Captain Isfandyar Shaheed

Captain Isfandyar Shaheed, who was born on 14 August 1988, received his early education in Army Public College Attock and Fazaia Degree College Kamra. In 2001 he was accepted at the prestigious Cadet College Hasanabdal (CCH) where he studied from 2001 to 2006. He excelled at CCH and became wing commander of Jinnah wing.

Isfandyar Shaheed joined PMA Kakul in November 2006 as part of the 118 Long Course. He won many laurels during his stay at the PMA including medals in riding, swimming, hockey and academics. In 2008 he was awarded the coveted Military Tactics Medal whereas on 25 October 2008 he received the highest award of PMA Kakul i.e. The Sword of Honour for being the best Gentleman Cadet of the 118 Long Course.

After graduating with honours from the PMA, Isfandyar Shaheed joined the 11FF Regiment of the Pak Army and was posted at Bahawalpur. In 2009 he went to Quetta for the basic infantry course during which he invented a Target Acquisition Instrument for Pakistan Army. The instrument is very cost-effective and can be used for locating a target with pinpoint accuracy.

From 2011 to 2013 Captain Isfandyar Shaheed was posted in Waziristan where he took active part in operations against TTP. He participated in various encounters against the terrorists and always emerged victorious. Throughout his 18-month stay in Waziristan he voluntarily commanded the forward most posts held by 11FF Regiment. Captain Isfandyar Shaheed fortified the forward posts and built bunkers in a very short time. He participated in the manual labour along with his soldiers and kept their morale high. Thanks to these efforts 11FF didn't suffer a single casualty during her time in Waziristan.

Numerous times the TTP terrorists attacked Captain Isfandyar's post but he and his soldiers were always alert. As a result, the terrorists suffered crippling losses and after some time lost the urge to launch attacks on 11FF's positions.

During his stay in Waziristan once Captain Isfandyar Shaheed received an order to occupy a hill to provide cover to another unit which was carrying an attack on a concentrated force of an estimated 75-80 terrorists. Captain Isfandyar occupied the hill with 12 of his soldiers but the promised attack failed to materialize. As a result, Captain Isfandyar and his men were stranded deep in enemy territory. The terrorists surrounded the hill in strong numbers and urged Pakistan Army soldiers to surrender on account of their being outnumbered.

In this precarious situation Captain Isfandyar maintained his composure. He told his troops that surrender wasn't an option and they would attempt a breakout at nightfall. For the time being he arranged his men into defensive positions at the summit of the hill. The terrorists launched a frontal attack in the afternoon but Isfandyar and his men were ready and in a short crossfire the terrorists lost 8/9 men while a Pak Army soldier was wounded. This encounter proved costly for the terrorists and their morale.

Captain Isfandyar immediately grasped the opportunity and made a breakout plan. He said that 10 of his men will take their wounded companion to their own lines while Isfandyar and one companion will man the hill and keep the terrorists at bay. After a calculated amount of time which will be required for others to be in safe lands, Isfandyar himself and his companion will leave the hill and make for safety. The men objected to the plan as it seemed almost suicidal for Isfandyar but he prevailed upon them.

Contrary to expectations the breakout was accomplished very smoothly. Captain Isfandyar and his comrades managed to slip away quietly and unscathed in the dark. Perhaps the beating received by the terrorists proved to be a deterrent for them to pursue a more active strategy. When Isfandyar and his men reached their unit all were astonished as they had expected them to be captured or martyred by then.

On 18 September 2015, 14 TTP terrorists entered PAF Camp Badaber and attacked the PAF personnel there. The murderous terrorists cowardly opened fire on the mosque martyring about a dozen men in there. The 102 Brigade of Pak army in Peshawar immediately dispatched a Quick Response Force (QRF) to Badaber which was accompanied by the Brigade Commander Brigadier Inayat and Captain Isfandyar who was G-3 of 102 Brigade. The commander of QRF Major Haseeb was wounded by a ricocheted bullet. In the meanwhile Captain Isfandyar was pleading Brigadier Inayat to let him participate in action. Finally Brigadier Inayat relented and sent Isfandyar in an armoured vehicle to identify the location of terrorists within the base by drawing fire towards himself.

Captain Isfandyar quickly located the terrorists and reported back with a plan. He suggested to use armoured vehicles from the front in order to divert the terrorists' attention towards the vehicles and he, himself would attack with a handful of volunteers from behind and wipe the terrorists off. The Brigadier gave permission reluctantly because to accomplish the plan Isfandyar would have to move in the open without any cover but Isfandyar persisted and finally the Brigadier relented.

Captain Isfandyar executed the plan to perfection and killed 4 terrorists himself in the process. As the firing subsided Captain Isfandyar spotted a suspicious shadow inside a room. He said to his men "I think there is a terrorist lurking in there. You throw the door open and I will deal with him". His men told him not to attempt this foray and volunteered themselves but he didn't relent. Captain Isfandyar entered the room and a crossfire ensued during which the terrorist was killed whereas Captain Isfandyar was brought out by his comrades grievously wounded. After 5–6 minutes Captain Isfandyar embraced eternal life through martyrdom.

Captain Isfandyar's funeral was held the next day in his hometown of Attock. It was attended by thousands of people who thronged to pay their respects. Captain Isfandyar's funeral procession was characterized by many as the largest ever in the history of Attock. He was buried in a piece of land belonging to himself on the outskirts of Attock City.

Following Captain Isfandyar's death, public squares in Faisalabad and Attock were named after him. A roadway in Karachi is also named after him. On 11 June 2016, the District Headquarters Hospital Attock (in which Isfandyar Shaheed was born) was renamed Isfandyar Bokhari District Hospital Attock. He was awarded the Tamgha i Juart by the Pakistan Government but his parents refused the award citing that Shahadat in the path of Allah was the only award worthy of their son's sacrifice.

Captain Isfandyar Shaheed’s great grandfather Syed Sahab Shah commanded a force of 400 men from Attock district during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British and was martyred at Delhi while fighting bravely against the British troops.