Haroon Islam
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Colonel
Haroon Islam was a colonel in the Pakistan Army
's Special Service Group (also known as Black Storks) who was killed during Operation Silence. He was a commanding officer
of the Operation Silence while commanding the 7th Commando Battalion. He was killed in a fierce fighting which took place inside the Red Mosque Complex while leading a small team of SSG members. The joint team of Special Services Group
and Army Rangers successfully took over the complex. On March 23, 2008, he was posthumously awarded the second high civilian award, Hilal-e-Shujaat (Crescent of Bravery) by the President of Pakistan
officer who had also participated in Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
. His younger brother is an inspector
in FIA
while another brother, Major
Ehtisham-ul-Islam, is an active Army Officer. He joined and gained commission in the 3rd Battalion of the Sindh Regiment
of Pakistan Army
in 1988. He is a graduate of Command and Staff College, Quetta
in 1993 and joined Pakistan Army's elite special forces
branch SSG (Special Service Group) in 1993. He had a successful military career and according to some military sources a soldier of his calibre was bound to be a General
. In 1998, his unit was deployed in Kargil
, and had participated in Kargil War
where he had led successful military operations.
In recognition of his services, he was awarded Chief of Army Staff Commendation Medal
. During his career with the SSG, he commanded the elite Zarrar Company (The anti-terrorist unit of the SSG).
assigned this task to 7th Commando Zarrar Battalion of SSG led by Lt. Col. Haroon Islam and the Army Rangers's Anti-Terrorist Company (ATC) led by Major
Tariq Anees. The operation, codename: Operation Silence, was launched in July 3, 2007 and the commanding officer of the mission Lt.Col.
Haroon Islam was killed on the midnight of 8 July 2007 two days after having been hit by small arms fire while commanding the raid on Lal Masjid in Islamabad
. The Second-in-Command Army Ranger's Major Tariq Anees was also seriously wounded. Reports indicate that he was hit while planting explosives on the outer perimeter wall of the complex. The shooter was Muhammad Maqsood, guard of Maulana
Abdul Rashid Ghazi
. He was killed in the retaliatory fire by the security forces.
entangled with another. He not only survived the accident but became fit enough to rejoin the SSG. He was also a graduate of the prestigious Command and Staff College
, Quetta
. Because of his meritorious services, he had been awarded Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card.
Shaukat Aziz
and the federal cabinet, a two member delegation consisting of Additional Secretary (Cabinet Division) Saeed Ahmad Khan and Joint Secretary (Cabinet Committee) Muhammad Zahid Khan visited the widow of Colonel Haroon Islam. On July 08, 2007, President
and Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf, Vice Chief of Army Staff General Ahsan Saleem Hyat
and a large number of other senior civil and military officers and relatives of the martyred officer had attended the Namaz-e-Janaza held at Chaklala, Pakistan. The Pakistan Army presented Guard of honour
to Shaheed Lieutenant Colonel Haroon-ul-Islam. Later, his body was sent to Lahore for burial. He is buried in Military cemetery graveyard, Lahore.
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Haroon Islam was a colonel in the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
's Special Service Group (also known as Black Storks) who was killed during Operation Silence. He was a commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the Operation Silence while commanding the 7th Commando Battalion. He was killed in a fierce fighting which took place inside the Red Mosque Complex while leading a small team of SSG members. The joint team of Special Services Group
Special Services Group
The Special Service Group , also known as Black Storks, because of their distinctive headgear, the unit is also known as Maroon Beret, are a special operations military unit of the Pakistan Army mandated with fourteen primary and special missions: Asymmetric warfare,Anti piracy,Special...
and Army Rangers successfully took over the complex. On March 23, 2008, he was posthumously awarded the second high civilian award, Hilal-e-Shujaat (Crescent of Bravery) by the President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
Biography
Haroon was born into a military family. His father himself was a SSGNSpecial Service Group Navy
The Special Service Group Navy, codename SSG, are the Pakistan Navy's elite principal special operations naval force component. Together with the PAF 312th SS Wing, Special Service Group, Pakistan Marines, and Rangers, they form Pakistan Special Operations Command under the joint administrative...
officer who had also participated in Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
. His younger brother is an inspector
Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
in FIA
Federal Investigation Agency
The Federal Investigation Agency is an agency of Pakistan, under the Ministry of Interior, that serves as a federal criminal investigative body with one of the Directorate dealing as Pakistani body of Interpol. It has a wide role in anti-terrorism, anti-fascism, anti-corruption, human smuggling...
while another brother, Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Ehtisham-ul-Islam, is an active Army Officer. He joined and gained commission in the 3rd Battalion of the Sindh Regiment
Sindh Regiment
The Sind Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army established on 1 July 1980. Prior to this date there had been no regiment in the Pakistan Army specifically intended to recruit primarily from the Sindhi population. It was created by the transfer of eleven battalions of The Punjab...
of Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
in 1988. He is a graduate of Command and Staff College, Quetta
Command and Staff College
The Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, British Raj, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta...
in 1993 and joined Pakistan Army's elite special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
branch SSG (Special Service Group) in 1993. He had a successful military career and according to some military sources a soldier of his calibre was bound to be a General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
. In 1998, his unit was deployed in Kargil
Kargil
' :* Kargil district, in Ladakh, Indian-administered Kashmir* Kargil town, the chief town of the district* Kargil War, a 1999 armed conflict between India and Pakistan in the Kargil district...
