March 27, 1971
Tangail: East Pakistan
"If you take out this Pakistani flag and give it to us, we will let you go… or… prepare to die" this was the warning given to the Major who was also their company commander, by the traitorous East Bengal Rifles, accompanied by Mukti Bahini.
"Me and take the Pakistani flag out? Not in a million years" was the answer by Major along with a shower of bullets.
The argument now turned into a fierce battle.
The background of this argument was that a Bengali NCO of the unit was very abusive to his jawans and often abused them. The Major called the NCO to his office and told him that refrain from such practice. The NCO came out of the office and said that Company Commander has permitted him to disgrace the jawans as much as possible. A jawan who was a witness to this whole situation argued that it is absolutely wrong. The argument turned into a fight. The Major came out of his office and tried to resolve the issue but he was himself injured.
To get proper medication, he had to move to the company head quarters. His CO Colonel Rab Nawaz told him not to go back to his company as it has turned against Pakistan. Major refused to do so. Colonel Rab Nawaz locked him in a room but Major was able to escape the room and reach his company.
It was a rumor in the company that Major has fled for his life, but against their perceptions Major was still there to take over the company. Now the traitor elements in the company became desperate. They surrounded the Major who was at the Tangail Rest House along with the DC of the district. Major was given the option to surrender or to take out the Pakistani flag hoisted on the roof of rest house. Both these options were unacceptable for Major, so he took a third option …
A fierce battle started between The Major and a whole company of traitors. Even being heavily armed and in a large number, enemy was not able to move even an inch near the rest house. It took one day and one night but the battle was still on. On March 29, traitors were able to advance when the Major ran out of ammunition.
Traitors killed the Major and then were able to take the control of the rest house.
Today history knows the Major as Major Kazim Kamal Khan Shaheed SSG (Sitara e Jurrat) Punjab Regiment
جس دھج سے کوئی مقتل کو گیا وہ شان سلامت رہتی ہے
یہ جان تو آنی جانی ہے اس جاں کی تو کوئی بات نہیں
.........................
It was after noon when the telephone bell rang at a small house of Gulberg Lahore.
"Hello! who is there?", asked the young man who answered the phone.
"Ahsan here Yar ! Tanveer had a fight at Temple Road with five gangsters of the area, do something", a frightened voice from the other side replied.
The young man put the phone down immediately, kicked his bike and almost flew towards Temple Road. When he reached there, the fight was over and Tanveer was taken to the hospital for dressing but those five gangsters were still there. The young man recognized those five, but instead of stopping there; the young man kicked his bike and left. The gangsters who were ready to fight with him were surprised to see the young man's reaction.
"Oye aa bakri, darr gaya ain?" (Punjabi)
(Hey you goat? Are you afraid?), were the remarks by the gangsters, but he didn't stop.
After half an hour the young man came back on his bike, his head was shaved and he was wearing jeans, instead of his Kurta Shalwar. It was a big but unpleasant surprise for the gangsters. The young man got off from his bike and charged at them. Within a few minutes, the young man thrashed all the five like cotton.
"Hun dass bakri kon ay?" (Punjabi)
(Now tell me who is the goat?) was the question by the young man.
After taking care of the gangsters, the young man reached the hospital, consoling his wounded friend Tanveer and said ," Don't worry yar ! I am never going to leave you alone.
"I know …", was the answer by Tanveer with a contented smile.
After 3 months, the young man, was promoted to the rank of Major in Pakistan Army. He received a phone call when he was at Sialkot, It was Ahsan on the other side saying ,"Bad news for us Yar ! Tanveer is no more; he has committed suicide last night because of his marriage issue".
Those were not just words but were a bomb which just destroyed all the senses of the Major. In a condition of trauma, Major attended the funeral of his friend.
May, 1970
After few weeks of his friends death, one day the Major came to offer Fatiha on his friend's grave, he saw an old woman at the grave. He quickly recognized her, she was the mother of his friend Tanveer.
"Maa Ji! No words to describe the grief" Major said with a heavy heart.
"But my grief is even bigger Son, Tanveer's mother told the Major that she has seen her son many times in her dream, surrounded in fire and in pain and its all because he committed suicide, Mufti sahab says that it is Azaab and it can only end if any practicing Aalim or any Shaheed is buried near his grave".
"Don't worry Maa Ji, In Sha Allah soon it will be over. Major consoled the grieved mother. "I am not going to leave him alone"
December, 1971
That Major embraced shahadat at the war front after performing a series of super heroic acts. He was buried next to Tanveer's grave as per his will.
That night Tanveer's mother saw the Major in her dream, wearing a white glowing robe, lifting a heavy sack, going somewhere in a hurry.
" Baita listen to me, where are you going?" the Mother called him in the dream.
"Maa Ji not now, its Tanveer's load and I am going to throw it somewhere", and the mother was happy to see the calm and happy face of her son Tanveer, going after the Major. After that night, his mother never saw her son disturbed in her dreams.
The Major not only proved to be the best officer of Pakistan Army, but a best son, a best brother and a best friend, who took care of his friend even after being martyred.
Today, the world knows him as Major Shabbir Shareef Shaheed Nishan e Haider.
