SACRIFICE

“Gentleman I have seen your marksheets, you have got excellent grades, you can easily go to any renown university, why armed forces?”

Sir serving my nation has always been my passion.

“But you can still serve your nation by may be becoming an engineer or an accountant or a policy maker.”

Sir I want to serve with honor, respect and dignity and all three of them dipped in my blood. I want to sweat and bleed for this land and in the dark hours I don’t want to have any option other then fighting and sacrificing till my last breath. While in uniform I would know that this is what all I have, I live till the time the green flag flutters.

“hmm you said sacrifice, isn’t it?”

Yes sir.

Well I guess you are going in the right direction then.

These were the initial questions which the deputy president at ISSB centre asked me. The entire four days stay at ISSB centre MALIR cantt was tough and the routine was quite hectic but I was still enjoying every second of it. At the end of each day, I and my newly made friends had something interesting to do. Each morning all the candidates, gentlemen was the name used, had interesting stories to share.

“Yar kal kisi dash dash nay raat pani phenk dia meray oper, sara bister bheeg gaya, room say bahir nikalna allow nae hai warna main chorta nae osay.”

“Oee han yar mje koi jota mar kar bhag gaya.”

“Yar meray room main tw ulloo urr rahay the.”

I could easily recall the last sentence, we were right there hiding behind the curtains after throwing CHAPALS form three different directions towards Ahmed. The first one hit him right on his back while the second and third missed him by inches and made a fly fast salute, Ahmed was half up when the second and third CHAPAL was air borne, and he uttered this sentence.

“Oe yar otho, kamray main ullo urr rahay hain.”

And there he went down again, snoring loud. Ahmed had this gift of snoring loud, it was like as someone was driving a Honda of 1980’s and that too without silencer.

I was brought back from memories of my past to the duty room by the loud, irritating tone of my cell phone. I hated this tone so much but still never changed it.

“AOA ami jan kia haal hain”

“WS, beta main thek hun, tm apni sunao, aur ye batao k chutti kab aa rahay hoo?”

“wo …..ami jan …chutti ..thori si….”

My mother interrupted In between

“bas bas ab koi bahana nae chalay ga, tm aa jao gay to Navy ka kaam ruk nae jae ga, aur beta kuch arsay baad tmhari shaadi hai hamain tayari b karni hai”

I was confused and puzzled. I didn’t know how to tell my mother that current security situation was not very good and we were supposed to be on duty round the clock. I knew that this was the high time when my country and my people needed me and I didn’t want to turn back.

“ji ami jan, INSHALLAH bht jald ao ga”

Suddenly I heard a loud noise of a burst, the sound was massive and I knew that it was the time.

“beta ye awaz kesi thi ?”

“hello …..hellooo”

“beta meri awaz aa rahi hai……hello”

But I was not there to answer as I was out with my men of Quick Response team, the men of Janbaaz force who face the threat at the first line of defence. It was a heavy attack; the entire squad on main gate became victim to the bomb blasts timed one after the other. We were under heavy fire; the entire air was being muzzled by shells and bullets of heavy machine guns.

Three of my men embraced Shahadat, one after the other. It was too dark and it was hard to determine the direction from where the attack was being made, we couldn’t go on with blind firing as it could endanger the lives of my own men, every bullet was suppose to be right on the target.

“Gul Nawaz, I need cover, yahan say kuch pata nae chal raha, mje agay jana hai”

I screamed loud to make Gul Nawaz hear me as the entire place was filled with sound of guns and hand grenades.

“Sir agay bohat fire hai, ap yahin wait karain jab tak next platoon nae ati.”

“tab tak bht der hoo jae gi, agr ham nay yahan say unhain divert na kia tw poray unit main koi nae bachay, just do as I am saying dam it”

I shouted with all of my energy on him.

Gul Nawaz positioned himself on his LMG and opened fire, under cover of which I advanced forward firing from my G3, I kept advancing forward in the direction of fire, I knew I would never go back; all I wanted was to buy some time for the reserve battalion to move in, only few men understand the worth of such trade off, time at the price of life.

I was soon spotted by the NVD carrying snipers and was under fire from three different directions, I took every bullet one after the other right on my chest but didn’t let the enemy to advance forward.

 As I lay down, my blood fills the thirst of my mother land and my sacrifice gives the reserve platoon time to rush in and counter the attack. I can see my journey to my eternal home, and my body wrapped in green flag at my door step, I can see my father standing proud holding my with my white uniform colored red with my blood in his hands, I can see my mother searching for the corner of the house where she could hide and cry for that she lost her only son.

Sorry mom I couldn’t come home for my country needed my sacrifice.