Daily Times

In peace and honour rest you here, my sons

Secure from worldly chances and mishaps!

Here lurks no treason, here no envy swells

No noise, but silence and eternal sleep:

In peace and honour rest you here, my sons!

—Titus Andronicus from

How should one begin a saga of courage and altruism so overpowering that brings tears to the steeliest of the hearts? Like countess martyrs in the cause of the nation this is a story of a strapping young lad from the mountains of Gilgit who in the hallowed tradition of charging cavaliers laid down his life when he had a chance to escape. Displaying courage, grit and self-immolation he led his injured body into the cauldron of battle knowing fully well the odds stacked up against him in the killing riverine fields of then East Pakistan. Like all wounds September lays bare the anguish of mothers, sisters, brothers, and fathers for their fallen sons in the service of the country, some of whom were recognized through gallantry awards and some lost in the mist of obscurity for lack of publicity of their intrepidity.

Lt Salar Beg was a newly commissioned officer in 1971 belonging to a celebrated armour unit of Pakistan Army i,e 22 cavalry, barely out of teens and the tumult of military academy life. He was son of another illustrious son of Gilgit and Hunza ie Brigadier Sherullah Beg, a charismatic SSG officer who is revered for his pioneering role in setting up and improving the Special Services Group of Pakistan Army. Salar was the second son of his parents who doted on all their sons with equal affection. There was something about Salar however that kept his mother specially attached to her son. His mother hailing from Hunza was a very affectionate and inspiring lady. She was very popular amongst the colleagues and friends of her three sons in army who were all welcomed and treated like her sons.

While at Cherat in old times as a Commander SSG Brig Sherullah had an impetuous subordinate i.e Captain Pervez Musharraf who lived in the eagle’s nest, as Cherat was then called, with his young wife. Like the elders of the family Mrs Sherullah took care of all families. Her loving nature was complemented by her piquant scolding of all those who did not abide by her motherly entreaties to take care of themselves in the spartan environs braving the harsh Cherat winters. It was the memory of her matriarchal command at SSG center Cherat that General Pervez Musharraf recalled with obvious relish during one of his visits to her place in 2000. She was old and frail but her usual sprightly self when Musharraf asked her mischievously, “Apki command abhee tuk Qaim hai?”(Is your command still on?)Out came her spontaneous reply, “Tum Ko Koi Shuk hai”. (Do you have any doubts?) The Chief Executive of the country could only muster an approving smile!

It was the memory of her son Salar though, etched on her heart indelibly, as well as on the handcrafted Gilgit grey stone faced exterior of their stately Bungalow’s main entrance in bold letters as “Salar e Alia”, a loving paean to the memory of a son resting away in the green verdure of what was once East Pakistan, that evoked a hint of wistfulness in the convivial countenance of the Iron Lady. Deeply buried in her heart was the memory of a son long lost in the tumult of war with his few personal belongings as family heirlooms to remind the family of his presence in their hearts. With no grave in Gilgit the family built an elegantly graceful memorial to the martyred soldier who died for his country with his boots on.

The plucky cavalier rode into the Indian fusillade undeterred by the overmatched strength of the Indian armour and was taken on by a direct hit on his tank

Lt Salar Beg on the outbreak of the war was stationed in West Pakistan in 1971 when he volunteered to join 3 independent Armoured Squadron in East Pakistan. In the Eastern theatre of war Pakistani armoured forces were vastly outnumbered qualitatively and quantitatively. Against three vastly superior armoured regiments i.e 45 Cavalry, 63 armoured, and 63 Cavalry supported by two independent squadrons comprising superior tanks like PT 76 and T55, Pakistan Army only had five depleted independent armoured squadrons with light M 24 Chafee tanks having limited range and penetration compared to the firepower of Indian T55s.Despite this shortcoming Pakistani armour troops gave an excellent account of themselves.

3rd Independent Squadron joined the battle on 2st November in Gharibpur (Jessore Sector). Indian 45 Cavalry was pitted against Pakistan’s 3rd Independent armoured squadron. Lt Salar Beg was commanding a troop of tanks of this squadron that attacked the Indian tanks on the instructions of his squadron commander. As the tanks advanced Lt Salar Beg’s tank got bogged down in the wet ground lying within the effective range of Indian tanks. Due to enhanced range the Indian tanks engaged his immobilized tank with a tank round. Instead of abandoning his burning tank Lt Salar engaged the Indian tank and scored a direct hit. Soon his tank received a second hit and the smoke started rising from the tank. The gallant officer still kept on fighting and destroyed another Indian tank with a direct hit. Meanwhile his tank had caught fire with blazing inferno reaching his fighting compartment. His gun could no more fire since the dark smoke was blinding his gun sights. With burn injuries he scrambled out of the burning tank alongwith his crew.

His eyes had got so badly affected due to fire that he was evacuated to nearest military hospital. The battle was bloody with the elan and panache of Pakistani armour lads in stark contrast to the doughty yet cautious tactics of Indian troops. 3rd Independent armor squadron’s ten inferior M24s got destroyed accounting for 6 vastly superior Indian tanks and their Squadron Commander Major Narag. The Indian writers in The Asian age quote the CO of Indian 45 Cavalry Col Sidhu as saying, “I saw death at close quarters when my tank came under fire from the enemy forces. One of the enemy tanks opened fire and shot me as well as my tank. My gunner died. The rest of the crew came out and started crawling back to our positions. I waved a white handkerchief at our own infantry while crawling back so that they don’t shoot me. I had around 200 splinters in my leg and could not walk.”

Due to the nature of Lt Salar’s injuries, especially the severe damage to his eyes the hospital authorities decided to evacuate him to West Pakistan and even a “Movement Order” was prepared for his evacuation. The gritty soul that he was, Lt Salar refused to be evacuated stating that he could not leave his squadron behind. With his eyes getting a little better Lt Salar requested vociferously to be discharged so that he could rejoin his squadron. His request was reluctantly granted and with one of his eyes covered in bandage he rejoined his squadron to the obvious delight of troops. Nature had planned greater glory for him. A day before the ceasefire on 15 December 1971 he participated in his last battle at Khulna where a defensive position established by 6 Punjab and 15 FF was attacked by an Indian brigade. Lt Salar riding the last functioning tank of his squadron mounted his black steed to stem the Indian attack. The plucky cavalier rode into the Indian fusillade undeterred by the overmatched strength of the Indian armour and was taken on by a direct hit on his tank.

Thus was lost a debonair youth, a fine professional, and a devoted son whose doting mother would not get to see him again as he was laid to rest in the same location in his black armoured corps uniform that he so loved. He was recommended for Sitara-e-Jurat by his Squadron Commander. His valiant mother who was a godmother to an entire generation of soldiers and officers like her son finally breathed her last in 2006. What a reunion it must have been in the heavens for the son and the mother!

The writer is a PhD scholar at NUST:rwjanj@hotmail.com