Heroes die young - the heroic story of a 15 years old hero

'Heroes die young' - so sayeth a famous saying. And it has been proven right since the warriors rose to defend their clans, frontiers and countries. History is replete with stories of such young men who sacrificed their lives to save many others of their colleagues and comrades.  

There are many such tales of sacrifices in our country too, specially since this non-sense war on terror was imposed on us. Many young men both within and without uniform laid down their lives fighting the menace of terrorism and defeating the mercenaries in the garb of religious warriors to disrupt the peaceful environment we once had. 

One of these hero boys was 15 years old Aitazaz Hassan Bangash. From the face of it, he did not look a sportsman or an athlete for he was rather chubby who was often teased by his colleagues and others for his overweight stature.

That was how he was known till January the 6th, 2014. The day was just an ordinary day for countless children across Pakistan and the small village of Ibrahimzai, Hangu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northern Pakistan where Aitazaz lived and like all other school goers, he was happily going towards his school along with his friends - never minding at all how they made fun of his overweight stature.

But unknown to him and all others, this was a special day for Aitazaz Hassan - for he was to go down in the history of the country as a hero and to be revered forever by his friends and family. Nearing the school a 'man' stopped them and asked 'where is the school?' Well this is something that sounded unfamiliar to Aitazaz Hassan since everyone in the village knew where the school was. 

Having read and heard so much of suicide bombers, Aitazaz and his friends instantly realized that this man with a rather heavy bulge around his waist was a killer and suicide bomber. Realizing the reality, all of Aitazaz's friends who mocked him all along ran for their lives. But that chubby young boy of 15 confronted the man and tried his best to stop him from going towards the school gate where almost 2,000 students were present. He first threw a stone to hit the man, which missed him. Then Aitazaz ran towards the person and grabbed him.

And then the everyone heard a big bang as the suicide bomber exploded his suicide jacket while being frustrated by Aitazaz who was trying his best to let him move forward. Unlike all other suicide attacks where scores died previously - only two lost their lives: One the suicide bomber and the other none other than that chubby young boy of 15, Aitazaz Hassan.

While Malala made headlines across the world for an attack on her, unknown to her, this young boy fully knew that he was to be blown up in next few seconds - but stood to his ground and saved the lives of many by being blown up. The world may never know much about him, but he would live in the hearts of many forever - for he was chubby but not coward.

Aitazaz's classmates kept his photo where he sat as mark of reverence

He was awarded with the second highest civil award of Sitara-e-Shujaat (Star of Bravery) posthumously by the government of Pakistan. He was named as the Herald’s Person of the Year for 2014. But it was not the award he laid down his life - he felt it was duty no matter what his age was. It is because of sacrifices of such true Pakistanis and bravehearts that Pakistan is defeating the menace of terrorism and closing on to the fleeing mercenaries.

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Please Do Not Forget the Wheel Chairs

Every other day we hear of bomb blasts and news of soldiers and personnel of LEA getting wounded or even succumbing to these acts of terrorism, extremism and religious intolerance - and the war on terror.  Those who lay down their lives leave a life long lamenting for their near and dear ones. But what about those unheard and uncounted injured who fade away in the four walls of their homes for the rest of their lives carrying the scars of these deadly acts - perhaps we have never pondered over it seriously ever.

Today, I went to the Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFIRM) in Rawalpindi today and offered a unique Friday prayer of my life.

The mosque inside the AFIRM was spacious and air conditioned and when I entered the mosque, a notice caught my attention

And I could see patients being wheeled into the specific ablution  area - in quite a number. These were some of those lucky ones who though escaped death, but became slave to the wheel chairs for the rest of their lives.

By the time the prayers started, three complete rows of patients on wheel chairs had lined up at the end of those sitting on prayer mats to offer their prayers - and perhaps thank the Almighty for giving them their lives - though at the cost of their limbs.

