Ex-navy chief praises Ch Zahoor Elahi’s role in 1965 war

LAHORE: The former chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Shariff has said others only make tall claims while Ch Zahoor Elahi Shaheed, the father of Ch Shujaat Hussain and uncle of Pervaiz Elahi presented a cheque of Rs3 lakh to Gen Ayub Khan with a request to use this amount towards the establishment of a “special fund” for supporting the widows and dependents of 1965 war martyrs. The former chief of Naval Staff met different delegations in Islamabad on Pakistan’s Defence & Martyrs’ Day to pay tribute to those who had sacrificed their lives for Pakistan and to refresh memories.

Ch Zahoor Elahi also requested Gen Ayub Khan to differentiate this “special fund” from all other funds. He said this sincere gesture was rarely seen nowadays. The retired naval chief made a special reference to the patriotic songs of melody queen Noor Jehan which had charged the valiant soldiers during the 1965 war. He said Ch Zahoor Elahi arranged an impressive function that was attended by Justice Sajjad Ahmad Jan (father of former president Wasim Sajjad), Justice Anwaarul Haq and a large number of intellectuals, bureaucrats and jurists. In this function, Ch Zahoor Elahi presented a gold crown to Noor Jehan.