The Pakistani nation on Wednesday will observe the 24th martyrdom anniversary of “Lion of Kargil” Capt Karnal Sher Khan who laid down rendered his life in the icy, inhospitable peaks in Indian-occupied Kashmir, but his legacy continues to breathe life into the nation’s soul.
Even Indian talked of valour of Karnal Sher Khan when his body returned to Pakistan that how the young officer on a mission impossible did the honourable thing: fight to the very end. Pakistan awarded its son of soil the Nishan-i-Haider.
The nation’s history pages are lush with tales of his militarist agility and his faith in God.
The 23rd martyrdom anniversary of Sher Khan will be observed today across the country.
Captain Karnal Sher Khan was a crusader from the very beginning and a very fearless officer.
Born, in 1970, the young man from Swabi first joined Pakistan
Air Force (PAF) as an Airman but later joined Pakistan Army as a commissioned officer in 1992.
On 14 October 1994, Khan was commissioned in the 27th Sindh Regiment of the Pakistan army – also known as the ‘Lion of Haider’ because of its bravery.
He was named Karnal Sher Khan by his grandfather who as a volunteer went to Kashmir and fought against the Indian aggressors under a commander called Colonel Sher Khan.
On November 8, 1992, when Sher arrived at the Pakistan Military Academy for training, he was no stranger to the rugged and testing training, but the harsher days and nights were going to – in the hindsight – going to prepare him for his final moments in the nation’s war against the enemy.
His colleagues reminisce about their company with him and generously offer countless anecdotes about how he was always in the good graces of his seniors and had earned admiration for his courage, perseverance, professional competence and devout piety from almost everyone.
But that was not sufficient to satisfy his appetite for goals that slowly turned his military career into a pure enthusiasm for the defence of the country. A few years later, Sher expressed his desire to be sent to the infantry. “The infantry has the highest chance of fighting the enemy directly,” he once intimated.
