6th September

My last wish to “just to see my child’s face once before I close my eyes”.

“IA” said everyone.It has been 1-1/2 year to his marriage until now ,though it was an arrange marriage but still Khadijah had been adjusted with his family, and who was in his family he and his mother only , His father was a “shaheed” and had already given his blood to this motherland when he was two.

 “So hawaldar sahib, what’s your last wish?It has been 4 long years that you have been engaged”he now turned towards the other soldier

 “Right sir! Insha Allah by the end of  this duty ,I’m getting married , mother is now convinced for Amna(aunt’s daughter, fiancé)  “

  “so you are going to invite us?” he inquired ,”why not sir , if I will be alive by the end of this duty ,this cold is getting into my bones” ,listening this, the captain stood and announced “As today the mood is so good why not have a little treat , tea . I will make it and we can enjoy it with the songs on radio, Noor Jahan’s playlist is going to be played in 10 minutes”.

A bright morning it was, “ Come on Rasool Khan it has been 2 weeks you haven’t taken a bath ,Its Eid after all ,we have to offer the prayer too “ .

 “Sir please pardon me but I will after we return safely from this paradise, If I take a bath I am going to die of this cold rather than a martyrdom ”

”hahaha ! if you don’t take a bath we are going to die in the camp “replied Karim. And soon after others threw a bucket of water on Rasool , and now he had to change & take bath .“what an eid sir, no family ,leave family there is no human other than us few 25 to 30 people ,km’s around!” Hawaldar Sajid talked with Him. “we are protecting our family Sajid , so atleast they can have a safe Eid , we here in Siachin are here for our land , we are the Fauji and we meant to be here ,it was our choice”

“No doubt Sir! We can sacrifice hundred’s of Eids for our land” ,”Now cheer up , I have received message from Head quarters ,they are going to send us a small lamb so we can slaughter it and have our little feast and as Eid gifts we are going to receive letters from our homes “ He stood from the rock and started moving inside “and the other news is I am blessed with a baby girl, and to treat u people we can always have tea as a delight, I am going to make some , come inside and we can enjoy that”.This was his life.  He remembers his father’s last words “Now it is up to you my son , you have to serve this nation , you are not only my son but the son of this land .Never let it down , I have played my role , grow strong and never let your enemies dare to see you in your eyes, and you Nighat , I don’t wan’t you to shed your tears on me , I am going to be a Shaheed, what I always wanted to be  , and you a shaheed’s wife, promise me you are going to get my son prepared for this land” .These were last word’s his father said to him and his mother in CMH , lying into that hospital bed before his last breath ,and then his breath ended and ,he became alive in thousand hearts . He has never forgotten those words but at the moment he could feel them with all emotions , today he had been a father and he knows how much Khadijah(wife) and Nighat(mother) wanted him at the moment but there were thousand’s of mothers and sisters for whom he was here.

Everyone at the camp was enjoying Eid and his father becoming celebration by singing and doing that typical fauji dance in rounds and have him joined too. His one family was out there at Lahore and other was here at the camp .He remembers It was his second year after commission when he received the letter for joining at Siachin , He told her mother she supported and with a lot of prayer’s blessed him .and when she told Khadijah about it , she became quiet, “Are’nt you happy? This is what every Army man dream of” , “I am but don’t know kind of scared “ she replied. “well don’t be , you are a military wife and you have to be strong, you have to built courage , see my mother how she supported my father, and how  strong she had played”

 “That’s the thing I am afraid of , I can’t be as strong as her , How I am going to up bring our child like your mother did to you? I am not that strong”

”Oh Khadijah! Every thing’s going to be fine believe me , and If I don’t return that’s going to be a reward , see that’s what I am seeking for, come with me” , He lead her to her mother’s room , knocked and entered , “Is everything’s ok?” Nighat asked seeing Khadijah’s red eyes.

 “well yes and no” he replied ,”what’s the matter?” , “mother will you do me a favor? Will you elaborate your life story to her , the time when baba was out there for operation , and when he became shaheed?”, “now I see , Khadijah come here sit next to me and you may go and get ready” she let her sit next to herself hold her hands and then slowly and gradually tells her the time when her husband was on the borders and she was used to be all alone in those army quarters with her only child , the time when her husband got martyred , then the time she survived this world , how she made her only son what he was today “You know khadija , it was not very easy at the start , I was all broken at the start ,but then his father’s words started healing me and believe me he will prosper this way or other , just see off him with a smile and it will encourage him” , “thank you mama!” that’s all she could say , now her vision was clear , she was all strong to say Allah Hafiz with a smile , she hugged Nighat and smiled.

It was midnight when he heard disturbances from outside, at first he was confused but gradually he remembered that he was thinking about his family when he felt asleep . He quickly loaded his armours and left outside . It was Hawaldar Rasool’s duty tonight ,”Is everything under control Rasool Baksh?” ,”I think there’s something strange out there , I have fired twice but I sensed that there’s something” , He pointed out at east , “Let me see” I said , “ I will go sir! Its my night out , you may guard the post until I return Sir “ , He left , it was hardly 4 to 5 minutes when he heared a shot , he tried to contact Rasool Baksh on talkie but was not answerable , knowing the situation he alerted others, don’t know what entered my mind I told Zaman Khan.

”Ask my mother to name my daughter Haya”  and left towards east and there were 7 to 8 of those men , firing blindly , those grenades , he shooted 2 of them , he and his fellow men tried  their level best to guard the post and they were successful too that what he saw last before closing his eyes. He has been received 5 bullets as he was at the front defending, and that was the limit his body could hold not , but not his soul because the last fire he fired was to the man on whose focus was hawaldar Karim. He could feel the blood soozing out and then he felt the snow under him, the hot blood soozing out was now froze on that ice covered mountains , His blood was being absorbed by the land , He could feel the land under him being nourished by his blood , He could feel that the mission his father wanted him to be in ,he has been successful in it .His eyes were closing there and opening up in the paradise .His whole life played like a film before his eyes.

What is going to happen at Rasool Bakhsh’s village , they were all preparing for his marriage after he return, Her fiancé who waited 4 long years , the struggle of his mother , her wife and her daughter , who he has seen , whether he had not took her in his hands but he has seen her face and thinking about her Haya , he breathed his last.

“Haya today you have been commissioned in Army as a doctor and I felt like a responsibility to read your father’s diary to you , I don’t have a son to send for this land but I want you to serve this land , it has blood of your’s and a thousand’s of father , brothers and husbands. When I received the news that my husband is now a Shaheed , at first I thought I lost my breath , I lost my senses but back then It was your grandmother who place you in my lap and said that I have fulfilled my duty now your days start ,make her a proud of this land, and that was the time I felt the proud I was wife of a shaheed”

This is the simple life our soldiers and their families , these are the cherish memories they live , for them people say the words that they eat 80% of the country’s budget .I question “ok if all you say is true ,then ? can that money buy that valor, that bravery , that inspiration? Would someone lay their lives for peace of the land? would you leave your family like them? Would you be willing to send your children, and brothers to lay their lives ? If anyhow how you can say yes , then go send them and earn the money!!”.