The leadership of the Pakistan armed forces paid tribute to Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed for his “unmatched courage, unwavering devotion, and supreme sacrifice” on the 27th anniversary of his martyrdom, the military’s media wing said on Sunday.

Khan was martyred on July 5, 1999, while fighting against Indian forces in the snow-capped mountains in Kargil.

The Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) said that Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, and Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu and the armed forces of Pakistan paid “profound tribute” to Khan to his “unmatched courage, unwavering devotion, and supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation”.

Khan had displayed “extraordinary gallantry and resolute leadership while defending the motherland against overwhelming odds” during the 1999 Kargil conflict, the ISPR statement said.

“Leading from the front with exceptional determination, he embraced martyrdom in the finest traditions of the Pakistan Army, leaving behind a legacy of honour, valour, and selfless service,” it added.

ISPR said that Khan’s sacrifice had continued to inspire generations of Pakistanis. It added that his sacrifice remained a “timeless beacon of courage, patriotism, and steadfast commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan”.

“The people and Armed Forces of Pakistan reaffirm their enduring resolve to uphold the ideals for which Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed laid down his life, ensuring that his legacy will forever endure in the nation’s history.”

‘Hero of Kargil’ remembered in Swabi

The 27th martyrdom anniversary of Khan was also observed in Swabi on Sunday with glowing tributes paid to him by locals.

People from all walks of life visited his tomb at Karnal Sher Khan village and prayed for the departed soul.

A ceremony of the Pakistan Army was held at Khan’s mausoleum, with Inspector General Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North Major General Rao Imran Sarta as a special guest.

A contingent of the Pakistan Army, which had arrived at the mausoleum a day earlier, saluted the martyr on the occasion, and the special guest laid a floral wreath at Khan’s tomb.

Khan, who was born in Faujoon Abad on January 1, 1970, first joined the Pakistan Air Force and later the Pakistan Army as a commissioned officer, posted at the Kargil sector.

He fought valiantly at an altitude of 17,000 feet in the Gultary sector along the Line of Control, inflicting losses on Indian forces until his final breath.

Numan Sher, Khan’s nephew, recalled that he remembers the day they came to know about the martyrdom of his uncle. He said that his grandfather — Khan’s father, late Khurshid Khan — always said: “I feel very happy and proud that I am the father of a martyred soldier. We are ready to give more sacrifices for our beloved country.”

Sher recalled a visit by the Khan’s friend, Major (retd) Sardar Ejaz Ahmad Sandhu, who remembered that before leaving for duty in Kargil, Khan had told his companions that he would return with a Pakistani flag draped around his body.