Students of AMU with their delivery drone prototype
Aligarh :
Showcasing creativity and technological ingenuity, a team of final-year students from the University Polytechnic, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has developed a Delivery Drone Prototype, a promising step towards autonomous aerial delivery systems.
Guided by former Principal of University Polytechnic, Prof. Arshad Umar and Dr. Tanveer Hasan, Associate Professor at the Polytechnic, the student team comprising Saubaan Ahmad Siddiqui, Ehtesham Ahmad, Shabab Khan, Ankit Tomar, Anas Khan, Muzaffar Hussain, and Omaan Ahmad Ansari successfully carried out six autonomous delivery missions within the university campus over a span of two months.
Equipped with real-time video streaming, autonomous navigation, gesture-controlled backup, and a custom dashboard to track flight data and delivery paths, the drone highlights the university’s commitment to hands-on, interdisciplinary learning.
This initiative is part of AMU’s larger vision to promote student-led innovation and applied research in emerging technologies. The project has received wide appreciation in academic circles for its relevance to real-world logistics, emergency response, and smart campus solutions.
Although this is a prototype for academic use, the team plans to enhance the system with AI-based object detection and an expanded operational range, reflecting the university’s emphasis on innovation-driven education and future-ready skills.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Aasha Khosa, ATV / July 28th, 2025
Women at the Sabaat Center share a moment of joy, building community through their shared work
New Delhi:
Shiv Vihar carries the silence of broken dreams. The 2020 Delhi riots swept through this northeast Delhi neighbourhood. Homes were burned, shops looted and lives uprooted. Among the soot and rubble, 19-year-old Shumayla and her family lost everything. Their house was reduced to memories.
Today, she sits at a sewing machine in the Sabaat Centre, threading fabrics into full-grown suits. “I began at ground level. Now I can make entire suits. It feels nice to create something on my own,” she said.
For her, the needle of her sewing machine is like a compass guiding her towards hope.
The Sabaat Center at Shiv Vihar
Sewing Stories with Sabaat
An initiative of the Miles2Smiles Foundation, the centre was born from the same flames that destroyed Shumayla’s world. Its founder, Aasif Mujtaba, witnessed firsthand how survivours in Shiv Vihar held together their shattered worlds.
“I saw women in Shiv Vihar holding their worlds together with grace, and I knew they deserved more than just pity,” he said.
From this empathy came Sabaat, a place where women learn to stitch, create and rebuild their identities.
Shabnam, a mother of three, leaves behind her home chores for a few hours to learn something creative at the centre.
“While managing the house along with the work is difficult, I love coming here,” she says.
At the center, women thread, stitch and craft, turning cloth into outfits, tote bags, pouches, magnets, mugs and keychains.
Women work at sewing machines in the Sabaat Center, crafting outfits and other merchandise
Aasif calls their work a story: “Every tote bag, keychain, magnet or cup has a story of survival, strength and hope.”
Farheen Ansari, a fashion designer who leads the training, ensures their skills match market demands. The women attend morning sessions from 9 am to 11 am, growing from beginners to masters over six months or more, depending on their pace.
“We get orders from local boutiques,” she told TwoCircles.net.
Their crafts are sold through the Sabaat Store, returning income directly to the women who made them.
Beyond Stitching
But Sabaat’s work is not limited to sewing. Women learn how to handle orders, set prices, brand products and even promote them online. Acquiring these skills are essential to turn trainees into entrepreneurs.
“Whenever a student learns something new, I tell her to implement it at home,” says Farheen, adding that some do just that.
Sabaat empowers women by providing emotional support alongside practical skill training
Women like Sangeeta, Daraqshan, Saiba and Gulafshan have started their own small businesses.
Initiated for survivors of hate violence, widows and women from marginalised and economically vulnerable groups, Sabaat has already trained 70 women.
“Impressively, at least 70% of them have achieved financial independence, whether working within Sabaat or starting their own ventures,” claims Aasif.
