Ex-Pakistan soldier who helped liberate Bangladesh gets Padma Shri. Here's his story

Among those awarded Padma awards this week by President Ram Nath Kovind was a former Pakistani soldier. Surprised? Here is his story.

Lt Colonel Qazi Sajjad Ali Zahir, a former Pakistani soldier, risked his life by crossing over to India and helping liberate Bangladesh in the 1971 war.

Lt Colonel Zahir largely remained under the radar till now owing to the confidential nature of military business.

But he was thrown into the spotlight this week as he stepped onto the podium to receive the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian honours of the country.

As a 20-year-old officer posted in Sialkot, Lt Col Zahir crossed over to India at the height of the Pakistani army's atrocities and human rights violations in Bangladesh.

He was grilled by Indian officers for many days who initially suspected him to be a Pakistani spy. However, after Lt Col Zahir showed confidential documents of the Pakistani Army, he was sent to a safe house in Delhi.

Lt Col Zahir later moved to Bangladesh, where he trained the Mukti Bahini in guerilla warfare to take on Pakistani forces.

The former Pakistan soldiers says there's a death sentence pending in his name in Pakistan for the past 50 years.

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In Bangladesh, however, Lt Col Zahir is a hero. He has been honoured with gallantry medals such as the Bir Protik and the country's highest civilian honour, the Swadhinata Padak.

Now India, too, has recognised his contributions to the military history of the subcontinent and conferred on him the Padma Shri.

The honours comes as India and Bangladesh are celebrating 50 years of the country's liberation.