Sepoy infantry during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against British rule.

A sepoy ( /ˈsiːpɔɪ/; Persian: سپاهی sipâhi meaning "soldier") was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.^[1]

Etymology and historical usage[link]

The term "sepoy" or "sipāhi" is derived from the Persian word "sipāh" meaning "infantry soldier" in the Mughal Empire. In the Ottoman Empire the term Sipahi was used to refer to elite cavalry troopers.^[2] In its most common application sepoy was the term used in the British Indian Army, and earlier in that of the British East India Company, for an infantry private (a cavalry trooper was a sowar).

The term sepoy came into use in the forces of the British East India Company in the eighteenth century, where it was one of many, such as peons, gentoos, mestees and topassess used for various categories of native soldiers. Initially it referred to Hindu or Muslim soldiers without regular uniform or discipline. It later generically referred to all native soldiers in the service of the European powers in India.^[2] Close to ninety-six percent of the British East India Company's army of 300,000 men were native to India and these sepoys played a crucial role in securing the subcontinent for the company.^[3]

Sepoys in the Mughal Empire[link]

A Mughal sepoy, under the command of Mirza Najaf Khan.

A Sipahi or a sepoy was an infantryman in both the Mughal Empire and the Sultanate of Mysore. Sepoy units were often armed with matchlocks.

Aurangzeb introduced battalions of of Mughal Sepoys armed with Matchlocks, Rockets, and even Grenades these troops were successfully deployed in siege warfare particularly during Siege warfare and during the Siege of Bidar, Siege of Bijapur and Siege of Golconda.

Sepoys in British service[link]

A painting showing a sowar (cavalry equivalent of sepoy), 6th Madras Light Cavalry of British India. Circa 1845.

Initially the British recruited sepoys from the local communities in the Madras and Bombay Presidencies, the emphasis being on recruits having adequate physique and being of sufficient caste. In the Bengal Army however, recruitment was only amongst high caste Brahman and Rajput communities, mainly of the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar regions. Recruitment was undertaken locally by battalions or regiments often from the same community, village and even family. The commanding officer of a battalion became a form of substitute for the village chief or gaon bura. He was the mai-baap or the "father and mother" of the sepoys making up the paltan ("unit"). There were many family and community ties amongst the troops and numerous instances where family members enlisted in the same battalion or regiment. The izzat ("honour") of the unit was represented by the regimental colours; the new sepoy having to swear an oath in front of them on enlistment. These colours were stored in honour in the quarter guard and frequently paraded before the men. They formed a rallying point in battle. The oath of fealty by the sepoy was given to the East India Company and included a pledge of faithfulness to the salt that one has eaten.^[2]

The salary of the sepoys employed by the East India Company, while not substantially greater than that paid by the rulers of Indian states, was usually paid regularly. Advances could be given and family allotments from pay due were permitted when the troops served abroad. There was a commisariat and regular rations were provided. Weapons, clothing and ammunition were provided centrally, in contrast to the soldiers of local kings whose pay was often in arrears. In addition local rulers usually expected their sepoys to arm themselves and to sustain themselves through plunder.^[2]

This combination of factors led to the development of a sense of shared honour and ethos amongst the well drilled and disciplined Indian soldiery who formed the key to the success of European feats of arms in India and abroad.^[2]

Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857 the surviving East India Company regiments were merged into a new Indian Army under the direct control of the British Crown. The designation of "sepoy" was retained for Indian soldiers below the rank of lance-naik, except in cavalry and rifle regiments where the equivalent ranks were sowar or "rifleman".

An early 20th century sepoy in the British Indian Army

Sepoys in French service[link]

Following the formation of the French East India Company (Compagnie des Indes) in 1719, companies of Indian sepoys (cipayes) were raised to augment the French regulars and Swiss mercenary troops available. By 1720 the sepoys in French service numbered about 10,000.^[4] Although much reduced in numbers after their decisive defeat in India at the Battle of Wandewash in 1760, Elmo continued to maintain a Military Corps of Indian Sepoys (corps militaire des cipayes de l'Inde) in Pondicherry (Puducherry) until it was disbanded and replaced by a locally recruited gendarmerie in 1898.^[5]

Sepoys in Portuguese service[link]

Sepoys were also recruited in Portuguese India. Some Portuguese sepoys were later sent to serve in other territories of the Portuguese Empire, especially those in Africa. The term "cipaio" (sepoy) was also applied by the Portuguese to African soldiers and African rural police officers.