Women at the center undergo an extensive training program for manufacturing products
In addition to offering skill-based training, the programme is also bridging trauma and offering dignity, trust and a voice. Most days end in shared smiles. The women’s laughter fills the centre, evidence that even broken neighbourhoods can teach courage.
Amid ongoing struggles for justice and pending compensation, Sabaat brings healing where paperwork lags. Plans are underway to expand, bringing this safe space to more women and more neighbourhoods.
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> India News> Indian Politics> Indian Muslim> Lead Story> Women / by Maryam Hassan & Unzila Sheikh, TwoCircles.net / August 10th, 2025
In a momentous first for Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Afrin Jabeen, a B.P.Ed. student, has scripted history by becoming the first-ever AMU student to successfully swim across the English Channel.
Aligarh Muslim University:
In a momentous first for Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Afrin Jabeen, a B.P.Ed. student, has scripted history by becoming the first-ever AMU student to successfully swim across the English Channel.
Afrin braved the frigid waters at 11°C and fierce currents on July 29, 2025 to complete the solo one-way swim from Dover (UK) to Cap Gris-Nez (France) at a stretch of 34 kilometers in 13 hours and 13 minutes, beginning at 3:45 AM London time.
This remarkable feat places her in the elite ranks of international endurance swimmers and brings immense pride to AMU, her home state West Bengal, and India at large.
Who is Afrin Jabee?
Rising from a modest background in Paschim Medinipur, Afrin’s journey is a stirring testament to perseverance, discipline, and unyielding ambition. Even before this feat, she had already distinguished herself as a formidable open-water swimmer.
She represented Vidyasagar University three times at the All-India Inter-University Aquatic Championships, competed twice for West Bengal at the national level, and conquered demanding long-distance swims spanning 13 kms, 21 kms, and 24 kms.
Her most remarkable pre-AMU achievement was securing 2nd position among girls in the world’s longest swimming event—an 81 kms marathon in the Ganges.
“Historic Milestone”
As a student of AMU, Afrin’s triumph is not only personal but also a historic milestone for the university.
Flanked by her proud brother, Adil Mohmmad (a PhD student in the Department of Chemistry at AMU) and her sister-in-law, Rizwana Yasmeen (a Gold Medalist in Nanotechnologty at AMU), Afreen, holding the Indian flag, expressed with thrill, “I am happy to have brought joy to my nation, University and family, who always support me in pursuing my dreams.”
AMU Vice Chancellor Prof. Naima Khatoon hailed her achievement as a moment of “collective celebration and pride.”
She said that Afrin’s extraordinary spirit will inspire generations of AMU students. “She has initiated a journey that will be taken up by many more talented students at AMU”, she said.
“Remarkable Achievement”
Prof Ikram Husain, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and the Chairperson, Department of Physical Education congratulated Afrin Jabee for her remarkable achievement and expressed hope that her education at AMU will ensure many more such laurels in her life.
Prof Vibha Sharma, Member Incharge, Public Relations Office, said that Afrin and her brother are still in the UK and they will be back to Aligarh soon. She congratulated them on phone and conveyed the best wishes on behalf of the university fraternity.
In Afrin, AMU has found a new icon, a daughter of Aligarh who swam into history, carrying the university’s name across nations and into global acclaim and offers great promises for future in sports.
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Education & Career / by ummid.com news network / August 02nd, 2025
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Karnataka is stepping up its drive to promote economic stability by expanding interest-free financial institutions across the state. At a meeting with Souharda Cooperative Society leaders, JIH Karnataka State President Dr. Belgami Mohammed Sa’d stressed the need to free people from exploitative moneylenders.
Dr. Sa’d outlined plans to set up interest-free cooperative societies in major cities and towns as the first step in a state-wide mission. “Economic stability is a cornerstone of positive social change,” he said, urging community support to replicate the model in more regions.
JIH Karnataka State Secretary Mohammed Yusuf Kanni highlighted the success of existing Souharda Societies. About 18,000 members are part of these societies in Bidar, Kalburgi, Raichur, Ilkal, Bellary, Davangere, Bhatkal, Udupi, and Mangalore. Last year, they handled transactions worth ₹125 crore.
