Capt PM Hashim

Captain Pudiyapura Mohammad Hashim hailed from Kasargod district of Kerala.  He was inclined to serve in the Army since his younger days and continued to follow his dream while growing up. Eventually he joined the Army and was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery, a combat arm of Indian Army well known for its booming field guns and other heavy weaponry.  As a young second lieutenant, he joined his unit and soon got involved in various field operations. As the war clouds gathered on the horizon in early 1965, Capt Hashim's unit got deployed on the western border and he got the opportunity to take part in active operations in very early part of his career. 

Battle of Asal Uttar (Indo-Pak War) : 06-07 Sep 1965

During Sep 1965, Capt PM Hashim was serving with 92 Mountain Regiment, which was deployed in Khem Karan Sector of Punjab under the operational control of 4 Inf Div. The 92 Mtn Regt was raised on 23 March 1963 at  Ambala as 92 Mountain Composite Regiment with Lieutenant Colonel Sukhwant Singh as its first commanding officer and was equipped with howitzers. The epic battle of Asal Uttar was fought in Khem Karan Sector of Punjab between 6- 10 September 1965. The Battle of Asal Uttar was fought by 4 Mountain Division along with the troops of  7 Mountain Brigade, comprising three battalions of 4 Grenadiers, 7 Grenadiers, and 1/9 Gorkha Rifles. The other elements of 4 Mtn Div included 62 Mountain Brigade comprising 18 Rajputana Rifles, 9 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and 13 Dogra,  Deccan Horse equipped with Sherman tanks, one  Artillery Brigade and other supporting troops. The 4 Mtn Div was strong in artillery having four mountain regiments, one medium regiment, one field regiment Self Propelled, one light regiment (heavy mortars) and two composite regiments including Capt PM Hashim's 92 Mtn Regt.

4 Mtn Div planned to undertake its operation in two phases. In Phase I, 62 Mountain Brigade with an additional infantry battalion from 7 Infantry Division (1/9 Gorkha Rifles) was to capture territory up to the East Bank of the Ichogil canal and destroy bridges on the Ichogil canal. The additional battalion was primarily placed for the destruction of the bridges. In Phase II, 7 Mountain Brigade, with one squadron of Deccan Horse was to secure east of Ichogil canal from Ballanwala to the bridges north of The Pannu. 4 Mountain Division commenced its operations at 0500 hours on September 6. 62 Mountain Brigade captured its initial objectives. 13 Dogra too captured its objective against moderate opposition by 1100 hours. 9 JAK Rif also succeeded in taking the bundh on Rohi Nala. A company of 18 Raj Rif occupied the Shejra Bulge to ensure security of Khem Karan. As per the Divisional plan, Phase 2 was launched at 0800 hours on September 6. Capt PM Hashim and his fellow gunners provided the required support to the infantry units during the operations. The enemy was surprised by the Indian offensive but regained balance and counter attacked the positions captured by the Indians.

• A road leading to Kasargod railway station in Kerala has been named after Capt PM Hashim in his honour.
• A memorial was inaugurated in Capt PM Hashim's native town of Kasragod at Pilikunnu on December 31, 2022 in his memory.