Other usages[link]

The same Persian word reached English via another route in the form of spahi. Zipaio, the Basque version of the word, is used by leftist Basque nationalists as an insult for members of the Basque Police,^[6] implying that they are not a national police but servants of a foreign occupier.

See also[link]

• Indian Rebellion of 1857 (termed by some The Sepoy Mutiny)
• Jawan, the word used today to describe a soldier of the armies of India and Pakistan.

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sepoys

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[[ml:ശിപായി

Mangal Pandey (19 July 1827 – 8 April 1857) was a sepoy in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) regiment of the English East India Company. He is known for his involvement in the initial stages of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. While contemporary British reports considered him a traitor and mutineer, he is widely regarded as a freedom fighter in modern India. As such, in 1984 the Indian government issued a postage stamp to commemorate him. His life and actions have also been portrayed in several cinematic productions.

Early years[link]

Mangal Pandey was born on 19 July 1827 in the village Nagwa, of Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh of India to Bhumihar Brahmin family.^[1]

He joined the East India Company's forces in 1849 at the age of 22. Pandey was part of the 6th Company of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry and is primarily known for his involvement in an attack on several of the regiment's officers. This incident marked an opening stage in what came to be known as the Indian Mutiny of 1857 or, recently, as the First War of Indian Independence. In line with the modern Indian perspective of his historical role, it is now claimed^{[by whom?]} that Pandey was a devout Hindu who practiced his religion diligently.

The 1857 incident[link]

Photo of the Enfield Rifle, the pending adoption of which caused unrest in the Bengal Army in early 1857

At Barrackpore on the afternoon of March 29, 1857, Lieutenant Baugh, Adjutant of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry (BNI), was informed that several men of his regiment were in an excited state. Further, it was reported to him that one of them, Mangal Pandey, was pacing in front of the regiment's guard room by the parade ground, armed with a loaded musket, calling upon the men to rebel and threatening to shoot the first European he set his eyes on. Baugh immediately buckled on his sword, placed loaded pistols in his holsters, mounted his horse, and galloped to the lines. Pandey took position behind the station gun, which was in front of the quarter-guard of the 34th, took aim at Baugh and fired. He missed Baugh, but the bullet struck his horse in the flank, and horse and rider were brought down.^[2] Baugh quickly disentangled himself and, seizing one of his pistols, advanced towards Pandey and fired. He missed. Before Baugh could draw his sword, Pandey attacked him with a talwar (a heavy Indian sword) and closing with the adjutant, slashed him on the shoulder and neck and brought him to the ground. It was then that another sepoy, Shaikh Paltu, intervened and tried to restrain Pandey even as he tried to reload his musket.^[2]

English Sergeant-Major Hewson, had arrived on the ground, summoned by a native officer, before Baugh. He had ordered Jemadar Ishwari Prasad, the Indian officer in command of the quarter-guard, to arrest Mangal Pandey. To this, the jemadar expostulated that his NCOs had gone for help and that he could not take Pandey by himself.^[3] At this, Hewson ordered Ishwari Prasad to fall in his guard with loaded weapons. In the meantime, Baugh had arrived on the field shouting 'Where is he? Where is he?' Hewson called out to Baugh, 'Ride to the right, Sir, for your life. The sepoy will fire at you!'^[4] At that point Pandey fired.

Hewson had charged towards Pandey as he was fighting with Lieutenant Baugh. He then locked in combat with Pandey and was knocked to the ground from behind by a blow from Pandey's musket. The sound of the firing had brought other sepoys from the barracks; they remained mute spectators. At this juncture, Shaikh Paltu, while trying to defend the two Englishmen called upon the other sepoys to assist him.^[2] Assailed by other sepoys, who threw stones and shoes at his back, he called on the guard to help him hold Pandey, but they threatened to shoot him if he did not let go of Pandey.^[4]

Some of the sepoys of the quarter-guard then advanced and struck at the two prostrate officers. They then threatened Shaikh Paltu and ordered him to release Pandey, whom he had been vainly trying to hold back. However, Paltu continued to hold Pandey until Baugh and the sergeant-major had had time to get up.^[2] Himself wounded by now, Paltu was obliged to loosen his grip. He backed away in one direction and Baugh and Hewson in another, while being struck with the butt ends of the guards' muskets.

