Raja Aziz Bhatti

Early life and education

Raja Aziz Bhatti was born in British Hong Kong on 6 August 1928 into a Punjabi Rajput (Bhatti clan) family with roots in Punjab. His family hailed from a small village about 23 miles away from the Gujrat city (now in Pakistan) of Punjab in British India, who had immigrated to British Hong Kong after his father and two uncles were employed in the Hong Kong Police Force.

After served in the Pakistan Air Force as an enlisted man, Bhatti left the air force as a corporal in a favor of transferring to the Army, gaining officer's commission in the Pakistan Army. He was commissioned as the 2nd-Lt. in the 4th battalion of the 16th Punjab Regiment (4/16th Punjab Regiment).

Official engagement with the Indian Army took place between 7–10 September when the Indian Army begin its push in an attempt to capture the Burki sector through artillery and armory with a view to enter Lahore. During Indian Army's efforts to capture the Burki sector through the BRB Canal, the outnumbered military companies under Major Bhatti had forced the Indian Army to engage in hand-to-hand combat during the night of the 7/8 September 1965, and the fighting continued for the next three days despite Indian Army having numerical advantage. It is unclear why the Pakistan Army did not send the reinforcement teams to provide back up to Maj. Bhatti's teams and the questionnaire-based controversy was later generated on why Maj. Bhatti and his teams were left alone to fight bravely for a long time. Maj. Bhatti moved towards building up the trenches and positioned himself towards forward observation to view enemy movements, where he would often stand for a better view to direct howitzer fire.

Bhatti was killed on 12 September 1965. and was killed by shellfire. In 1966, the federal government accepted the recommendations and announced to posthumously award the Nishan-e-Haider for his gallantry and actions of valor during the defense of the Burki.

Later the federal government funded to build the marble tombstone at his ancestral home in 1967 at his locality. In 1968, a paintings exhibition was inaugurated in Lahore, Punjab in Pakistan depicting Pakistan's war heroes including the first sketched portrait of Maj. Aziz Bhatti. In 1997, he was the subject of a popular and critically acclaimed biographical war drama telefilm, Major Raja Aziz Bhatti, produced by the ISPR and directed by Salim Tahir of the PTV.

It was reported in media that former Pakistan Army's General, Raheel Sharif who was the former Chief of Army Staff and Major Shabbir Sharif, another recipient of Nishan-e-Haider of Pakistan Army, are the nephews of Major Raja Aziz Bhatti.

His grandson Babar Bhatti, a Canada-based businessman, is married to the famous supermodel-turned-actress Iman Ali.

In 2019, his younger brother Sardar Bhatti wrote a book about him, Aziz Bhatti Shaheed My Brother, My Hero, published by Daastan Publishers.

Awards and decorations

Nishan-e-Haider (Emblem of the Lion)

1965 War

PosthumouslySitara-e-Harb 1965 War (War Star 1965)

PosthumouslyTamgha-e-Jang 1965 War (War Medal 1965)

PosthumouslyPakistan Tamgha (Pakistan Medal)

1947Tamgha-e-Jamhuria (Republic Commemoration Medal)

1956