GUJRAT, Sept 5: The nation is proud of its armed forces, which in the past displaying valor and gallantry, have defended the motherland whenever it was attacked. When Defence Day is celebrated on Sept 6 every year, Gujrat feels proud for being home to the three recipients of the country's highest military award, Nishan-i-Haider.
Maj Shabeer Sharif was from Kunjah, Major Akram from Dinga and Maj Aziz Bhatti was from Ladian. Dawn visited the hometowns of these heroes to get the first account of these places on the occasion of Defence Day.
KUNJAH: A small town, 12 kilometres from the Gujrat city, is the birthplace of Maj Shabeer Sharif. The town is in shambles and lacks basic infrastructure. People want the authorities to take note of deteriorating plight of the famous town. A memorial column built in 1996 at the Kunjah interchange in memory of Major Shabeer Sharif was demolished by the Provincial Highways Department to build a dual road in 2006. The act of the department angered the people, who say that this was like forgetting the services of Maj Shabeer Sharif.
Two water turbines were built to provide water to the city but at present these are out of order. A resident of Kunjah said the city faced the shortage of clean water. The city lacks slaughterhouse while the roads and sewerage infrastructures are in a dilapidated condition.
Kunjah Union Council Naib Nazim Sheikh Aslam, also a relative to Maj Shabeer Sharif, said that a resolution demanding the construction of a memorial lectern and another demanding the naming of Kunjah Rural Health Centre (RHC) as Major Shabeer Sharif RHC were approved by the Gujrat Tehsil Council, but the resolutions had yet be implemented.
DINGA: Muhammad Akram, the second recipient of Nishan-i-Haider, belongs to Dinga in Kharian tehsil, 55 km from Gujrat. Dinga is the only town of Punjab which is connected with eight main arteries, leading to big cities. But the town lacks civic facilities for the residents. The city has no monument in the memory of Major Akram.
LADIAN: Major Raja Aziz Bhatti was born in Hong Kong in 1928 and moved to Pakistan to settle in Ladian, Gujrat. Ladian is a small village in Gujrat district. The government built Major Aziz Bhatti hospital to pay homage to the defender of Lahore. In 2005-6, the district government built a lectern decorated with the imprints of Nishan-i-Haider award. Sometime ago the replica went missing.
Asghar Ali Ghural, the author of ‘Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed’, says he visited Ladian to talk to the family of Maj Aziz Bhatti Shaheed and other villagers soon after the highest military award was conferred on Bhatti. He says that Bhatti was not only a brilliant soldier but also a man with great valor. He says his tribute to the national hero in the form of the book is not enough and the local government should undertake development projects for the town.
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