In the meantime, report of the incident had been carried to the commanding officer General Hearsey, who then galloped to the ground with his two sons. Taking in the scene, he rode up to the guard, drew his pistol and ordered them to do their duty by seizing Mangal Pandey. The General threatened to shoot the first man who disobeyed. The men of the guard fell in and followed Hearsey towards Pandey. Pandey then put the muzzle of the musket to his breast and discharged it by pressing the trigger with his foot. He collapsed bleeding and with his regimental jacket on fire but not mortally wounded.^[2][4]

Pandey recovered and was brought to trial less than a week later. When asked whether he had been under the influence of any substances, he admitted to having used bhang (cannabis) and opium of late.^[4] He pleaded to not knowing what he was doing when intoxicated. He stated steadfastly that he had mutinied on his own accord and that none had played any role in egging him on. When asked to defend himself, he said, "I did not know what I was doing. I did not know who I wounded and who I did not. What more shall I say? I have nothing more to say. I have no evidence".^[5] He was sentenced to death by hanging along with the jemadar after three Sikh members of the quarter-guard testified that the latter had ordered them not to arrest Pandey".^[6]

Mangal Pandey's execution was scheduled for April 18, but was carried out ten days before that date. Jemadar Ishwari Prasad was executed by hanging on April 21.^[2]

Aftermath[link]

A portrate showing 1857 Sepoy Mutiny

The 34th B.N.I. Regiment was disbanded "with disgrace" on May 6 as a collective punishment, after an investigation by the government, for failing to perform their duty in restraining a mutinous soldier and protecting their officer. This came after a period of six weeks while petitions for leniency were examined in Calcutta. Shaikh Paltu was promoted on the spot to the post of Havaldar (native sergeant) by General Hearsey, for his conduct during the incident.^[2]

The Indian historian Surendra Nath Sen notes that the 34th B.N.I. had a good recent record and that the Court of Enquiry had not found any evidence of a connection with unrest at Berhampur involving the 19th B.N.I. four weeks before (see below). However, Mangal Pandey's actions and the failure of the armed and on-duty sepoys of the quarter-guard to take action convinced the British military authorities that the whole regiment was unreliable. It appeared that Pandey had acted without first taking other sepoys into his confidence but that antipathy towards their British officers within the regiment had led most of those present to act as spectators rather than obey orders.^[7] Many Indian soldiers were inspired by Mangal Pandey. They overthrew their superiors and crowned Bahadur Shah Zafar king.

Motivation[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2011)

The primary motivation behind Mangal Pandey's behaviour is attributed to a new type of bullet cartridge used in the Enfield P-53 rifle which was to be introduced in the Bengal Army that year.

The cartridge was greased with animal fat, primarily from pigs and cows, which could not be consumed by Muslims and Hindus respectively (the former being abhorrent to Muslims and the latter a holy animal of the Hindus).^[8] The cartridges had to be bitten at one end before use.^[9] The Indian troops were of the opinion that this was an intentional act of the British, with the aim of defiling their religions.

Commandant Wheeler of the 34th BNI was known as a zealous Christian preacher, and this may also have impacted the Company's behaviour. The wife of Captain William Halliday of 56th BNI had the Bible printed in Urdu and Devanagari and distributed among the sepoys, thus raising suspicions amongst them that the British were intent on converting them to Christianity.^[10]

Also, the 19th and 34th Bengal Native Infantry were stationed at Lucknow during the time of annexation of Oudh because of alleged misgovernment by the Nawab, on February 7, 1856. The annexation had another implication for sepoys in the Bengal Army (a significant portion of whom came from that princely state). Before the annexation, these sepoys had the right to petition the British Resident at Lucknow for justice — a significant privilege in the context of native courts. As a result of the annexation, they lost that right, since that state no longer existed. Moreover, this action was seen by the residents of the state as an affront to their honour, the annexation being done in violation of an existing treaty.

The sepoys were accordingly affected by the general discontent which had been stirred up by the annexation. In February 1857, both these regiments were situated in Barrackpore.

