Writer: Brigadier Dr Tughral Yamin, Retired

Brigadier Tariq Mahmud (TM) is revered as an icon of courage in the Pakistan Army. Known by his acronym among the rank and file, TM served most of his active service in the special forces and was always involved in one high profile operation or the other. At the time of his untimely death on 29 May 1989, he was just fifty years old. His passing away was widely mourned and the legend of TM became synonymous with a devil-may-care attitude and pluck. He was one of the most decorated officers of his time. He was twice decorated with Sitara i Jurat (star of courage), Sitara-e-Basalat and Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military). He was posthumously awarded Hilal-e-Shujaat. TM Square at the entrance of the GHQ at the junction of Peshawar Road and Murree Road, and a monument in Gujranwala cantonment, are testimonies to the high regard he is held in, in Pakistan.

TM was born at Multan on the 18th October 1938 to Akhter Bano (Bi Jaan) and Syed Habib ul Hassan. Syed Habib was recruited into the Punjab Police as an assistant sub inspector in 1930, and rose through the ranks to retire as a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) in 1967. As an inspector in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Syed Habib earned the ire of General Gracey, the British C-in-C of Pakistan Army, for keeping tabs on certain British officers involved in anti-state activities. Gracey wrote to the prime minister in June 1948 asking him to remove Syed Habib from the CID. To his credit Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan ignored the C-in-C’s request and Syed Habib continued to work for the CID till his retirement.

Syed Habib and his wife had a large brood of nine children – six sons and three daughters. TM was the third in order of seniority. The eldest brother Syed Masud ul Hasan retired as a brigadier, late Dr Aziz Mahmood Zaidi was the Principal of Gordon College, and Khalid Mahmud Zaidi was the first head of the morning production of PTV. TM attended schools in Sargodha, Pindi Gheb and Rawalpindi. He sat his middle school and matriculation examinations from Muslim High School and Dapper High School in Rawalpindi. He completed his intermediate education from Gordon College Rawalpindi in 1956. TM then joined the famous Government College (GC) Lahore. At GC, he was member of the College cricket team captained by Javed Burki. After graduation from GC in 1959, TM went to Peshawar to study law at the University of Peshawar.

Around the same time, he was selected for the Army and joined Pakistan Military Academy (PMA). PA* 6311 Second Lieutenant TM was commissioned into 2 Baluch (now Baloch) Regiment in 1960. In 1963, with barely two years of service, he opted to join the special forces – the Special Services Group (SSG). After completing his basic commando training, he was posted to Shaheen Company of the 1st Commando Battalion (Yaldram).

TM soon became a byword for courage, and professionalism not only in the SSG, but in the Army in general. He had hundreds of jumps to his credit, and earned a reputation for his daredevil freefalls. There was never a dull moment in the life of TM. He was increasingly called in the service of the nation on exceedingly difficult missions. He operated behind the enemy lines inside occupied Kashmir in 1965 and was deployed over the entire length and breadth of the country from Siachen to Baluchistan (now Balochistan) (counter insurgency) and Sind (anti dacoit) operations; and in East Pakistan during the civil war 1971. There are references of him operating in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion, and he was involved in at least two anti-hijacking operations. He also trained the Sri Lankan, the British SAS (Special Air Service) and US special forces. Brigadier TM became a personal favourite of General Ziaul Haq, who took him to India as part of his famous cricket diplomacy.

He became the commanding officer (CO) of 3 Commando battalion (Powindahs), while still a major. He remained in command for eight years, even after he became a colonel. To honour his memory, the powindahs call their battalion ‘TM’s own’.4 Due to the secret nature of his missions, many of his exploits remain shrouded in layers of official secrecy. Some of his well-known actions have been penned down in this article. In 1965 TM was selected for a skydiving course in the US. He declined because his heart was set on the covert infiltration mission into occupied Kashmir codenamed OPERATION GIBRALTAR. TM and his fellow

SSG soldiers were made part of the Tariq Force that infiltrated in the extreme north and carried out operations in general area Dras cantonment. Teams number 3 and 4 with Captain Tariq Rafi as the overall commander, and TM as one of the team leaders, were tasked to strike Dras cantonment.5 The parties were armed with rifles, two MGs, one 2-inch mortar and a 3.5-inch rocket launcher (RL). After having infiltrated across heights of 17,000 to 18,000 feet between 15 and 16 August 1965, the raiders were able to destroy the target. TM was awarded his first Sitara-i-Juraat (SJ) for his acts of bravery during the Indo-Pak war of 1965.

