Nishan-e-Haider is Pakistan highest military award. It is being given to those soldiers who show great acts of bravery and courage against the enemy. What makes this award even more special is that it has been awarded only to martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country.

This award was made effective retrospectively from 1947 but officially instituted in 1957.

11 soldiers have been awarded with this prestigious award so far.

Facts About Nishan-e-Haider

Attribute	Details
Name Meaning	“Mark of the Lion”
Country	Pakistan
Established	March 16, 1957
Eligibility	Members of the Pakistan Armed Forces
Criteria	Exceptional bravery in battle, risking or sacrificing life
Total Awarded	11 (All posthumously)
First Recipient	Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar (awarded for actions in 1948)
Most Recent Recipient	Havaldar Lalak Jan (1999 Kargil War)
Named After	Hazrat Ali (RA), also known as Haider (Lion), symbol of bravery
Medal Design	Bronze star and crescent on green ribbon with “Haider” inscribed in Urdu
Presented By	President of Pakistan

List of Nishan-e-Haider Recipients

#	Name	Rank	Regiment	Conflict	Year
1	Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar	Captain	Punjab Regiment	First Kashmir War	1948
2	Naik Saif Ali Janjua	Naik	Azad Kashmir Regiment	Indo-Pak War	1947
3	Major Tufail Muhammad	Major	Pakistan Army (Medical)	Indo-Pak War	1965
4	Major Raja Aziz Bhatti	Major	Punjab Regiment	Indo-Pak War	1965
5	Major Muhammad Akram	Major	Azad Kashmir Regiment	Indo-Pak War	1971
6	Major Shabbir Sharif	Major	Frontier Force Regiment	Indo-Pak War	1971
7	Sepoy Muhammad Hussain	Sepoy	Azad Kashmir Regiment	Indo-Pak War	1971
8	Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz	Lance Naik	Punjab Regiment	Indo-Pak War	1971
9	Captain Karnal Sher Khan	Captain	Northern Light Infantry	Kargil War	1999
10	Havaldar Lalak Jan	Havaldar	Northern Light Infantry	Kargil War	1999
11	(Honorary) Saif Ali Janjua	Naik	Azad Kashmir Regiment	Indo-Pak War	1947