Ghulam Rasul Raja

Ghulam Rasul Raja
Born	British Indian Empire
Died	Sarai Alamgir, Pakistan
Buried at	Sarai Alamgir, Pakistan
Allegiance	United Kingdom  Pakistan
Service/branch	British Indian Army  Pakistan Army
Years of service	1923–1948
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Unit	16th Punjab Regiment
Battles/wars	World War II Indo-Pakistan War of 1947
Awards	Sitara-e-Jurat Military Cross

Lieutenant Colonel Ghulam Rasul Raja MC was an army officer of the Indian Army and later of the Pakistan Army who served in the 16th Punjab regiment ^[1] under the British Raj. He later served Pakistan when the regiment was ceded to the Pakistan. He was from Panjeri (Azad Kashmir) and settled in Sarai Alamgir (Punjab, Pakistan).^[2]

Early military service

Ghulam Rasul enlisted in the 4th battalion 16th Punjab Regiment on 9 June 1923. He received a Viceroy's commission as a Jemedar on the 1 September 1937 and was promoted Subedar 15 July 1939. Before the Second World War he had served extensively on the North West Frontier of India, taking part in the North West Frontier 1930-31, Mohmand 1935 and Waziristan 1936-37 campaigns.^[3]

The battalion went overseas in October 1940. It served in Egypt, the Sudan and Eritrea before moving back to the Western Desert of Egypt in April 1941.^[4]

Military Cross (WW2)

In early November 1941 the 4th battalion 16th Punjab Regiment moved to a camp east of Sidi Barrani and undertook training in preparation of their part of Operation Crusader. On the evening of the 18 November they formed up at Bir Deheusa, 5 miles north west of the heavily defended Omar position. The main attack on the Omars took place at 1200 hours on the 22 November, with the battle for Omar Nuovo. When the word came in this attack had been successful the 4/16th were to advance on the Libyan Omar position. This they did, with Subedar Ghulam Rasul leading "D" company on the left. As a result of this action he was awarded the MC in the London Gazette 23 January 1942.^[5][6]

Libya was strategically important for the British because the amassing of a large Italian army at Tripolitania and Cyrenaica threatened the Suez Canal and Alexandria.^[7]

Ghulam Rasul received an Indian Emergency Commission into Indian Army and the 16th Punjab Regiment as a Second Lieutenant on 9 July 1942 and was made war substantive Lieutenant the same date.^[8]

Sitara-e-Jurrat (1947–1948 Kashmir War)

Raja was again at the forefront of the offensive. In this particular instance, he was involved in pushing the Indian armed forces out of Kashmir as the first struggle for Pakistan to take Kashmir began in 1947. Pakistan roughly gained 2/5 of Kashmir in this war, although the outcome was a UN Intervention ceasefire, it is seen as a victory from the Pakistani perspective. Raja was stationed in front of a peak which was held by the Indian forces. Numerous Pakistani soldiers had been killed by fire from the higher ground due to the elevated Indian position. Raja realised that the Indian's had a great strategic advantage and thus a plan must be devised to advance further. His unit tried to concentrate artillery fire on the Indian stronghold but did not succeed. Thus he ordered for the artillery units to be elevated to higher positions, trying best to keep this hidden from enemy view.

Raja and his men monitored Indian movement for a number of days in order to find gaps in their guard and times when their defences were weak. He was thus able to devise a strategically timed offensive. He asked men to come forward to aid him in the apex of the ambush, in complete awareness that it was almost certainly a fatal mission since the Indian forces heavily outnumbered the Pakistani force at that position. They prepared for the offensive, waiting for the Indian defence to weaken, they attacked with aid of the artillery that had been repositioned. The Indians were stunned at the scale of the attack and fell immediately under the pretense that a large Pakistani force had arrived. They surrendered and subsequently the peak had been liberated by Pakistani forces. For his exemplary bravery he was awarded the honor of Sitara-e-Jurrat.

He later went on to found the 9th Azad Kashmir Battalion, to whom he became a symbol of valor. He is remembered on their various commemorative meetings.

References