Daily Times

LAHORE: The Alhamra Arts Council on Monday featured a drama on the life story and patriotism of late Pakistani soldier Maqbool Hussain famous as Sipahi Maqbool Hussain.

The tributary play is being staged on the directives of Punjab Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan. The play will be showcased from November 3-10.

The play is written by Asghar Nadeem Syed and directed by Amir Nawaz and Qaisar Javed. Famous actor Rashid Mehmood is playing the role of Sipahi Maqbool Hussain and the other cast includes Perwaiz Raza Sarfraz Ansari, Tanveer Shah, Zohaib Ahmed, Tanveer Khalid, Zaheer Taj, Tehseen Khan, Azra Aftab and Qaisar Shehzad.

The main theme and objective of the play is to share with the public the sacrifice that the Sipahi Maqbool Hussain rendered for Pakistan.

Hussain was arrested by the Indian army in Kashmir during the 1965 war and was kept in prison where he was brutally tortured. His time in prison saw Hussain chant “Pakistan Zindabad” endlessly until his tongue was cut off. After that, he came to be known as one of the bravest soldiers of all time.

He was handed over to Pakistani officials in 2005 but by then, he was severely unstable both, physically and mentally. After his return, Hussain was honoured by the Pakistani Army who recognised him as an example of true bravery and patriotism.

The renowned soldier passed away in August 2018 and many have paid tribute to him and his life, taking it upon themselves to honour him in more ways than one.

Speaking on the opening ceremony of the drama, Chohan said that Maqbool Hussain was not a soldier but a Pakistan Army general for him.

Alhamra Arts Council Chairman Touqeer Nasir said in his statement that Minister for Information and Culture Fayyazul Hassan Chohan had directed them to stage a drama on the life of Shaheed Sipahi Maqbool Hussain’s life to pay a tribute to his patriotism.

“Every developed and civilized nation considers their soldiers as the jewel of the crown, as these are the people who sacrifice their lives sleep and protect our motherland. It was our basic aim to do everything to recognize the efforts and sacrifices of Sipahi Maqbool Hussain that he made for our beloved homeland,” said Captain (r) Atta Muhammad Khan, the ex-executive director of Alhamra Arts Council.

Director Arts and Culture Zulfiqar Ali Zulfi in his statement said that the reason of organizing the play is that the story with such vigor strength, valor, and full of sacrifices is still unknown to many. “People don’t even know about Sipahi Hussain who spent his life’s golden 40 years in Indian jails; they also don’t know about the mental and physical torture he bore for Pakistan. To recognize his great sacrifices, we tried our best to make this drama as much relevant as possible. Sons of the soil who sacrifice their lives are worth praising,” he added.

Published in Daily Times, November 6^th 2018.