The 19th Bengal Native Infantry Regiment is important because it was the regiment charged with testing the new cartridges on February 26, 1857. However, right up to the mutiny the new rifles had not been issued to them, and the cartridges in the magazine of the regiment were as free of grease as they had been through the preceding half century. The paper used in wrapping the cartridges was of a different colour, arousing suspicions. The non-commissioned officers of the regiment refused to accept the cartridges on the 26 February. This information was conveyed to the commanding officer, Colonel Mitchell; he took it upon himself to try to convince the sepoys that the cartridges were no different from those they had been accustomed to and that they need not bite it. He concluded his exhortation with an appeal to the native officers to uphold the honour of the regiment and a threat to court-martial such sepoys as refused to accept the cartridge. However, the next morning the sepoys of the regiment seized their bell of arms (weapons store). The subsequent conciliatory behaviour of Mitchell convinced the sepoys to return to their barracks.^[11] A Court of Enquiry was ordered which, after an investigation lasting nearly a month, recommended the disbanding of the regiment. The same was carried out on the 31 March. The 19th BNI were allowed to retain their uniforms and provided by the Government with an allowance to return home.

The Enfield rifle and cartridge[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2011)

The P-53 was officially known as the Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket. Introduced in the British Army by the War Department during 1854 in the Crimean War, they proved very effective at a range of 50 to 300 yards (270 m). It was introduced in the Bengal Army by the East India Company in early 1857. At the time of Mangal Pandey's outbreak rearming of the sepoy regiments with the new weapon was only in its early stages.

The rifle used a Metford-Pritchitt cartridge that required the use of a heavy paper tube containing 2½ drams (68 grains) of musket powder and a 530-grain (34 g), pure lead bullet. As the bullet incorporated no annular grease rings like the French and American minié ball bullets introduced in 1847, it was wrapped with a strip of greased paper to facilitate loading. The cartridge itself was covered with a thin mixture of beeswax and linseed oil for waterproofing (although rumours abounded that it was beef or pork fat).

To load his rifle, the sepoy had to first bite off the rear of the cartridge to pour the powder down the barrel. He then inverted the tube (the projectile was placed in the cartridge base up), pushed the end-portion into the muzzle to the approximate depth of the bullet and tore off the remaining paper. The bullet could then be easily rammed on top of the charge.

Cultural considerations and rumours[link]

Since cows are sacred to Hindus and pigs are strictly forbidden to Muslims, the Indian sepoys could be expected to have reservations about the cartridges. Thus when the rumour that animal fat was being used began to circulate, it had a very damaging effect. Other unsettling accounts started spreading. For instance, it was thought that the British planned to make their sepoys outcaste in the society to force them to convert to Christianity. Another rumour said the British had adulterated the wheat flour distributed to the sepoys with ground bone-dust of bullocks.

The matter could have been worsened by the fact that an overwhelming number of sepoys in the Bengal Native Infantry were Brahmins from Awadh, Purvanchal and Western Bihar. As Brahmins are generally devout Hindus and therefore vegetarians, they are not supposed to eat or touch meat, the resistance was even stronger.

The Commander-in-Chief, General George Anson reacted by saying, "I'll never give in to their beastly prejudices" and, despite the pleas of his junior officers, he did not compromise.^{[citation needed]}

Later, the British contemplated reducing the discontent by allowing the sepoys to use their own grease made of ghee (clarified butter). Lord Canning sanctioned a proposal of Major-General Hearsey to this effect. However, the proposal was shot down by the Meerut-based Adjutant-General of the Army Colonel C. Chester, who felt it would be tantamount to an admission of guilt and could therefore worsen the matter.^[12] He falsely claimed that the sepoys had been using cartridges greased with mutton fat for years and that there was therefore no reason to give in now. This claim was not correct as native sepoys had till then only used Brown Bess muskets for which unsmeared paper cartridges were employed. The government let itself be convinced and rescinded the order allowing the usage of ghee.

Consequences[link]

The attack by, and punishment of, Pandey is widely seen as the opening scene of what came to be known as the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He is referred as Shaheed (Martyr) Mangal Pandey in India.

Film and stage adaptations[link]

[edit] The Rising (2005)

A film based on the sequence of events that led up to the mutiny entitled Mangal Pandey: The Rising starring Indian actor, Aamir Khan along with Rani Mukerji, Toby Stephens and Amisha Patel, directed by Ketan Mehta was released in August 2005.

[edit] The Roti Rebellion (2005)

The life of Mangal Pandey was the subject of a stage play titled The Roti Rebellion, which was written and directed by Supriya Karunakaran. The play was organized by Sparsh, a theatre group, and presented in June 2005 at The Moving Theatre at Andhra Saraswat Parishad, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

[edit] White Teeth (2000)

Samad Iqbal, a fictional descendant of Mangal Pandey, is a central character in Zadie Smith's debut novel White Teeth. Pandey is an important influence on Samad's life and is repeatedly referenced and investigated by the novel's characters.

