Nishan e Haider

Nishan-e-Haider is Pakistan's highest military gallantry award. "Nishan-e-Haider" literally means "Mark of the Lion" in the Urdu language. The word "Haider" is also the epithet of Hazrat Ali.

The Nishan-e-Haider can only be awarded to members of the Pakistan Armed Forces for the highest acts of extraordinary bravery in face of the enemy in air, land or sea. Although some consider it equivalent to the British Victoria Cross and the United States Medal of Honor, it is unique in that it has so far been awarded only posthumously. Its exclusivity can be gauged by the fact that, since Pakistan's independence in 1947, there have been only ten recipients.