Mr. Kanni announced expansion to Sindhanur, Hubli, Hassan, and Bijapur by March 2026. He said the aim is to give more people access to interest-free finance, promote equitable participation, and reduce reliance on conventional banks.
Mriza Abid Baig Falahi from Jamaat’s Shariah Council recently visited societies in Bidar, Kalburgi, Raichur, Ilkal, and Bellary. His inspection focused on Shariah compliance and staff training in Islamic finance modules like Mudarabah, Musharakah, and Murabaha. “Interest-free finance is an ethical necessity for a just and inclusive economy,” he said.
Prominent members from different districts attended, including Mujtaba Khan from Bidar, Hamza Muazzam from Kalburgi, Imtiaz Baig from Davangere, Nazeer Ahmed Qazi from Bhatkal, and Riaz Ahmed from Koppal. Souharda Societies’ convenor Rafiq Ahmed opened the meeting, focusing on operational expansion, Shariah compliance, and greater community involvement.
The initiative is part of Jamaat’s mission to drive societal reform through ethical measures. By offering cooperative, interest-free finance, it aims to empower individuals, support small businesses, and protect vulnerable people from debt traps.
With planned expansions, JIH Karnataka hopes to build a strong network of Shariah-compliant institutions. Leaders believe sustained community participation will make interest-free finance a widely accessible reality in the state.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News> Report / by Radiance News Bureau / August 13th, 2025
During the peak of the Hijab controversy in Karnataka, fears grew that Muslim girls might abandon their studies.
To protect their education, Al Mamoor Women’s Charitable Trust took a bold step and established Victory First Grade College as a safe and inclusive space for students.
At a felicitation ceremony for top achievers, Mysore Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation (MESCO) president Abdul Qader Sait shared the college’s origin, saying the idea arose from the urgent need to ensure Muslim girls could study without disruption. “One could not stand by and watch talented young women lose their academic futures,” he said, recalling the Trust’s vision.
Al Mamoor Trust president Dr. Ulfat Fatima announced excellent exam results, stating that out of 15 BCA students, 13 secured distinction and 2 passed in first class, while in the B.Com stream, 7 achieved distinction and 2 passed in first class. She said the results proved the talent of students, the dedication of faculty, and the supportive environment. Mr. Sait honoured the late Prof. Muzaffar Asadi for guiding the college’s formation, noting that his advice and support were vital in turning the Trust’s vision into reality.
Al Mamoor Trust secretary and Sunpure Company owner Mrs. Salma Subhan urged parents to visit Victory College before admissions, stressing the importance of being satisfied with infrastructure, faculty, and standards. She also appealed to philanthropists to help expand opportunities for young women.
Victory College is now a model of empowerment, and its creation during the Hijab row shows the community’s proactive stand to protect young women’s education. With strong academic results and a growing reputation, the college aims to foster excellence, inclusivity, and empowerment. As applause filled the hall, the message was clear: Victory College’s mission is not only about marks but also about defending the right to education for those at risk of losing it.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News / by Mohamed Atherulla Shariff / August 13th, 2025
“We must understand that the political system often frames individuals, and their families suffer for no fault of their own,” reflected Razik Raheem, a Muslim activist in Kerala who spent years in jail under the draconian UAPA before being acquitted.
“For me, my belief kept me strong, and it’s important for the younger generation to be prepared for such injustices.”
Razik Raheem stood before the gathering at Vidyarthi Bhavan in Kerala’s Kozhikode on Saturday, his words carrying the weight of years spent in prison, of trials both legal and personal, of a fight that never truly ended. The room was filled with activists, students, and community members—some familiar with his story, others hearing it for the first time.
The occasion was the discussion of his recently launched book, Thadavarakkalam (Prison Days), a work he never intended to write.