English language[link]

In the English language, Pandey is best remembered for the word his surname and his actions helped coin: pandy — a traitor, particularly a rebellious sepoy of the Mutiny of 1857. Once a colloquial term on the lips of every English-speaking Indian and Englishman resident in India, the word is no longer in regular use.^[13][14]

Commemoration[link]

The Mangal Pandey cenotaph on Surendranath Banerjee road at Barrackpore Cantonment, West Bengal.

Postage stamp[link]

The Government of India commemorated Mangal Pandey by issuing a postage stamp bearing his image on October 5, 1984. The stamp and the accompanying first-day cover were designed by Delhi-based artist C. R. Pakrashi.

Mangal Pande Park[link]

A park is named 'Sahid Mangal Pandey Uddan' in the memory of Mangal Pande where he attacked British officers and was hanged, at Barrackpore road in Barrackpore sub-divisional town in North 24 Parganas district.^[15][16]

See also[link]

• Pandey
• Bahadur Shah II
• Barrackpur
• British East India Company
• Indian Rebellion of 1857
• Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005)
• Mughal Empire
• Shaikh

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Amin, Agha H., The Sepoy Rebellion of 1857-59: Reinterpreted, 1998, Strategicus and Tacticus
• Hibbert, Christopher, The Great Mutiny, 1978, Penguin Books
• Malleson, G.B., The Indian Mutiny of 1857, Delhi, Rupa & Co. publishers, 2005 (first published: 1890)
• Misra, Amaresh, Mangal Pandey: True Story of an Indian Revolutionary, 2005, Rupa & Co. publisher, Delhi
• Mukherjee, Rudrangshu, Mangal Pandey: Brave Martyr or Accidental Hero?, 2005, Penguin Books (India), ISBN 0-14-303256-9

External links[link]

• Mangal Pandy A Real Hero - View his profile
• Indian Postal Service's commemorative stamp on Mangal Pandey
• Man who led the mutiny
• In the Footsteps of Mangal Pandey
• The Great Mutiny: India's War for Freedom
• Review of The Roti Rebellion in The Hindu (June 8, 2005)
• Mangal Pandey: The Rising at the Internet Movie Database

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Ghulam Murtaza Urdu: غلام مرتضى, (Born:January 3, 1939), (SI(C) Ph.D., DIC, D.Sc., FPAS), is a Pakistani plasma physicist and mathematician. He is the Professor of Theoretical and Plasma physics, and the director of the Physics research institute, known as the Abdus Salam Chair in Physics, at the Government College University.^[1] Previously, Murtaza served as the Director of Center of Excellence for Solid State Physics at the Government College University from 2000 to 2006. Specialized in the Thermonuclear fusion, Murtaza is known for his contribution to the field of Theoretical and controlled solar plasmas.^[2]

Early life and education[link]

Murtaza was born in Amritsar, British Punjab, British Indian Empire, in 1939, where he received his elementary education from there.^[2] After the partition of India in 1947, Murtaza along with his family member migrated to Pakistan.^[2] His family settled in Lahore, West-Pakistan, where he completed his high school.^[2] In 1954, he was admitted to Punjab University with a scholarship to study physics.^[2] In 1958, he received his B.Sc. in Physics, followed by M.A. in Mathematics from the Punjab University.^[2] The same year, he joined Government College University as a professor of undergraduate courses in Mathematics. In 1963, he went to the United Kingdom for further higher studies with a Government scholarship.^[2]

In Great Britain, he attended Imperial College London to continue his studies in advanced physics. During this period, world-renowned scientists such as Bertrand Russell, Albert Einstein, Julius Robert Oppenheimer, Abdus Salam, and Wolfgang Pauli to name a few, were teaching at the Imperial College London. While at the Imperial College London, he met Doctor Abdus Salam in a Physics lecture in which he asked Salam to supervise his doctoral studies. In 1966, Murtaza did his Ph.D. in Plasma physics under the supervision of Salam.^[3] In 1967, he also obtained a D.I.C degree in Science and came back to Pakistan where he joined Punjab University as an Associate Professor of Physics.^[4]

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission[link]

