Major Shabbir Sharif was posted to the Frontier Force Regiment. On December 3, 1971 he was commanding a company 6 FF Regiment near Sulemanki Headworks when he was assigned the task of capturing the high bund overlooking the Gurmukh Khera and Beriwala villages in the Sulemanki Sector. These points were defended by more than a company of the Assam Regiment which was supported by a squadron of tanks. ۔

To attain his objective, Major Shabbir had to go through an enemy mine-field and swim across a 30 ft. wide and 10 ft. deep defensive canal, which he accomplished under heavy artillery and automatic fire. Leading his company, he launched a frontal attack and succeeded in driving the enemy out of his fortified trenches by dusk on December 3. In this well-nigh superhuman action, 43 enemy soldiers were killed, 28 were taken prisoner and four enemy tanks were destroyed. For the next three days and nights, the enemy launched repeated counter-attacks. These were repulsed by Major Sharif who held his vantage position on the high bund, holding two enemy battalions at bay. During one of the enemy attacks, Major Sharif who jumped out of his trench on the night between December 5 and 6 killed the enemy Company Commander of 4 Jat Regiment and recovered important documents from his possession. During another attack in the afternoon of December 6, Major Sharif took over an anti-tank gun from his gunner, and while engaging enemy armour, he was killed in action by a direct hit from an enemy tank. Major Shabbir Sharif Shaheed was given Sitara-e-Jurrat in 1965 and was awarded Nishan-e-Haider in 1971. ۔