But something changed. The crackdowns on young activists during the anti-CAA protests, the faces of students and dissenters dragged into police custody, the silence that followed—it all forced him to put pen to paper, Razik told the audience. Thadavarakkalam, a Malayalam book published by Pratheeksha Books, became more than a memoir; it became a guide. A survival manual for those who might find themselves framed, convicted, forgotten.
The event, organized by the Solidarity Youth Movement, was more than just a book discussion. It was an indictment of a system that Razik and others on the stage knew too well.
Faseeh Ahmed, Solidarity Kozhikode’s secretary and a researcher, spoke at length about the book and its political significance. He connected Razik’s ordeal to the broader struggles of political prisoners across India. The Panayikulam SIMI case, once a headline, now a footnote, was revisited.
“We must stand firm in our efforts to provide assistance and ensure these prisoners and their families are not forgotten,” said Thoufeeq Mampad, Solidarity Kerala’s president. He recalled visiting Beeyumma, the mother of Zakariya from Parappanangadi, who had been imprisoned for 16 years and is still in jail under the draconian UAPA, even without trial. There was a reason these stories kept resurfacing—they weren’t over.
Sadiq Uliyil, from the APCR, reminded the audience of the absence of literature documenting the lives of Muslim political prisoners. “In Kerala, which prides itself on political awareness, there is still very little concern for the number of prisoners suffering under oppressive laws,” he pointed out.
Independent researcher Afnan Hussain echoed this, stressing the urgency of writing. “It forces the public to acknowledge the flaws in our justice system and the suffering of countless families.”
The Panayikulam case was a warning, a precedent. In 2006, Razik Raheem and four others—Nizamudeen, Shammas, Ansar, and PA Shaduli—were arrested for allegedly organizing “a secret meeting of the banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).” The state claimed it was a terror gathering. The men, who insisted it was merely a public seminar on the “Role of Muslims in Indian Independence,” were tried under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
In 2015, an NIA court sentenced Ansar and Razik to 14 years in prison for sedition. The others received 12-year terms. It would take another four years for the Kerala High Court to finally acquit them, ruling that there was no evidence against them. By then, they had already spent years behind bars—years they would never get back.
The book is not about seeking sympathy. It is about recognition, about making sure that when another young activist is thrown into a prison cell, they will know what to expect, the author said. It is about breaking the cycle of silence, he added.
source: http://www/maktoobmedia.com / Maktoob Media.com / Home> Bookshelf / by Muhammed Hisham / February 17th, 2025
During my childhood, I heard in Deoband that Haji Mastan, a notorious smuggler with the image of Robinhood, had sought permission to shoot a film at Darul Uloom, the famous Islamic educational institution in Uttar Pradesh. The film was based on a touching story of the undivided India and was about a Hindu woman adopting a Muslim child and raising him along with her son.
After the Partition, the Muslim boy migrated to Pakistan. Both boys became pilots in their respective countries’ air forces. They come face to face in the Indo-Pak war of 1965, where their planes collide and both die. The last scene of the film is heart-wrenching—the mother is seen carrying the bodies of both her sons on her shoulders.
I was reminded of this incident when I watched a vlog by retired Pakistani Lieutenant General Amjad Shoaib, in which he shared a true incident.
He told how Sahibzada Yakub Khan, who later became Pakistan’s foreign minister, was wounded by his elder brother, Yunus Khan, on the battlefield, at the hands of a brother.
Sahibzada Yakub Khan was born in Rampur in a Nawabi family. Before Partition, he and his brother Yunus Khan were officers in the British Army. After Partition, Yakub went to the newly created Pakistan, and Yunus stayed in India.
During the first Indo-Pak war of 1948, the two came face to face at the Kashmir border at the rank of Major. During the firing, Yunus Khan shot at a Pakistani officer—when he realised that the man was none other than his younger brother Yakub, he shouted, “Don’t mourn, Chotey (little one). We are soldiers, and we have done our duty.”
When General Manekshaw, a top officer of the Indian Army at the time, learned about this incident, he praised Yunus Khan’s courage and expressed sympathy for Yakub.