Murtaza joined the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) in 1960 as a "Principle Science Officer" (PSO). He was upgraded to Scientific Officer (SO), later he was promoted to Senior Scientific Officer (SSO). However, in 1966, after his doctorate in physics, he was transferred to Nuclear Physics Division (NPD), where he along with his mentor, Salam and Dr. Naeem Ahmad Khan, had closely worked and produced numerous scientific papers and journals about their experiments and theories in theoretical physics. In 1969, Murtaza was sent to "Laser Group" headed by Dr. Shaukat Hameed Khan, where he and Khan produces numerous scientific papers and journals about their discoveries in Plasma Physics. He played an important role in setting up the Plasma physics lab at the PAEC. In 1969, dr. Murtaza left PAEC and joined Punjab University.

Academic Career in Universities of Pakistan[link]

In 1962, after his M.Sc. in Applied physics, Murtaza came back to Pakistan for a short time being and joined Government College University of Lahore as a professor of Mathematics. In 1962, he resigned from his post and flew back to United Kingdom. In 1969, Murtaza joined newly founded research university, Quaid-i-Azam University's Institute of Physics as an associate professor of mathematics. In 1970, he became a distinguished professor of physics at the Quaid-i-Azam University while continued to teach mathematics at the institute. In 1990, he became a Chairman of Department of Physics and, in 1993, he was made Meritorious Professor of Mathematics at the Quaid-i-Azam University. He continued leading the Physics Department until 1997, when a well-known young and authentic nuclear physicist, dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy was named to be the head of the Physics Department.In March 1996, he was appointed as a Dean, Faculty of Natural Sciences at the Qaid-e-Azam University. In 2000, Murtaza moved to Lahore where he was appointed as a director of Center of Excellence for Solid State Physics, which is also known as the Dr. Abdus Salam Center in Solid-State Physics Lahore, also at the Government College University. He kept his position until 2006. There Murtaza became senior Professor of Mathematics while heading the Mathematics Department at the Government College University. In 2006, he joined the University's Physics Department and became a professor of Plasma Physics.^[5] The same year, Murtaza became the director of the Abdus Salam Chair in Physics, where he launched research programmes in Physics, Electrical engineering, and Mathematics.^[5]

Murtaza is a distinguished student of Pakistan's only Nobel laureate Abdus Salam. He is the recipient of a high civil award "Sitara-e-Imtiaz" which was awarded to him by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. In 1986, he was awarded a gold medal from the Pakistan Academy of Sciences. In 1991, he was elected fellow of Pakistan Academy of Sciences. He is a researcher in the field of Plasma Physics/Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion, Elementary Particle Physics and Solid State Physics. In October 2004, he was appointed director of the Abdus Salam National Center for Mathematics (ASNCM). In 2003, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science (D.Sc.) from Higher Education Commission(HEC). Recently, he joined the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) where he was in charge of Astronomy and Astrophysics Laboratory. He also represented SUPARCO at the International Year of Astronomy.^[6]

Awards and Fellowships[link]

• Sitara-e-Imtiaz
• Gold Medal from Pakistan Academy of Sciences.
• an elected Member, The American Physical Society
• Editor-in-Chief, Islamabad Journal of Science.

Scientific Papers and Publications[link]

• Radiative Collapse in an impurity-seeded spinning gas-puff staged pinch, Plasma Physics, (Arshad M. Mirza, Zahoor Ahmad, N.A.D Khattak, G Murtaza)

• Study of Plasma Parameters in a Spinning Thick-Gas-Puff Staged Pinch, Plasma Physics, Arshad M. Mirza, Zahoor Ahmad, N.A.D Khattak, G. Murtaza.

• Impulsion Dynamics of a Dense q-Pinch Plasma Driven by Multicascade Linear System, Laser and Particle Beams, G. Murtaza, Zahoor Ahmad.

• Magenetohydrodynamic (MHD) Model for the Staged Pinch Plasma to Study Fusion Parameters and Comparison with Snow Plow Model, Physics of Plasma, Ghulam Murtaza.

• Thermonuclear Fusion with Multicascade Linear Staged Pinch Plasma and Mechanics, Ghulam Murtaza.

• Study of Fusion Parameters in Multicascade Linear System, Dr. Zahoor Ahmad, G. Murtaza, N.A.D Khattak.