I glanced at some of these and found many who lost two more more of their limbs. After the prayers, they were wheeled out by their attendants and I just stood there watch each one - one of them was being wheeled out by a small boy, perhaps the son of the patient who had both his right hand and leg missing. Both the father and son were laughing on something - but I could see the sadness that filled the face of the patient - a soldier whose comrades may have martyred in the incident that rendered him crippled for life. I stepped forward and saluted the soldier with tears in my eyes and shook hand with him - though his left as he did not have his right hand from shoulder below. I could not say anything - but I know he knew what I wanted to say to him silently.

Everyday, soldiers and officers, mostly in their young age, get added up unknown to us whose life becomes a bane for as long as they live. While those who get injured in the bomb blasts have this misfortune descended upon them unannounced,  but for these brave soldiers who walk into the death traps knowing fully well the consequences is real heroism.

No one seem to care - except of course the Army by providing them the state of the art rehabilitation facilities. I see politicians fighting for their seats and ministries but not ever uttering a word about these crippled soldiers - I do not find them visiting these soldiers whether in their homes or in hospitals to comfort them. Those who do, go their with media to have them photographed to show 'solidarity' with these soldiers - but never alone to shake hand and salute them for their sacrifices for a country where they fight over each other for their political gains and securing ministries.

I salute all such unsung heroes and hope my readers too will remember these brave sons of soil now restricted to wheel chairs for life for sacrificing their limbs so that we could live in peace.

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Another son of the soil falls in line of duty

On Thursday evening, I received the news that a young son of a veteran and a friend of mine has fallen in line of duty. I immediately rushed to my friend's house, where already a large mourners and sympathizers had gathered to console with the bereaved family.

Captain Sharjeel Shahid Shinwari, pictured left, had graduated from the Army Medical College and had recently been posted to militant infested Waziristan, where Pakistan army is embattled with the militants for quite sometime. Located at Wana, Dr Sharjeel had gone vising the forward army posts to treat and look after the patients in forwards medical posts. On his way back, a remote controlled IED (Improvised Explosive Device) planted by the road side exploded and with it this beautiful young man also perished.  إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ

This is the third time in the recent past that I have attended such funerals to bid farewell to these beautiful young sons of the soil who laid down their lives in the line of the duty but never budged from serving their motherland and cleansing it from the menace of militancy, which has been imposed upon Pakistan as a fallout of American waged war on terror in Afghanistan. 

After the funeral prayer, the face of the martyred captain was uncovered for the last time so that family and friends could so him for he vanished under tons of earth forever. And let me say that his face looked as fresh as he is seen in his photo - the face of a martyr. Martyrs, who make our tomorrows safe and livable.

Now coming back to the militants, these young men are pitched against. Who are these militants - Muslims or otherwise? No one really knows as fighting against Muslims does not make any sense. Although, Pakistan Army is doing its best to uproot the menace of militancy from Pakistan's soil, these come fresh equipped with most modern and sophisticated weapons and 'highly trained' to handle weapons and IEDs. This clearly shows these militants are part of a bigger game to destroy Pakistan and pave way for anti Pakistan forces to move in and destroy yet another Islamic country.

But let me say with strong conviction that as long as these beautiful brave sons of the soil are there guarding the frontiers of the country, no one's dreams would ever be realized in destroying Pakistan, God willing.

Shared from: The Fire Within

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The British Prime Minister “Demands” of its Ex Subjects to “Do More”

I have not yet taken up writing on political issues and matters. But the recent statements of the British prime minister about and against Pakistan are really itchy, annoying and hurting. It seems that the honourable prime minster is still part of the old British empire of the Indian subcontinent and is addressing a sovereign country just like his own subjects. The same way the lowly paid British officers did in those times of British occupation of the Indian subcontinent, which they forcibly and tacitly snatched from the Mogul rulers, who very innocently allowed them to do trade with the resource rich India. And after plundering and looting the wealth of India, they left when the uprisings against them make intolerable.

And even when the British were leaving, they left behind the issue of Jammu and Kashmir unresolved by handing over this Muslim majority region to India rather than Pakistan, as was agreed in the terms and conditions of the division of India. This was done by a person no less than Mountbatten, who pleased his Hindu friends rather than upholding fare justice. And since this unjustifiable act of the British, India and Pakistan have fought a number of wars and the same issue remains a bone of contention between the two countries and continues to threaten peace and stability in the region.

