1. It could only be Allah's will that Pakistan was led by a group of men who were utterly patriotic and staunch believers in a glorious destiny for the followers of Islam. Zia, Akhtar, Yusuf, Hamid Gul and others saved Pakistan, saved Afghans and lifted the weight that had kept the C Asian Muslims subdued for seven decades. The enterprise they set up rang out a call of Jihad unparalleled in the annuls of Islamic history. Muslims from Philippines to Europe, N America to Africa, Muslims of all colors and shades joined in a holy war that on the one hand destroyed communist empires, and on the other terrified WCC (Western Christan Civilization) with its possible ramifications. Islamic history will remember these men as also Prince Turki as heroes.
2. Gen Akhtar's CV needs to mention his successful tenure as the Military Secretary at the GHQ from where he was moved to ISI and promoted to three star. He also served as an instructor / term commander /company commander at the PMA. Many cadets of the time would become well known figures in the country. NH recipients Mohammad Akram and Shabbir Sharif; Prez Musharraf and the man appointed to replace him Gen Khwaja Ziauddin.
3. When confronted with the task of organizing the Afghan war, Akhtar chose fellow gunner Yusuf, now deceased, as his key man. Like Zia and Akhtar, Yusuf was an East Punjabi. He had no links with Afghanistan or Frontier. He was not a special forces officer and never trained for intel. But Akhtar remembered a paper that Yusuf had produced in the Staff College on a similar case scenario. When Hamid Gul took over ISI, Yusuf was replaced by Afzal Janjua, SSG, an extremely hard working and dedicated soldier. It was him who went to wake up Gen Zia at dead of night to report that the Soviets had started withdrawing. Zia had immediately offered two raqats of thanksgiving prayers.Then turning to Afzal he had said, "Son, today is the start of the birth of many Pakistans".
4. Rarely has such a close and intensive cooperation seen among special forces, intel, military, diplomacy, resistance forces, global volunteers and the political leadership. This goes to prove the excellent organization of work carried out under Zia and Akhtar and delivered through Yusuf. Zia was a master statesman and a shrewd diplomat. Today some people enamored of Western culture accuse Zia of being a bigot. The truth is that Zia had understood well that Pakistan was born to serve Islam. He was able to motivate the people and the military into believing in the cause of Islam. Therefore, he had made committed no mistakes in the Afghan War where the entire world of Islam had accepted him as the leader and Gazi.