• Light cone algebra in various (1974), Fortschritte der Physik, Volume 22, Ghulam Murtaza

• Three-dimensional solitons, Physical Review, (1979) by M.Z.Iqbal and A.H. Nayyar, G. Murtaza

• Nonlinear destabilization, Fluid Physics (1985) Volume 28, P.K.Shukla and M.Y. Yu, G. Murtaza

• New electron temperature-graduate, Fluid Physics (1989), P.K. Shukla and G. Murtaza

• Electron Thermal Conduction for nuclear radiation, Volume 33 (1991), Arshad M. Mirza, C. L. Cook, G. Murtaza and M.S.Qaisar.

• Duality of a young diagram in Linear Geometry (1973), Mathematical. Physics Journal, M.A. Rashid and G. Murtaza

• Electromagnetic instability in Plasmas, Physics of Plasmas (1996), Arshad M. Mirza, G. Murtaza and P.K. Shukl.

• Longitudinal oscillations and simple gravity pendulum, Physical Review (2003), N. A. D. Khattak, G. Murtaza and H. A. Shah

• Some electrosatic modes based on Plasmas and radiations, Physics of Plasmas (2004), S. Zaheer, G. Murtaza and H. A. Shah

• Adiabatic model for dust atoms and molecules by Ghulam Murtaza, Z. Ehsan, N. L. Tsintsadze, Abdus Salam National Center for Mathematics and Salam Chair in Physics, GCU Lahore, Pakistan

See also[link]

• List of plasma physicists

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• http://www.chowk.com/articles/8387
• http://users.ictp.it/~sci_info/News_from_ICTP/News_94/features_Pakistan.html
• http://aphds.hec.gov.pk/sup_sch_lists/supdetailview.asp?supid=450
• http://prr.hec.gov.pk/chapters/2209-0.pdf
• Pakistan Academy of Sciences Page on Murtaza
• International Astronomy Year 2009: page on Ghulam Murtaza

v t e Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission Centres SUPARCO Satellite Ground Station · Suparco Satellite Research and Development Center · Instrumentation Laboratories (IL) Satellites Earth Observation BADR B · PRSS · Communication BADR 1  · BADR-4  · Badr-6  · PAKSAT  · PAKSAT IR Projects and Vehicles REHBAR-ISR  · Hatf Ballistic Missile (Hatf-IA/B) Organisations Pakistan Student Satellite Program • Pakistan Meteorological Department • Karachi Ionospheric Station (KIS) Institutions Institute of Space Technology • Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics (Karachi University) • Institute of Space Science (University of the Punjab) • Defence Science and Technology Organization (DESTO) Space Observatories Geomagnetic Observatory (Karachi University)  · Geomagnetic Observatory-II (Islamabad) Primary spaceports Sonmiani Satellite Launch Center, Tilla Satellite Launch Center, Jinnah Naval Base People Scientists Abdus Salam, Ishrat Hussain Usmani, Samad Rizvi, Abdul Majid (physicist), Abdul Qadeer Khan, Wladyslaw Turowicz, Salim Mehmud, Ghulam Murtaza See also: Chronology of Pakistan's rocket tests

v t e Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) Space centres Islamabad Mission Control Center Lahore Satellite Laboratories Instrumentation Laboratories (IL) Satellites Earth observation Badr-II PRSS Communication Badr-I Badr-IV Badr-VI Paksat-IE Paksat-IR Expendable Launch vehicles (ELV) Rehbar Expandable Rockets (RER) Hatf Missile Program (Hatf-IA/B) Shaheen-III System Associated organizations Defence Science and Technology Organization (DESTO) Astronomical Society Student Satellite Programme Meteorological Department Air Force Strategic Command Strategic Plans Division Naval Technologies Complex Institutions Institute of Space Technology (IST) Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics (Karachi University) Department of Space Science (University of the Punjab) Naval Laboratories (Naval Academy) Space observatories University Observatory (Karachi University) Astronomical Observatory (University of the Punjab) Naval Observatory (Navy) Primary spaceports Sonmiani Launch Complex (SLC) Tilla Launch Center (TLC) Naval Space Launch Complex (NSLC) People Scientists Abdus Salam Ishrat Hussain Usmani Samad Rizvi Abdul Majid (physicist) Abdul Qadeer Khan Wladyslaw Turowicz Salim Mehmud Ghulam Murtaza Astronauts Namira Salim See also: Chronology of Pakistan's rocket tests