What's this Pakistani Pm wearing?

[Ulsterman]

Saw this in Time magazine this week. How did the PM get all these? What are his ribbons? Is he a war hero?

[Ed_Haynes]

War Hero? As a general who overthrew the previous civilian government to take over . . . . If I answered this question, I'd be taken away to j . . . .

1- Nishan-i-Imtiaz (military)

2- Hilal-i-Imtiaz (military) / Sitara-i-Basalat / Sitara-i-Herb 1965 / Sitara-i-Herb 1971

3- Tamgha-i-Jang 1965 (with a MiD, apparently - have not seen him wearing this before) / Tamgha-i-Jang 1971 / Badr Medal / Ten-Year Long Service Medal

4- Twenty-Year Service Medal / Thrty-Year Service Medal / Forty-Year Service Medal / Tamgah-i-Sad Saala Jashan-i-Wiladat Quaid-i-Azam

5- Hijri 1400 Medal / Democracy Medal / Pakistan Resolution Day Golden Jubilee Medal / Pakistan Independence Day Golden Jubilee Medal

References:

http://faculty.winthrop.edu/haynese/medals...n/pakistan.html

http://www.medals.org.uk/pakistan/pakistan.htm

http://www.omsa.org/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=581

http://www.medals.lava.pl/pk/pk1.htm

[Dave Danner]

War Hero? As a general who overthrew the previous civilian government to take over . . . . If I answered this question, I'd be taken away to j . . . .

His actions in the political arena are irrelevant to the question of whether he was a "war hero". Herrmann Goering was pretty indisputably a "war hero", but that is only one facet of the whole person.

Ed listed the awards, none of which (except maybe the MID) would lead to a characterization as a war hero, though medals don't always tell that story accurately.

What Musharraf was, before the coup, was a career military officer who had commanded among other units Pakistan's most elite unit, the Special Service Group (the SSG wings are on the right breast). As a long-serving officer and veteran of most of Pakistan's conflicts, naturally he has a lot of fruit salad.

Here, by the way, is a picture with the full-sized medals:

[Ed_Haynes]

In the entirely apolitical interest of current events, bumping this thread.

See also: http://sagongs.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1884

Edited November 4, 2007 by Ed_Haynes

[Megan]

Possibly the last chance to see Musharraf in uniform - the parade at which he handed over command of the army.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7116610.stm