Years later, almost 36 years later, the two brothers met at Yakub’s wedding in Kolkata. They hugged and cried—a tearful reunion of brothers separated by war.
This incident makes it clear that questioning the patriotism of Indian Muslims is not only wrong but also unjust. Time and again history has shown—whether it is Brigadier Usman, Param Vir Chakra winner Abdul Hamid, or the Muslim soldiers martyred in Kargil—Indian Muslims have protected the country by putting their lives at stake.
People with fundamentalist ideologies, be they soft or hard, are unable to understand that Indian Muslims were not ‘internal enemies’ even in 1947 and they are not so even today.
They are spreading poison that neither benefits the country nor religion. After all, who would be foolish enough to think himself safe from the fire in his neighbor’s house?
Partition not only robbed Indian Muslims of their leadership but also deprived them of the educated class and family ties. Even today, there are thousands of families divided across the borders, who have not seen each other for years.
Children of Indian-Pakistani origin born in countries like America and Britain also face visa difficulties to meet their grandparents.
Late MP Syed Shahabuddin rightly said, “Indian Muslims are the real casualties of Partition.”
The story of Major Yunus Khan, who was forced to fire at his brother in battle while performing the duty of a soldier, has become a symbol of the complex identity of Indian Muslims and true patriotism. Hundreds of such Muslims have shed their blood for this soil, and this is our proud history.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by M Ghazali Khan / May 01st, 2025
Sheikh Abdul Karim, the star-soldier of the 1971 India-Pakistan War, is smiling again. The reason for his renewed happiness is the visit of a senior Indian Army officer to his home where he honoured him by presenting him a memento as a token of appreciation of his role in the 1971 war.
He was recently presented a track suit of the Artillery Regiment (Artillery), of which he was once a part; the visitor photographed him in the track suit before presented the same as a memento to him.
He was told that these photographs will be displayed in the regimental centers on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the 1971 war when the services of the brave soldiers like him will be recalled and commemorated.
It may be recalled that the media including Awaz-the Voice had highlighted the story of Sheikh Abdul Karim, who was facing extreme financial troubled in the wake of the Covid-induced lockdown.
On the instructions of Colonel Ajay, Commandant of Artillery Regiment, Subedar PK Swami reached the house of Sheikh Abdul Karim. He made him wear the track suit and clicked his picture before presenting the dress to him.
Picking media reports, the Army reconnected with Sheikh Abdul Karim and recalled his services. He was invited to his regiment where he was felicitated and welcomed by the personnel and the officers.
From that day, the Indian army has taken up the task of backing him up in getting all his issues, including non- payment of pension, sorted.
Sheikh Abdul Karim had served in the Army for nine years and participated in the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971.
In the 1971 war, he was deployed as a wireless operator on the Lahore border. This is the area where Pakistan had entered 10 to 15 km inside the Indian territory and where Havaldar Abdul Hameed destroyed a full fleet of Pakistani Patton tanks and attained martyrdom.
He was awarded the Star Medal in addition to the special award in the 1971 war. His name is also inscribed on the medal.
However, today at the age of 71, he has become an auto-rickshaw driver to support his family. He doesn’t even have a house and lives in rented accommodation.
Abdul Karim served in the army for almost 9 years. Received several medals for outstanding services.
Speaking to Awaz-The Voice, Sheikh Abdul Karim said that Army is in touch with him regarding all his unresolved problems. The army not only encouraged them, but also helped in getting his problem resolved.
Sheikh Abdul Karim had been allotted 5 acres of land in Golapali, by the government for being as ex-serviceman. The land remained was in his name when one dayu he found, the government had reallocated it among seven locals.
After he complained he was allocated five acres of land at the other place. However, the documents of this allotment are yet to get finalized and reach him. Sheikh Abdul Karim said that the army has taken cognizance of this problem.
Sheikh Abdul Karim also asked the Telangana government to provide him a double bedroom house as he currently lives with his wife in a small rented house.
He expressed happiness on the support provided by the Indian Army.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Sheikh Mohammed Yunus, Hyderabad / November 05th, 2021
Man from Kozhikode left state at young age, visited last in 2007.