TM was promoted to the rank of major in 1970, and was made the officer commanding (OC) of the Parachute Training School (PTS) in Peshawar. In 1971, he volunteered to go to East Pakistan to participate in operations against the Mukti Bahini rebels. One of his major raids included the securing of the strategically sensitive Bhairab Bazar bridge over the River Meghna. The bridge is one of the oldest bridges in the area and was built in 1936 during the reign of King George VI. During the civil war the bridge had been occupied by hostile forces and defended by Indian Gurkha troops and the renegade elements of the East Pakistan Rifles (EPR). Around 6 a.m. on the morning of 15th of April 1971, elements of Shaheen and Jungju companies of SSG, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Shakur Jan, were ferried on MI 8 helicopters and landed near the Bhairab Bazar bridge. The landing zone (LZ) was a mile away from the target area. Shaheen Company being commanded by Captain Shoukat, and Jungju Company by Major TM, stealthily moved and reached the bridge within 45 minutes and secured it before the enemy could trigger the controlled demolitions. Displaying great presence of mind and lightening action, TM subdued and killed the man who was fumbling with his last matchstick to light the fuze. Two hundred rebels were killed in the encounter, four were made prisoner and the vital bridge was opened for movement of friendly forces. Towards the end of the 1971 War, at 11:30 am on 11 December, Pakistani troops blew up part of the Meghna Bridge towards Bhairab with dynamite to slow down the Indian advance.

From 1973 to 1979, 3 Commando Battalion (Powindahs) was deployed in counter insurgency operations in Baluchistan under the command of TM. The insurgency in Baluchistan had been created due to political mishandling of the situation. The Marri and Mengal tribes of Baluchistan, under their tribal sardars, had taken up arms and had gone to the mountains to wage war against the government. The counter insurgency operations were extremely difficult and fraught with danger. The rebels knew their area well, were loyal to their tribal chiefs, and were well provided for by their foreign sponsors. It needed extreme dedication and energy to respond to the developing situations day in and day out, against ruthless fighters, who had no mercy or qualms to kill and destroy. The weather was also an element that took a toll on the energy and efficiency of the troops. Nonetheless the Powindahs gave a very good account of themselves. They were pulled out after General Ziaul Haq took over, and announced a general amnesty for the Baluch guerillas.

TM was personally involved in two anti hijacking operations in the 1980s. As always, he led from the front. On 29 September 1981, an Indian Airlines Boeing 737 on a domestic f light, was hijacked and made to land in Lahore. The hijackers were Sikhs demanding Khalistan. Colonel TM, wearing a mechanic’s uniform, was able to win the trust of the hijackers and made an entry into the aircraft. Once inside, he and his team made short work of the hijackers, and freed the passengers.

Five years later, on 5 September 1986, Pan Am flight 73 from Bombay to New York was hijacked, as it made a scheduled stopover at Karachi. The hijackers were four armed Palestinian men belonging to the Abu Nidal Organisation (a Palestinian liberation organisation). There were 360 passengers on board. The passengers included those from the US, Pakistan, India and Mexico. For seventeen hours, the hijackers negotiated for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. As night fell their patience ran out and they opened f ire on the passengers at 21:30 Pakistan Standard Time (PST). In the ensuing melee Brigadier TM, leading Zarar Company, successfully stormed the aircraft and rescued most of the passengers. Some of them were killed and wounded. The SSG team was able to help the passengers flee through the emergency exits. All the hijackers were arrested. The SSG commando unit was headed by Brigadier TM, and the Shaheen Company of the SSG’s 1st Commando Battalion carried out the operation.

In 1987–88, TM commanded the special forces operations in the riverine kutcha areas of Sindh. This heavily forested area had become the hiding place for dacoits. Operations in the area were very difficult because the criminals knew the area like the back of their hands, and could disappear without a trace. Support from the locals was not forthcoming because they risked the wrath of the notorious highwaymen. Nonetheless, the SSG troops under Brigadier TM gave good account of themselves and were able to clear large swathes inhabited by the malcontents.

Brigadier TM had a high profile and was visible not only leading the SSG troops in the 23rd March parade, but also while making freefall demonstrations at public events. It was during the passing out ceremony of the aviation pilots in Aviation School Rahwali on 29 May 1989, that his parachute malfunctioned, and he fell to his death. TM had jumped ahead of his team from a Mi17 helicopter, in what was to be a routine show jump. As the audience, including his family watched aghast, his chute did not billow and fill with air, and his fall could not be broken. That fateful day, the indomitable TM, who had always defied enemy bullets, returned to his maker. Sabotage was ruled out. According to investigations, when his first parachute did not open, he got badly entangled in its ropes. He desperately tried to cut the ropes with his dagger, and tried to open the backup parachute. Both his back up and main parachutes opened but the distance from the ground wasn’t enough for these to deploy properly. So came to an end the life of a brave soldier. He died with his boots on.7 His death was widely mourned and the Army Chief General Mirza Aslam Baig publicly expressed his grief.

TM was a man of many qualities. He was always cheerful and full of good humour. Fear was unknown to him. He was a soldier’s soldier, and was loved and adored by his men. He was always present when they needed him, and they were forever ready to lay down their lives on his orders. TM was also a devoted husband and an affectionate father. He married Iffat Gondal in Quetta on the 7th of October 1976. The couple were blessed with two children. He named his eldest offspring Sherbano (born 1977) on the suggestion of his driver. Haider (born 1978) is a successful telecommunication engineer. Both of TM’s children have children of their own.

Editor’s Note

The author interviewed the family of Brigadier TM for collection of data for this article.