He was an extraordinary person. I read extensively about his life in my childhood.
He never lost any competition in his life, since childhood. In his school life, he and his brother participated in the all school competition. There were 12 competitions. he won 11 of them, on the 11th prize his school master said smilingly,
"will you win all or give others a chance too?"
The 12th was won by his brother, Raheel
He joined 6FF and wrote his opening statement on joining unit in the register as,"I have come to stay"
He was awarded medals in both war he fought, 65 and 71.
In 1965, his wounded troops needed transport for med evac to rear lines on the battle field, he volunteered and told his CO that he will get the transport from the Indians. His CO said,
"This is not the house of your Aunt (Khala), this is a bloody war zone".
Shabbir shareef quietly went and crossed Indian lines with two soldiers, hijacked an Indian Army Truck and brought it to Pakistani lines.
In another scenario, shabbir's troops captured Indian Pows and had very few soldiers to give sentry duty so he decided to send the POWs to rear lines. He ordered all indians to take off their shoes and start running towards the direction he gave them and if they deviate from path, his troops will fire at them. They all started running bare foot towards Pakistani rear post where the sentry on duty rang the alarm seeing an indian horde charging at them. when they Indians came close, the sentry got shocked by seeing an unarmed bare foot Indian army team standing in line obediently at the gates of the rear HQ.
As a company commander in 1971, Maj shabbir shareef was assigned by his Brigade commander to find where the Indian battalion HQ was located near the border area. He devised an interesting methodology. The Indian CO was christian and he knew that Christians love to eat pig meat.
Early morning he went on a hunting trip in nov/december cold around 6am at the border, he killed a boar, but the boar while running fell into a stream, he ordered his havaldar (sergeant) to jump in the freezing water and recover it. The havaldar jumped in freezing waters and recovered the boar.
The boar was kept in the jeep and driven to the border gate side, where interaction with indians was made and boar was presented as a gift. watching from a pakistani observation tower, after 15 minutes an Indian jeep came from somewhere and picked up the boar from the border gate and drove off towards a hidden underground set of bunkers, obstructed by trees and vegetation all around, which was one of the three probable locations marked by PA as Indian BHQ.
This is how Shabbir Shareef had located the Indian BHQ.
While he crossed the border in 1971 to attack the Indian Army, he encountered an Indian wedding festival and Barat who got scared on seeing pakistani Army on their side, but Shabbir ordered that no harm no should come to the newly weds and their ceremony.
Shabbir Shareef was very hot headed sometimes and once at a barat of a an army officer, he got outraged when somebody wrongly over took him and he honked the horn continuously at that car, to which a senior officer said,
"yeh laften (lieutenant) ka laften ki hay".
Once He also slapped a driver of his unit, to which the driver complained. The CO ordered Shabbir to apologise to the driver. Shabbir got up at once and apologised to the driver without wasting a second. The driver started crying and hugged his officer immediately.
Maj Shabbir was once passing by near the area where had fought and repelled an Indian attack in war (probably 1965)where he won sitara e jurat. He took over the wheels of the jeep from his driver and while driving on dirt paths, a stone hit the wind screen of the jeep. The driver insisted to take the blame, but Shabbir wouldnt agree and despite repeated pleadings from his driver, took the responsibility on himself.
Maj Shabbir had a very close friend (i forgot his name). Once a few ganged up on his friend and a fight ensued, shabbir was passing near by on a bike, his friend call for help. Shabbir looked at the situation and sped off. The gang beating his friend started to make fun of shabbir's cowardice. Shabbir reached home, changed his clothes, sped back on his bike and rescued his friend by single handedly beating the gang and saving his friend from this ordeal.
Shabbir's bike was a thunder bird, 200 cc.
Shabbir's close friend committed suicide after a few years, probably for a girl whom his parents refused marriage. Shabbir asked to be buried next to his friend's grave, incase he was martyred, probably to provide solace to hid friend's soul.
Maj Shabbir shareef used to drop his sister at the college every morning, there he liked a girl and asked his sister to get information about her parents. The girls parents were reluctant and would not say yes to proposal but shabbir shareef wouldnt let his parents back down from visiting them. Eventually shabbir's persistence became fruitful and her parents gave in and shabbir got engaged and then married.
@Ulla @django