Kozhikode:
Kerala-born entrepreneur Shaikh Rafik Mohammed, 42, has been appointed Major General of Kyrgyzstan, in a first for an Indian in the Central Asian country.
Mr Mohammed assumed the prestigious post in the presence of defence minister Ali Mirza at an official ceremony held in Kyrgyzstan. He holds Kyrgyzstan nationality, conferred by former President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev, whom he had met in his late-20s while working in Iran.
Mr Mohammed, who heads Gammon Middle East in Saudi Arabia, used to be an adviser to Kyrgistan President and the latest appointment is in recognition of his contributions to the country, sources in Dubai said.
Rafik, known as Rafi here is the son of Late Abdul Hameed and Fathima of Eravannur, 12 km from Kozhikode. He had studied up to Class VII at local AMPL School, Eravannur. According to his sister Rukhiya K.M, Rafik left for Mumbai at the age of 20 and then to Gulf. “We are all elated by his elevation to the prestitgious post. He called us on Saturday and we spoke a lot. Mr Mohammed’s last visit to Kozhikode was in 2007,” Ms Rukhiya told this newspaper. Mr Mohammed, who has an Iranian wife, has made it big from a humble background. His father was a fisherman and struggled to make two ends meet.
Mr Mohammed’s neighbour and distant relative, Mr Azis Master U.P., says he maintains a warm relation with his birthplace. “It was Rafik who gave ’25 lakh for the construction of a madrasa recently. Similarly he will reach out to anyone in time of need,” Mr Azis master said.
Sources said that Mr Mohammad keeps cordial relations with major political leaders of Kerala. He holds Kyrgyzstan nationality conferred by its former President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev whom he casually met in his 20s while working in Iran. Later, he became the adviser to Mr Bakiyev.
Dubai reports said Mr Mohammed, after selling the successful project to the Iranian government, went to Kyrgyzstan and presented a similar project to Mr Kurmanbek, then a governor who was preparing to contest presidential elections.
After Kurmanbek won the election, he appointed young Rafik as his chief adviser – a milestone in his career.
He developed wide network of friends in the Central Asian country, which has witnessed a rapid flow of foreign investment and reversal of socialist mode of development to a capitalist mode of production, reports said.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation / by Amiya Meethal / January 02nd, 2017
About 28 years ago, I learnt one of the most fascinating tales of what military rivalry between India and Pakistan has meant for some families.
At a dinner party in New Delhi, an elegant gentleman walked up to me and asked if I was serving in the Indian Army. My haircut perhaps gave this away, as I answered in the affirmative (I was then an instructor at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun). When I enquired if he had any military connections, he replied ‘yes’; his two elder brothers had both been officers. To this, my natural response was, “What were their regiments?” He then said with a sad smile, “Let me tell you a story.”
And this was the story he narrated to me:
Several years earlier, he had run into the Pakistani military attaché, Brigadier Beg, in India at a circuit house (Dak Bungalow) while driving on the Delhi-Ahmedabad highway. Apparently the attaché had upset him earlier in the day with his lack of road manners, and when informed of the same, to make up, the Pakistani Brigadier invited him for a drink. During the course of their conversation, and on learning that his guest (the gentleman who was narrating the incident to me) was an Indian Muslim, the Pakistani Brigadier said to him that it was only in the 1965 war that he learnt that Muslim officers were also serving in the Indian Army.
(The Indian Army’s armoured (tank) units had made substantial gains in fierce battles in the Sialkot sector of Pakistan’s Punjab. Many well known armoured regiments were part of India’s 1st Armoured Division’s thrust lines, such as Poona and Hodson’s Horse, 2nd Lancers, 3rd, 16 and 18 Cavalry. Many thought it was only a matter of time that Sialkot would fall to Indian troops, as Pakistan’s Armoured Division, despite its apparently superior tank units, was in retreat. Pakistan’s commanders desperately needed a tactical break to regain some of the momentum of battle.)
