Shaheed Mahboob Ali not yet given a gallantry award, says family

Chief Petty officer (CPO) of Pakistan Navy Shaheed Mahboob Ali has not yet been given a posthumous gallantry award after passing of 70 years.

He was martyred in Batala, India in a naval action on October 3, 1947. He demonstrated the highest degrees of bravery, valour and call to duty when a barrage of gunfire targetted Pakistan’s convoys, according to his family.

Ali’s bravery was duly acknowledged by the Pakistan Navy, which placed a plaque of his name in Pakistan Maritime Museum Karachi and declared him a national hero. The PN admitted that his body was not picked up due to gunfire.

Ali’s brother Alhaj Basheer Ali said his late brother saved the lives of 30 comrades, his commanding officer and thousands of Muslim refugees at the cost of his own life.

Eighteen living heirs of Ali sent 500 appeals to the country’s top military and civil leadership for granting him a gallantry award, but failed to get a positive response.

They hoped that the unprecedented sacrifice will be recognised soon by the authorities concerned.