I see those who in any land have died for the good cause,
The seed is spare, nevertheless the crop shall never run out
–Walt Whitman
Martyrdom or the self-immolation for the righteous cause is revered in our faith as well as martial lore. Also, in the drama of human life, martyrdom is the noblest denouement. The act of laying down life for the country stands tall in the pantheon of national honours, and heroes who play this act are venerated.
In a 1970 classic movie, Sunflower, an Italian woman Giovanna visits an ex-Soviet Union battlefield full of sunflowers swaying gracefully in the gentle breeze – with each flower symbolising a fallen Italian soldier. It is a reminder of the supreme sacrifice rendered by Italian soldiers in the service of their motherland.
Martyrdom is a part of our folklore and religious tradition. The concept is captured beautifully in the onomatopoeic verses of Iqbal, ‘Shahadat Hai Matloob O Maqsood e Momin, Na Maal e Ghanimat Na Kishwar Kishai. Khayaban Main Hai Muntazir Lala Kub Se, Qaba Chaiye Uss Ko Khoon e Arab Se’ (Martyrdom is the ultimate desire of a Muslim, Neither the war booty nor the riches of kings attract him, The red poppy awaits in the garden for the blood of martyrs). This embodies the concept of sacrifice and martial panache for Muslim warriors adopted as a credo by Pakistan’s armed forces in their endeavor to ward off threats to national survival.
Pakistan’s birth under a pall of threat from an enemy with superior resources forced it to adopt a strong security state posture, using superior training and motivation for its soldiers as a force multiplier against adversaries.
What better motivation could one find than a willingness to die cheerfully, secure in the belief that the act of martyrdom would land martyrs in Valhalla of everlasting life of heroes. That is precisely why the martyred Pakistani soldiers are treated as living embodiments of supreme sacrifice that enjoy bounties of afterlife. Pakistani martyrs remind the nation of the need to protect the frontiers from external as well as internal threats without lowering guards. The vulnerable borders due to our geo-strategic location excite envy and mischief, and sometimes put us in crosshairs of geopolitical rivalry of global powers. The best antidote to aggression for a resource-starved country is the quality of its human resource and willingness to render supreme sacrifice for defence of the country.
Pakistan’s birth under a pall of threat from an enemy with superior resources forced it to adopt a strong security state posture, using superior training and motivation for its soldiers as a force multiplier against adversaries.
Little wonder then that the nation heard the haunting lyrics in the voice of Nur Jahan during the 1965 and 1971 wars. Songs like, “Ae Rah e Haq Ke Shaheedo” and “Ae Pttar Hattan Te Naheen Wikday” were the La Marseillaise version on steroids. Songs and martyrs like Majors Tufail, Aziz Bhatti, Shabbir Sharif, and fighter pilots Sarfraz Rafiqui and Yunus Hasan Khan and countless others became household metaphors of national pride.
Pakistan first warded off the threat to its existence by defeating the Indian army in occupied Kashmir in 1948. As the tide was about to turn with the Pakistani artillery shelling the Indian logistics’ line of communications, Indians took the issue to the United Nations, appealing for a ceasefire. The casualty ratio in 1947-48 War was 1:3 in favour of Pakistan despite Indian superiority in manpower and war munitions. The legends of Captain Sarwar and Naik Saif Ali Janjua were born on Tilpatra Ridge and Pir Kalewa height and warmed the cockles of all patriotic Pakistani hearts. The 1965 war was our finest hours where a young nation thwarted the aggression of an army five times its size with remarkable aplomb.
India was planning an annexation of occupied as well as Azad Kashmir in mid-sixties, evidenced by increased repression and provocative incidents like Hazrat Bal. Pakistan forestalled Indian designs taking the battle to Indian occupied Kashmir. When Indians escalated the conflict, Pakistan attacked the Chamb sector, almost capturing Akhnur, a checkpoint on the logistic lifeline of the Indian army in occupied Kashmir. Lt General Kamal Matinuddin writes, “General Yahya was about to make his Grand Slam but the joker in the pack was with Lal Bahadur Shastri who played it just when the game was up saving a humiliating defeat for the Indians.” The Indians were so unnerved by the attack on Akhnur that they committed 38 out of their total tally of 103 infantry battalions against just 15 Pakistani battalions in Kashmir, out of which 11 were Azad Jammu and Kashmir battalions.
Out of panic, the Indians attacked across the international border on September 6, 1965, and boasted of drinking a toast at Lahore Gymkhana by evening. The Indian hubris was sunk in the hallowed battlefields of Hudiara-Burki, and Khem Karan, where the blood of martyrs, like Major Aziz Bhatti, consecrated inviolability of the sacred Pakistani frontiers.
