6 September - the Defence Day of Pakistan

It was almost about five decades ago that sons of the soil stood guard to defend the frontiers of the country and saved the motherland from being occupied by forces that always considered creation of Pakistan a mistake and wanted to undo the partition process. But the people of Pakistan joined hands with the gallant armed forces of the country to stand like a iron wall to defeat the enemy much larger in size and equipment.

Above are some of the heroes that have laid their lives with extreme valour and dedication since Pakistan was created and were awarded the highest gallantry award of Nishan-e-Haider.

But today, we have another war to beat back. While all previous wars were conventional and against a known enemy, the war being fought by the armed forces of the country is different in may ways. It is a war by undefined enemy, with the the same religion  and same attire - an enemy difficult to recognize until it strikes. 

Some of the over 3,000 soldiers who laid down their lives to rid the country of militancy and the militants

More than the men who laid down their lives in the conventional wars, have been martyred by the enemy that considers everyone but them as infidels and kills Muslims in mosques and roads. This enemy destroys schools and hampers polio vaccination, which is adding the polio related patients in the country. For them a crippled son or daughter is better off for life than being administered with polio vaccine.

A large number of beautiful young men have laid down their lives to rid the country of this treacherous enemy, who to offers prayers, but calls everyone other then their own flock infidels. But everyone of us knows who is infidel and who is otherwise. The enemy has no laws as it beheads captured soldiers - something not even done by the Holy Prophet, who always advised treating of captives with leniency - but this enemy with axes in his hands spare no one who is captured.

The blood of all the martyrs of the armed forces of the country and those countless civilians who have perished in this battle for survival of Pakistan will never go waste, God willing, and one day we shall have peace as we had before and take this country forward - not backward. A country where the girls will their schools rebuilt, which were blown by these militants and there will be no polio hit children. That day is not far, I swear.

via Fire Within

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Last Salute to a Soldier

Today I received a phone call that a soldier son of an old veteran has fallen prey to the War on Terror and his burial will take place at noon. I reached the graveyard and found a large number of friends, relatives and others in civvies and uniform to pay homage to the fallen son of the soil. And there I found the fallen soldier lying in the casket with great dignity and pride – for he had joined those of his comrades who had fallen earlier fighting the militants and saving their motherland from terrorism and extremism.

The soldier was in his 20s and had hardly seen life in its fullest bloom before a bullet took him to another world. He now lie buried here. A smartly turned guard fired a volley of bullets in the air and then presented arms while the buglers blew the final good bye. A soldier stood on the horizon watching the setting sun which soon dipped and marked the end of another day – another soldier.

He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,

But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part

Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honour while he's here to hear the praise,

Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,

Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.

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