The Brave Hearts

I heard the dogs howling. I looked outside. Sprawled on the coach in the verandah was abig healthy cat. Jason a Pomeranian and Laila a Spaniel stood six feet from the cat barking. Suddenly, Sheela the 12 weeks German Shepherdpup appeared on the scene. The cat saw her and quietly left. Even the cats know which breed of dogs to fear. There is a lesson for us, the humans in it.While going to war you do not take traders with you. You need hardcore fighting men.

The men who stood guard at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) were truly a fighting breed.They had known for months that the terrorists were coming. Everyday they took an appraisal of their defences, plugging the loopholes and polishing the drills. A nerve-racking exercisethat could have worn down lessermen. They waited patiently for their quarry. They knew a rat stood as many chances to blunder into the trap as not. They were also aware that surprise in time and space was always on the side of the attacker. They would not relax their vigil.

At last they came. Four desperate men, ready to kill or get killed, stormed the PSX. They were the same fighting breed as their brothers in faith defending a precious national asset. But it was cold professionalism against foolhardy naivety. It was mercenary rage versus the indomitable motivation for martyrdom, the most potent battle winning intangible. The spirit of Jehad, that even the enemies do not fail to recognize, appreciate and reckon.

It took them eight minuets to eliminate the threat. From the records we know that a neighbouring army would have taken eight days to tackle a similar challenge that also by employing means amounting to using a sledgehammer to kill a fly. Still from the military to political bigwigs and the vociferous media would have saluted them as heroes. It is so easy to make a hero there. Abhinandan Vrthaman, the cowardlypiolet, wasmore intent on running away from the battlefield than accomplishing his mission.His half-hearted wastefuleffort, unworthy of a fighter pioletendedsoon when he fell like a sparrow in front of a PAF eagle. And there, hewas also hailed as a hero and awarded Bhagwan Mahavir Puraskar.It is the same make-belief fantasy that pervades Indian mindset and makes Modiclaim that the Chinese have not taken even an inch of Indian territory.

There is more to the story than the death of four poor desperados. The event is an extension of the Bollywood style dramas RAW keeps staging in Pakistan to justify its expansive existence. After the sloppy attempt of assault on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi, the failure at PSX was a back to back slap on the face of RAW. Feeling ashamed is no more an Indian attribute. It is not unlikely that sooner than later India starts harping upon yet another pretention that 1962 debacle in Ladakh was Indian valiant Army’s resounding success, claims like 1965 war and Kargil skirmishes.

The enemies of Pakistan with active support of the fifth-generation warfare actors within Pakistan have worked overtime to malign ISI and its parent organization, the military

RAW had masterminded this attack and once again failed. Forewarned is forearmed. The triumphant confidence of the DG Rangers (Sindh) and the Karachi Police chief during their well-articulated post attack press conference could not help betrayinga tacitly paid glowing tribute to the intelligence agencies of Pakistan led by the unmatched ISI. Both of them repeatedly admitted that they were well informed and ready to receive the terrorists.Somewhizkids without any combat experiencechose toventure opinion on this operation also, finding flimsy faults including the most bizarreobservation of an intelligence failure.

The ISI has been a thorn in the side of many bigger and better sourced regional and other notable intelligence actors playing around Pakistan. The enemies of Pakistan with active support of the fifth-generation warfare actors within Pakistan have worked overtime to malign ISI and its parent organization, the military. They would love to see its wings clipped and made subservient to some ruthless operators who would not mind bargaining any asset of this country in greed for power.

The poor terrorists’ so-called commanders collecting huge amount of money to sustain their luxurious lifestyle abroad in exchange for worthless loss of life of their own innocent tribesmen have a lot to ponder. RAW isleast concerned about the Balochi lives. It recklessly keeps pushing the Baloch youth into hellfire. For RAW they maybe a mere expandable commodity, but their heartless leaders should have some sympathy for their own kith and kin.

Coming back to the men and women at PSX. The saying in the Ingle Hall at Pakistan Military Academy reads:”It is not what happens to me that matters but how I behave while it is happening”. During those stressful minuets these sons and daughters of the soil acquitted themselves admirably well. They worked like a team of champions going around performing their duties with cool efficiency. Their calm was astounding and their courage amazing. While the frontline was engaged in intense firefight, the civilian staff without panic or anxiety kept the PSX functioning and throbbing as usual. They were confident that their soldiers would not let them down and they were also out to prove that in their own rightthey weretoofighters par excellence.

A policeman of Quick Deployment Force saw two of his comrades hit by the enemy fire. His own buddy by his side was already dead. He took cover. When he noticed a terrorist pulling out his grenade this young man broke cover, stood up and shot the terrorist in the head. His cool headedness was out of this world. This was real time live fire, not a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster. All through this short tumultuous episode they remained undaunted, undeterred and focused,these men and women,truly a bunch of The Brave Hearts.

The writer is (Major General (retd) and authored “In Search of Messiah”