In the Sialkot sector, the much-vaunted first Indian armoured division sauntered into battle like elephants of Raja Porus but was met by a resolute infantry brigade, and an armoured regiment of Pakistan. Four Indian armoured regiments, including the famed Poona Horse and 16 Cavalry of WWII fame battered their heads unsuccessfully against one Pakistani tank regiment, that is the indomitable men of steel, the 25 Cavalry.
The 25 Cavalry’s legendary defence inflicted heavy casualties on Indian armour and it beat an ignominious retreat. The miracle of Chawinda and Gadgor battles that pushed back Indian armour was made possible by the blood of martyrs of debonair Pakistani tank men. Major Masood Akhter Kiani of 19 Lancers and Major Ziaudin Abbasi of Guide’s Cavalry rewrote the pages of valour in armour combat, while leading from the front and taking the battle to the marauding Indian armour. The battle monuments of our martyrs in Sialkot are a constant reminder of their supreme sacrifice and valour. In air our gallant airmen accounted for 104 Indian aircrafts against own loss of 19 aircrafts. Pakistani submarine Ghazi bottled up the scared Indian aircraft carrier throughout the 1965 war and gave the ultimate sacrifice of 92 brave sailors and officers during an accidental explosion.
The 1971 war saw Indian aggression blunted in western theatre effectively and the loss in the eastern theatre due to Indian aggression and abetment of an insurgency. The prodigies of valour however were on full display by the young officers and men of Pakistan armed forces. Pakistan army troops vastly outnumbered and without any air cover fought valiantly against the Indian troops and by the end of war all major cities were in Pakistani hands, except Jessore which had been vacated due to tactical reasons. On the night of November 20 and 21, Indian army supported by armour and air force advanced on 23 axes inside East Pakistan. Jamalpur was one such battle location that saw the heaviest fighting where the legendary CO of 31 Baloch was leading his intrepid troops in Jamalpur Garrison. Despite overwhelming superiority in men and material, the Indians failed to breach Pakistani defences.
Little wonder then that the nation heard the haunting lyrics in the voice of Nur Jahan during the 1965 and 1971 wars. Songs like, 'Ae Rah e Haq Ke Shaheedo' and 'Ae Pttar Hattan Te Naheen Wikday' were the La Marseillaise version on steroids. Songs and martyrs like Majors Tufail, Aziz Bhatti, Shabbir Sharif, and fighter pilots Sarfraz Rafiqui and Yunus Hasan Khan and countless others became household metaphors of national pride.
The legend of Lt Colonel Sultan Ahmed was born when he refused the surrender offer of the supercilious Indian brigade commander with disdain, opting instead to break the encirclement and fight his way out of the siege. 230 gallant soldiers of 31 Baloch embraced martyrdom in that epic battle alone. In a similar fashion, the hero of the Battle of Hilli, Major Raja Akram gave bloody nose to the Indian attackers at Hilli, leading a company of 4FF. The Pakistan navy also fought valiantly on seas despite being vastly outnumbered and attacked and sank an Indian Frigate INS Kukri in the western theatre. The Pakistan air force again took the battle to Indians in the western theatre despite overwhelming superiority of its counterpart, that is the Indian air force. The legend of Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas was born who prevented the nefarious attempt of hijacking his aircraft to India and sacrificed his life in the process.
Our valiant soldiers wrote their names in the register of honour on the icy peaks of Siachen and Kargil. Legends like Captain Karnal Sher and Havildar Lalik Jan are an inspiration for the entire nation whose courage and fighting prowess received munificent accolades from Indian opponents on the Kargil front. The saga of sacrifices continues with Indian aggression showing no signs of abatement under a RSS inspired Modi regime. The internal insurgencies inspired by hostile external actors are also exacting a continual toll on soldiers and officers yet the volunteering rate for operational areas is at peak. The Pakistan army holds a singular honour of achieving the highest officers to men casualty ratio in the contemporary conflicts with one of the lowest officers to men ratios, a testament to the courage and sacrifice of officers leading gallant men.
The sacrifices of our shaheeds (martyrs) remind us that our national frontiers have been secured and consecrated by the noble blood of our martyrs who stand between us and the scourge of bondage and terrorism. We owe our peace, comfort and safety to their toil, sweat and blood.
Nations facing external and internal threats cannot afford to forget that it is the blood of martyrs that keeps our frontiers secure and our homes safe from the depredations of marauders. The memory of that sacred blood and the monuments to that super human courage therefore needs to be kept alive under the reverential watch of a grateful nation. It is our responsibility to educate our young generations of the sacrifices of our martyrs to develop in them an appreciation of the cost of freedoms enjoyed by them: freedoms that come at the cost of the blood of our martyrs.