It was at this stage of the war—around 8 September 1965—that the Pakistani Brigadier, then a young Lieutenant, was summoned by his Brigadier Commander. He was asked plan and undertake a commando raid that would take him into Indian frontline positions around Sialkot. His task was to eliminate one or more Indian tank commander(s). This would leave that Indian unit briefly without a commander and give Pakistan that brief window of opportunity to break through India’s formidable frontline.
So this Pakistani officer (then a Lieutenant, now a Brigadier) set about preparing for the raid, to sneak in amongst Indian tanks, during darkness, and kill an Indian tank commander who was giving Pakistani troops a rough battle. So, on 8/9 September before dawn, Lieutenant Beg sneaked into his target area as Indian tanks were preparing for another day’s battle around Sialkot. (In those days, in the absence of night vision devices, tank battles were largely fought during day light). He soon identified a Squadron Commander’s tank, and climbed atop it unnoticed in the loud roar of tank engines as they were warming up for battle.
Peering inside the open cupola, he saw a Major in his radio headset who was poring over his maps, planning for another day’s battle. With no time to lose, Lieutenant Beg shot the Indian Major through the head. But before leaving the wounded Indian officer, Lieutenant Beg decided to take along some proof of having accomplished his mission. He quickly unbuttoned the shoulder flaps of the Indian Major, and pulled out the cloth epaulets of his ranks from his shoulders. On this was also embroidered ‘16 CAV’, the title of his regiment. And in the breast pocket of the Major, he also found a holy pendant that some Muslims carry on them as a good luck charm. His job done, this young Lieutenant with his raid party then quickly crossed back over into the territory that Pakistani troops were still holding onto, before dawn broke.
Lieutenant Beg then immediately went to see his Brigade Commander, who had sent him on the raid. He met him in the early hours of the morning, where he proudly reported that he had accomplished his mission. His Brigade Commander asked him if he had any proof of it. The young Lieutenant pulled out the epaulettes of the rank badges of the Indian Army Major he had shot, and handed it over to his Brigade commander. Then he suddenly saw the Brigadier become tense. Lieutenant Beg said to the Brigadier that he had possibly killed an Indian Muslim officer, as he handed over the holy pendant he had recovered from the dead Major’s pocket. As an afterthought, he added that he was quite surprised that India’s army also had Muslim officers who were fighting with such commitment and valour against Pakistan.
At that point his Brigade Commander’s hands began to shake and he couldn’t control his emotions any more. His voice became heavy and his eyes filled with tears as he slumped into a chair. Lieutenant Beg asked the Brigadier, with due respect, what the problem was. In a voice choked with emotion, he replied: “Young man, I have just realised from the evidence you have provided that I had tasked you to kill my younger brother.” The Commander kept shaking his head and then went on to add, “I hadn’t the foggiest idea that it was the 16 Cavalry that was directly pitted against us, because Major MAR Sheikh, whom you have just killed, was my younger brother and one of its squadron commanders. And he was their only Muslim officer.” Lieutenant Beg could say little else, as he saluted and took his commander’s leave.
And when Lieutenant Beg finished telling this story to the man who had related it to me, this gentleman told the Pakistani officer, “Brigadier, it may surprise you to know that the two brothers you have spoken about were both older to me… I am the youngest of the three brothers.”
And as the Brigadier stared at him in disbelief, the narrator of this tale requested Brigadier Beg to visit his family home—which was only a few hour’s drive from where they were—to meet his aged mother, who had always wanted to meet someone who had fought against her son! When the Pakistani Brigadier met the old begum the next day (who didn’t know that her son had died of wounds inflicted by the Brigadier), she seemed pleased that the enemy thought well of him!
Records show that Major Sheikh died of wounds in his head sustained in battle near Sialkot on 10 September 1965. He was posthumously awarded the gallantry award of a Vir Chakra. His brother, the Brigadier, rose on to become a General in Pakistan.
source: http://www.openthemagazine.com / Open / Home> Web Exclusive / by Maroof Raza / August 27th, 2015
