The Day the Martyre was Born.

[Devil Soul]

Madiha Ishtiaque

Today is his birthday. The last sight of him was an embodiment of peace – so tranquil that it was almost enviable for those who laid their eyes on him. Wrapped up in the green flag and encased in an earthen coffin, he was ready to head for his final journey. While every next ladder he crossed, he received medals and badges and all that would inflate a man with pride, but this time, the satisfaction suffused and shining on his face was beyond anything one would have seen before. That day, Yaser Abbas knew he would be crowned with the best of the medals – the medal of martyr hood accorded to him by none other than Al-Mighty-Allah, in one of the most ceremonious ways.

Imagine the shudder, the horror at the sight of a gun pointed at you. Think of the choking pain one might go through as the burning bullet tears through, grazing the chest. The horrors of death would make most of people shirk away at the mere sight of it. What would you think of a man, who vied to receive these bullets, crossed flanks the ranks, led them, faced the enemy eye to eye, without a step faltering and without a hint of fear to dwindle him. Everyday, we see actors receiving complements on their bravado, people frantically going crazy for their heroic acts, boosting their macho-ism in films and in movies. Do we ever stop to pay tribute these paragons of valor and bravery, who undergo strenuous trainings and harbor profound patriotism, who exhibit no reluctance when their duty calls them to fight for their homelands and lay their lives.

He was a son, brother, nephew, cousin, a grandchild, uncle, a friend a hub of so many lives. And all, in a matter of a couple of hours lost him. Yet look at those epitomes of patience and strength, siding the agony of his death, they humbly celebrate the pride, the honor he has brought them and the nation. And where people deliberately try to give a God like, saintly stature to the heroes, he was only a human, a human who exhibited qualities that confirm humanity a reflection of his creator the Almighty Allah.

When I spoke to Yaser’s father, after gathering much strength to speak to the man who had lost his only son, he was walking his way back home after visiting Yaser’s grave on his birthday. They would always celebrate the occassion, even when Yaser would be away from home. A nice, small ceremony where ever Yaser used to be, would always mark the day. Being an outstanding student, who qualified for UET Lahore, NUST (Rawalpindi) on merit, he chose to opt for Pak Navy in 2005 after spending more than half semester at NUST. One can clearly understand the rampant emotion in him that moved him to take such a step. His loyalty and dedication to his occupation cannot be highlighted enough but a seemingly small thing would give you a fair idea, that he respected his uniform so much that he wouldn’t let it be stained at all and would want to keep it white and pristine. Imagine how could he have let any taint of stain fall on his patriotism and could tolerate an evil eye set on his country. These might be an insignificant facts for some, carry a profound meaning for those who wish take things beyond their surface value.

Without making it sound heroic, a fact needs to be noted that he was one of those people, who have patriotism and willingness to sacrifice for the homeland ingrained in them, as if it's running in their blood. This instinctive urge in Yaser got a further high being in a profession where you’re taught the same as well. A year and a half back, while looking at the wall decked with pictures of Shaheeds of Army, he seeing the picture of Capt. Sher khan Shaheed, remarked in front of his friends that one day they’d also see his name there . He did that on 21st May.2011. Being an aeronautical engineer, a non-trained and non combat fighter, still leading a rapid squad rank with two cooks, two waiters and one driver, out of which only two dared to accompany him for the vicious combat, he made sure he fails the two primary plans of terrorist – one destroying all the precious assets of Navy and the second, kidnapping and massacring the foreign engineers trapped in there. While the rest were ducked wherever they found the place, he faced the enemy standing, face to face, without a hint of fear, plunged headlong, killed two of them and received bullets on his chest, two on his heart and one slightly under it. What a gift of valor! He did what was beyond his assigned duty, but rightly for the duty delegated to him by his motherland. Undoubtedly, apart from his elevated stature in the heaven, he truly deserves this worldly medal of Nishan-e-Haider as well.

Today, as the custom of the world is, every child’s identity comes from his father’s name, but for Yaser’s father, it pleases him more than any other thing else, that he is known by his son. His identity is the Father of Lt. Yaser Abbas’s Shaheed, Col (R) Jaffer Abbass.

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(Madiha Ishtiaque is the content writer and person-in-charge of the The News Blog. She handles the content development and monitors the social media networking activities of the Blog.)
The Day the Martyre was Born. | The News Blog

 

[seekers]

Bundles of thanks for sharing the memories of my beloved nephew Shaheed Lt. Yaser Abbass.