, and had participated in Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
where he had led successful military operations.
In recognition of his services, he was awarded Chief of Army Staff Commendation Medal
Awards and decorations of the Pakistan military
The awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces recognize a service member's service and personal accomplishments while a member of the Pakistan armed forces...
. During his career with the SSG, he commanded the elite Zarrar Company (The anti-terrorist unit of the SSG).
Operation Silence
In 2007, the conflict between Lal Masjid and the Government of Pakistan deepened, and the Government of Pakistan decided to launch a military operation against the Islamic exteremists and taliban terrorists. In July 2007, one of SSG battalion was assigned to a mission to capture and take absolute control of Red Mosque from Islamic extremists and taliban militants. To achieve this task, the Pakistan ArmyPakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
assigned this task to 7th Commando Zarrar Battalion of SSG led by Lt. Col. Haroon Islam and the Army Rangers's Anti-Terrorist Company (ATC) led by Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Tariq Anees. The operation, codename: Operation Silence, was launched in July 3, 2007 and the commanding officer of the mission Lt.Col.
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Haroon Islam was killed on the midnight of 8 July 2007 two days after having been hit by small arms fire while commanding the raid on Lal Masjid in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
. The Second-in-Command Army Ranger's Major Tariq Anees was also seriously wounded. Reports indicate that he was hit while planting explosives on the outer perimeter wall of the complex. The shooter was Muhammad Maqsood, guard of Maulana
Maulana
Mawlānā is an Arabic word literally meaning "our lord" or "our master" ....
Abdul Rashid Ghazi
Abdul Rashid Ghazi
Abdul Rashid Ghazi was an Islamist Pakistani cleric; son of Maulana Muhammad Abdullah, and younger brother of Abdul Aziz Ghazi. He was descended from the Sadwani clan of Mazari tribe in the town of Rojhan in Rajanpur, the border district of Punjab province of Pakistan.Abdul Rashid Ghazi was killed...
. He was killed in the retaliatory fire by the security forces.
Free fall accident
Previously in his life, he survived a potentially fatal free fall accident when his parachuteParachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
entangled with another. He not only survived the accident but became fit enough to rejoin the SSG. He was also a graduate of the prestigious Command and Staff College
Command and Staff College
The Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, British Raj, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta...
, Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
. Because of his meritorious services, he had been awarded Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card.
In mourning
His death has left a deep legacy in Special Serive Group. While he gained a respected place in SSG Division, on behalf of Prime ministerPrime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Shaukat Aziz
Shaukat Aziz
Shaukat Aziz is a world acclaimed Pakistani economist who was the 15th Prime Minister of Pakistan from May 20, 2004 to 15 November 2007 in a joint military government led by General Pervez Musharraf. A Citibank executive, Aziz returned to Pakistan from the United States to be became Finance...
and the federal cabinet, a two member delegation consisting of Additional Secretary (Cabinet Division) Saeed Ahmad Khan and Joint Secretary (Cabinet Committee) Muhammad Zahid Khan visited the widow of Colonel Haroon Islam. On July 08, 2007, President
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
and Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf, Vice Chief of Army Staff General Ahsan Saleem Hyat
Ahsan Saleem Hayat
General Ahsan Saleem Hyat is a retired Pakistan Army senior four-star general who was the Vice Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army from 2004 to 2007. He was replaced by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on October 8, 2007.-Army career:He attended PAF Public School, Sargodha...
and a large number of other senior civil and military officers and relatives of the martyred officer had attended the Namaz-e-Janaza held at Chaklala, Pakistan. The Pakistan Army presented Guard of honour
Guard of honour
A guard of honour is a ceremonial event practice in military and sports as a mark of respect.-Military:In the military a guard of honour is a ceremonial practice to honour visiting foreign dignitaries, or the fallen in war, or a ceremony for public figures who have died.The commander is three paces...
to Shaheed Lieutenant Colonel Haroon-ul-Islam. Later, his body was sent to Lahore for burial. He is buried in Military cemetery graveyard, Lahore.
External links
- Lahore Metroblogs eulogy
- Pakistan think tank eulogy