Now instead of making amends and assisting both Pakistan and India to resolve the issue peacefully, the British prime minister recently asserts that Britain will not get into resolving the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. How very ironic.

And if that is not enough. The fiery prime minister “demands” of Pakistan of closure of all terrorist training camps and taking “immediate” actions against some banned outfits. The harsh tone fails to realize that Pakistan, which has been dragged into this so called war on terror, has already done much more than it could do. And had paid a very heavy price since getting in to assisting the USA in its own kind of war. It may be very easy and pleasing for British or American soldier to kill an Afghani or Iraqi or even a Muslim and go back home boasting of his excellent shooting skills. But for a Pakistani killing another Pakistani is something very different. But still our forces do it in the larger interest of Pakistan, and no one else.

And then operating in the tribal areas is not an easy task. Have the British forgotten the three Afghan wars they fought in the tribal areas of present day Pakistan. These are the same areas where they were defeated time and again despite superiority in numbers, weaponry and technology. The dynamics of Afghanistan and people of tribal areas of Pakistan are much more different than those anywhere else in the world. And that is the reason that the coalition forces in Afghanistan have yet to make substantial gains or to subdue the Afghans. Merely supporting the minority non Pashtoons, they cannot bring peace to Afghanistan. Unless they bring in the main stream Pashtoons, they would never succeed. This is what Pakistan is trying to do simultaneously with fighting on with the dissidents/Talibans. So let it never be said that Pakistan is not doing enough.

Whenever any British official visits India, he always blames Pakistan for every ill things done anywhere in the world only to please the Indians. This is something which is not new to us in Pakistan. Even the members of the British Parliament have objected to the statements made by their own prime minister and have asked him to apologize, as per a newspaper.

Pakistan has very rightly strongly reacted to the harsh statements of the British prime minister and has decided to take up the matter with the British government. Even the general public of Pakistan feels badly hurt since it is they who have been facing and bearing the brunt of war on terror in the form of suicide bombings. Countless innocent Pakistanis have lost their lives, besides thousands of soldiers and officers of Pakistan Army.

Ever pondered how many British soldiers lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan? Not more than a hundred or may be a little more. So who is doing and losing more? And still the world says that Pakistan is not doing enough. after these serious and un-called for remarks by the British prime minister, I urge the government of Pakistan to strongly condemn these and urge the president to reconsider his forthcoming trip to UK.

The British government often interferes into domestic matters of Pakistan as it has done. Why does it then allow Pakistani dissident politicians on British soil to hatch conspiracies against any sitting government in Pakistan? Isn’t this tantamount to political terrorism? We in Pakistan now should be more careful about statements issued by the British government and keep our own interests supreme rather than that of Britain.

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The Bloodiest Ever Sunset

Today I witnessed and shot the last sunset of year 2009 – and I could feel blood painted on the sky as the sun was drifting down inch by inch till it disappeared. I had shot the last on 2008 from the same roof top of my flat and was quite hopeful that the new year would bring happiness and prosperity.

But as 2009 rolled on, it became bloodier from bloody and finally became the bloodiest year of my life. It was this year that we suffered more than 80 bomb blasts, in which over 1200 innocent people lost their lives, besides thousands injured and incapacitated for the rest of their lives. As if enough wasn’t enough after the Peshawar bomb blast in which 80 people perished, mostly women and children, that the Parade Lane mosque was attacked in which many a senior officers of army, their sons and relatives died.

But the episode wasn’t over when just a couple of days before a religious procession were bombed, leaving over 40 dead and over 100 wounded. Besides, hundreds of shops were gutted causing loss of billions.

So I bade farewell to 2009 with a very heavy heart and await the new sun tomorrow with the hope that the coming year would bring us peace and harmony and take us out of the consistent fallout of the War on Terror that has dragged us into it. We were happily living before this nonsense war, but now we are paying it dearly every day that passes by.

Oh God!! Let the new year bring us love and peace and rid us from the hate-wave and hatred. We can only pray and we are praying, and would continue to pray…..

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