of Bambanwala-Ravi-Bedian (BRB) Canal. On September 6, Indian advancing columns in their bid to surprise Pakistan found Bhatti’s men ready to receive them with an unwavering will to defend Lahore at all costs. As a Company Commander, Major Bhatti chose to locate himself with his forward platoon under constant firing from Indian tanks and artillery. He resisted for six days and nights defending a Pakistani outpost on the strategic BRB Canal.

A day before his martyrdom, his commanding officer had sent him word saying that since he had been fighting untiringly for the last few days, he should take a little rest and that another officer was being sent to replace him. Major Bhatti’s reply is a reflection of extreme patriotism saying, “Do not call me back. I will shed the last drop of my blood in the defence of my dear homeland.” These words serve as an inspiration for future generations of Pakistan Army soldiers and officers.

On September 10, while constantly observing the enemy terrain, Major Bhatti noticed some trucks speeding up at intervals behind a cluster of trees, stopping at a point for a while and then dashing back. It was evident that the enemy was again dumping ammunition and armament at that place. In the meantime, he also saw a convoy of 13 vehicles moving up. He kept his eyes on it. As it got close to milestone 17/18, he ordered fire. The entire convoy was destroyed, engulfed in a huge cloud of smoke. In the afternoon, the Indian Air Force (IAF) aircrafts made their presence felt again, had a circle or two over the border, and went back without any action. Things then appeared quiet; no transport was visible, nor was there any sign of troops’ movement. He had hardly slept for 15 minutes when he stood up saying. “Is it actually the sound of moving tanks, or am I imagining it?” he asked those around him. Captain Anwar replied, “You are very right. These definitely are tanks; I’m already trying to locate them.” Major Bhatti picked up the binoculars and managed to get two enemy tanks in view. He ordered the fire and both were knocked down. He continued to scan the area but could not observe any further movement. Nevertheless, he remained alert all the time.

Soon the enemy launched an attack with an Infantry Brigade comprising the 16 Punjab and 4 Sikh Regiments, with a tank regiment and heavy artillery in their support. By 10pm in the night when shelling had stopped, Major Bhatti went upstairs and called all the others over the wireless set, and then threw a flare to have an overall view of the area. By then the light emanating from the enemy’s truck captured during the day, which was set ablaze by the shelling enabled them to watch the Indians. At the same time, shouts of Jai Hind were also heard. Enemy tanks and infantry had come up close to the Barki Police Station.

Major Bhatti now reorganised his troops on the home bank of the canal and directed the jawans to take up positions along the embankment. He climbed up and started surveying enemy activity in the area. At night, Regiment Adjutant Anwar Muniruddin, came over to meet him. Bhatti narrated to him the episodes of previous days, recounting the enemy attacks, how they were repulsed and how they managed to pull back safely after the ammunition had been exhausted. Then he handed over his gold ring to Muniruddin. “Make sure to deliver it at my place in case I am martyred,” he urged. Anwar put on the ring on his own finger. Major Bhatti had been wearing it all along since his Hong Kong days. He turned to Anwar again, “You are a young officer,” he said, “You’ll one day write the history of your Regiment. Bhatti may not be among you at that time, but one thing you must definitely keep in mind – don’t forget to mention the historic role of the artillery in this war.”

The last sun of Major Bhatti’s life had come up. Passing to the left of Havildar Nazir’s platoon holding position near Company Headquarters, he went up the canal bank and started surveying the far side through his binoculars. Havildar Major Faiz Ali was lowered down the embankment due to enemy fire. He shouted, “Sir, there’s fire from that side – please come down.” To which Bhatti replied, “I cannot look around from that position. It is certainly dangerous standing here but then everything is from God! If shahadat is in store for me, I’ll welcome it.”

Soon some tanks were seen advancing towards the canal from the direction of Barki. Under their cover, infantry was also on the march. Indicating their positions, Major Bhatti ordered fire. Off went the guns but the shells did not land where desired. He quickly passed another message. This time the shells found the target. He was overjoyed. Two enemy tanks had been knocked down. Captain Anwar was directing the fire. Major Bhatti appreciated his precision. “Well done, Anwar,” he said loudly. Just then, an enemy shell whizzed past Major Bhatti, cut across a nearby shisham tree and landed on the heap of bricks, which had been dug out of the trenches and stocked there. That point was hardly a few feet away. A cloud of dust arose. His men around feared that the Major had been hit. They ran towards him but found him unscathed. “Go back to your positions immediately,” he ordered, and added, “This shell was not for me; the one for me has yet to be manufactured in India’s ordnance factories!”

Destiny was smiling at what Bhatti had just uttered. He was about to raise his binoculars and scan the enemy area when an armoured piercing shot fired from an Indian tank hit him in the chest and passed through his right lung. He fell face down on the bank.

Havildar Major Faiz Ali and Sepoy Aman Khan rushed to his aid but by then the highly dedicated, valorous, selfless Major Bhatti, an exceptional military hero, had been relieved of his duty.