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Pakistani Army officer and War Hero

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Brigadier Abdul Qayum Sher HJ

Born	(1919-05-15)15 May 1919 Jangal Khel, Kohat, NWFP, British India (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)
Died	26 August 2013(2013-08-26) (aged 94) Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Allegiance	British India (1940-47) Pakistan (1947-68)
Service / branch	British Indian Army Pakistan Army
Years of service	1940–68
Rank	Brigadier
Service number	PA-332
Unit	Baluch Regiment
Commands	11 Baluch Guides Infantry, 22 Brigade
Battles / wars	World War II Burma Campaign Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Awards	Hilal-e-Jurat
Spouse(s)	Amita Sher

Brigadier Abdul Qayum Sher HJ (15 May 1919 – 26 August 2013) was an officer of the Pakistani Army and a War Hero of the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War.

Early life and education

Abdul Qayum Sher was born into the prominent Shinwari tribe of Pashtuns, in Jungle Khel Kohat in the then North West Frontier Province. His father Khan Mohammed Azam Khan was an engineer with the Indian Civil Service, who became Permanent Secretary in the Department of Public Works after the Partition of India and who remained Chairman WAPDA East Pakistan.

As a child, Abdul Qayum Sher was sent first to Switzerland and then on to Durham in England, where he attended Durham School (1935–38) and then Durham College. He participated in sports and was active in the rowing and rugby teams at school level.

Military career

Abdul Qayum Sher was on a visit to India at the outbreak of World War II, and enrolled into the British Indian Army, attending the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun. He served with distinction in the Burma campaign during the war.

At partition he chose to live in Pakistan, and participated in the capture of Pandu, Kashmir, during hostilities in 1948 with India. He commanded various battalions including his parent 11 Baluch Regiment. He attended the Pakistan Command and Staff College in Quetta and in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was Brigade Commander 22 Brigade on the Lahore front. He led the counterattack force which repelled the Indian attack on Lahore, and captured Indian General N. Prasad's command headquarters (15th Indian Division), leading the attack with his Brigadier insignia and flag on his command jeep. He was awarded the Hilal-i-Jurat for outstanding bravery.

Personal life

In 1945, Abdul Qayum Sher met and married his wife Amita, who was a teacher in Lahore, and later became a social worker and author. They had five children, three of whom are still alive.

After retirement he volunteered for the Pakistan Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PSRD), and worked there until weeks before his death in 2013.