Major Raja Aziz Bhatti (1928 – 10 September 1965) was a Staff officer in the Pakistan Army who was awarded Pakistan’s highest award for valor. He was born in Hong Kong in 1928. He moved to Pakistan before it achieved its independent status in 1947, settling in the village of Ladian, Kharian, Gujrat. There he joined the newly formed Pakistani Army and was commissioned to the Punjab Regiment in 1950.
Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Biography
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Major Raja Aziz |
| Born | 1928 |
| Died | 11 September 1965 (aged 36–37) |
| Place of birth | British Hong Kong |
| Place of death | Lahore, Pakistan |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan |
| Service/branch |  Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1950–1965 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 17th Battalion, Punjab Regiment |
| Commands held | Burki Company, 17th Battalion, Punjab Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 |
| Awards | Nishan-e-Haider, Sword of Honor, Norman Medal |
Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Early Life
Having given very brief sketches of his own life and that of his father’s, the author goes on to describe life in Hong Kong where the five Bhatti boys grew up. The descriptions of life at home and in school intertwine to form the major part of the young boys transitioning into adulthood. There is a political backdrop where the lives of the boys are thrust into the turmoil brought about by Second World War. On Christmas Day, 1941, the British capitulated Hong Kong before the Japanese forces. Began a period of hardship and struggle.
When schools are closed, incomes are nil and savings have become valueless, the Bhattis need the younger lot to pitch in. Even the house they were staying in was attacked. The different happenings in the war-torn country are recounted with resigned fatalism. The war also extracted its quota of life from this family. One brother, Bashir Ahmed, older than Aziz died while in Japanese Naval Custody. After the war, when hostilities ceased, the family returned to their village in Gujrat and the young men struggled to find employment opportunities. It was at this moment that Pakistan came into being, and the three elder siblings joined the armed forces of this newly established homeland created for the Muslims of the Subcontinent.
Raja Aziz Bhatti Career
On 11th September 1965, Major Raja Aziz Bhatti, being Company Commander, decided to stay with his forward platoon in the Burki area of the Lahore sector. For five days and nights his platoon repulsed continuous artillery and tank attacks in defense of the strategic BRB Canal.
Throughout the action, fearless in the face of relentless fire from enemy small arms, tanks, and artillery, he was reorganizing his company and guiding the gunners to shell enemy positions. He had to place himself from where he could watch every move of the enemy in an elevated position where he was exposed to Indian forces. He led the men from the front, under constant attack from Indian Artillery batteries. While trying to counter every Indian offensive in his area, he was struck in the chest by an enemy tank shell while watching the enemy’s moves and was martyred on 11th September 1965.
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