Brigadier Ahsan Rasheed Shami Shaheed (Hilal-e-Jurat)
In 1965, Brig Ahsan Rasheed Shami was the commander Artillery for one of the divisions in Lahore. He was on the verge of retirement when the country called upon him.
In the early days of the 1965 war, he was inspecting the areas under his command; he was moving in his command jeep with a few other senior officers. He was on a mission to take exact notes of the situation and wanted to know that how far and how deep Pakistan’s Army was into the Indian area and how much area was occupied by Pakistani soldiers under his command. During this tour, he went a bit too close to the sullen Indian troops. They took the golden opportunity and attacked his jeep with heavy weapons. He came under direct fire of the enemy’s machine gun. Brig Shami received a number of bullets on his chest and embraced martyrdom. His dead body was taken by the Indians and he was buried beyond the border inside India. His body was brought back after the war and buried on home ground. For his courage and his brave act of going into the enemy’s mouth to grab important information and leading his men from the front, Brig Shami was awarded Hilal e Jurat.
Lt. Colonel Ahmed Sultan
Lt. Colonel Ahmed Sultan
Lt. Colonel Ahmed Sultan participated in the 1965 Indo-Pak war as a captain. He was awarded with Hilal-e-Jurat for fighting bravely in Kashmir. During the 1971 war, Lt. Colonel Ahmed Sultan was leading a unit at Jamalpur; his unit was surrounded by the Indian Army. On 10th December, Indian Brigadier Hardit Singh Kler asked Lt. Colonel Ahmed Sultan to surrender in a letter that was delivered to him by an elderly man by hand.
To,
The Commander Jamalpur Garrison
I am directed to inform you that your garrison has been cut off from all sides and you have no escape route available to you. One brigade with full complement of artillery has already been built up and another will be striking by morning. In addition you have been given a foretaste of a small element of our air force with a lot more to come. The situation as far as you are concerned is hopeless. Your higher commanders have already ditched you.
I expect your reply before 6.30 p.m. today failing which I will be constrained to deliver the final blow for which purpose 40 sorties of MIGs have been allotted to me.
In this morning’s action the prisoners captured by us have given your strength and dispositions, and are well looked after.
The treatment I expect to be given to the civil messenger should be according to a gentlemanly code of honor and no harm should come to him.
An immediate reply is solicited.
Brigadier HS Kler. Comd.
Good stories. I think what you need to do is start finding non military heroes…… like Edhi, Abdus Salam….and encourage people to be like them.
1965 war would not have happened and these people would have been alive had Pakistan not started “Gibraltar” and “Grand Slam”.
They also would have been alive had India not crossed the International borders. But Indians have this habit of pointing fingers towards others and completely unfamiliar with introspection. Don’t know till now why they din’t blamed Pakistan or ISI for the rapes in India.