It looked impressive when the French Army Chief Gen Bertrand Ract-Madoux laid a floral wreath at the Yadgar-e-Shuhada outside the GHQ on March 13, a gesture of recognition of the matchless contribution of Pakistan armed forces’ jawans and officers, by a coalition partner, which the Americans and other Nato member countries should also follow. Gen Kayani, while speaking on the occasion, rightly said that the sacrifices made by the Pakistan army were more than that that of the Nato forces in Afghanistan, “therefore it required appreciation and not the baseless accusations.”
This leads us to draw a little comparison between the Pakistan armed forces and the contemporary armies of the world. The most unforgettable and in Karzai’s words “unforgivable” act of brutality in Kandahar by the American troops killing a number of unarmed Afghan civilians, and a number of similar incidents by the Americans, remind us of the pressure and frustration as they do not willingly accept their postings into the war zones of Afghanistan or elsewhere in the combat areas. Recently, a Major of American army, in its headquarters in USA, opened fire on his colleagues, killing four of them, just because he was opposed to his posting to Afghanistan.
One wonders why the Pakistan army troops face a similar kind of pressure or frustration while going into war. Why even a single incident of such kind has never occurred in the entire history of Pakistan military? There might have been at the beginning difference of opinion on whether or not the war on terror was the war for Pakistan, but later when it started engulfing Pakistan and hitting its security forces, the consensus and focus led to not only motivation but sweeping actions by the forces in which our troops’ individual resolve for valour and sacrifice was seen at the peak.
Not to mention that they have rendered over 3700 martyrdoms in this ongoing war. But the great aspect which is not highlighted is the height of patience, resoluteness and resilience demonstrated by our men and officers during the course of this asymmetrical warfare. They had to offer their life while not opening fire at the target hiding behind the human shields; the terrorists made locals their hostages and used them as their shields. The troops could have followed the rule ‘everything is fair in love and war’, but instead they paid the price of such a patience and love for their countrymen by giving their lives.
The inhuman attitude of US-Nato troops like pissing on the dead bodies and burning of the copies of Quran in Afghanistan shows the level of ethics and morality the troops of the most civilised world adhere to. Same tactics we have been hearing of the Indian forces demonstrating in IHK and other troubled areas. Imagine what kind of a holocaust such civilised world’s individuals can create while in possession of nuclear weapons?
We Pakistanis have maintained such a capability only for our survival. And if the French chief of army staff salutes their martyred colleagues at Yadgar-e-Shuhads, it is the respect that is due from all the world forces chiefs because their sacrifices have prevented any other 9/11 from happening in America, 7/7 in London and Madrid bombing in Spain. They are of no match, literally.