Junior Army leadership valour at its infinite edge

Remembering valour and junior leadership qualities of soldiers of a platoon before drowning in high tide river on September 9/10, 1992 in Neelum Valley, Azad Kashmir.

To secure and defend the territory of Azad Kashmir, the valiant Pakistani troops dug in on the mountaintop border with India, where they had to contend with a hostile force and the ferociously changing, unpredictably harsh weather. Due to heavy snowfall at the onset of winter season, these soldiers remain isolated from the rest of the world, therefore, sufficient food, ammunition and clothing items that could see them through during the "hibernation" period, are dumped in the forward localities in the relatively clear summer season. Transportation of these supplies from the base camp, which is located, on a somewhat smoother surface down below, to the mountaintop, is not feasible by modern means.

Pakistan army's animal transport regiment, an integral part of the Army Service Corps, is commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel, consists of speedy horses, sturdy mules and about 400-500 workaholic soldiers that are attuned to foot slog formidable mountainous terrain with one mission in mind - to keep the fighting troops supplied with all their needs, at their doorstep, at heights that frequently kiss the skies.

Whereas the AT Regiment is replete with many unsung feats on its record, the real-life drama enacted in Nekron, which placed the soldiers in an acid test directly against the ferocity of mother nature.

In Neelum Valley, About 200 kilometres from Azad Kashmir's capital city Muzaffarabd, lies a scanty dwelling of 400 individuals, called Nekron. To the south of Nekron, flows the Neelum River. Nekron serves as a camp where supplies hauled up by mechanised vehicles from down country Reserve Supply Depot are stored and then trans 'shipped by the AT squadron to forward localities at mountain tops.

In the year 1992, like all previous years, the September rainy season had set in. From September 3 to 9, non-stop rains poured so heavily that previous meteorological records were evened out. On the 9th and 10th of September, the waves of the Neelum River had swollen so high and mighty that 100-foot-long heavy pine trees and giant boulders, uprooted from mountain slopes. On the morning of September 9, the 67 men including their commander, Naib Risaldar, Faqir Mohammad, noticed that the river level had risen by 5 to 6 feet, directly threatening the survival of their camp. Faqir Mohammad immediately set about contriving measures to protect the camp and his jawans from the threatening surging waters. The soldiers worked non-stop till 2 p.m., moving equipment and perishable stores to higher slopes of the camp.

Help was sought, through the field telephone, from the infantry battalion Headquarters that was located across the River Neelum. Neelum River stood between the camp's inmates and the responding force. The despair deepened after sunset when the darkened area was flooded by water and bombarded by rain. Like a terrifying omen, dead corpses of animals and the wreckage of houses and bridges came spinning down the mud-black Neelum River. The squadron commander was left with just one option. He instructed his troops to climb trees to save their lives from the gushing waters. About 20 men climbed the tallest tree with iron shoe steps, while the rest perched over other trees that came their way. Naib Risaldar Faqir Mohammad, Defadars (AT and Armored Corps terminology for Havaldar) Aziz and Rustam, Naiks Islam and Bashir instead of climbing trees stayed in the pool of groundwater keeping vigil on the course of water. They constantly pepped up the spirits of jawans whose only way of survival was the strength of the trees against the force of water currents and faith in Allah Almighty, as the supreme saviour in such catastrophes.

In the mid of the dark night, holding a lantern barely above the water's surface, the camp commander Naib Risadar Fiqir Mohammad made his last telephone call to Major Azmat Ali Khan the Mujahid Unit Commander, who along with his men were watching the drowning camp, from across the swollen waves of river Neelum. "Major Sahib, you tried your best to save us, I am grateful to you. I cannot hold the telephone, Allah bailee..." And the voice was overwhelmed by water. He, however, survived to continue his efforts to save as much as possible.

The fateful September night threw up many tales of courage and comradeship that could become the beacon light for the coming generation of compatriots. Dafadar Mohammad Habeeb who, due to injury and exhaustion, lost his balance on a treetop was immediately pulled up from the water by another equally exhausted but courageous Naik Ghulam Hussain. The camp was now submerged in 5 to 6 feet of water whose temperature was barely above freezing point: the Neelum River had overflown its banks. The duty-conscious Naib Risaldar, Faqir Mohammad was the last of the 67 men to climb a tree for his safety. The tree began to sway as logs careened into it. Suddenly it fell down and faded into the Neelum River's deafening roar; beside Faqir, 20 soldiers were snuffed away. Naib Risaldar Faqir Mohammad has, however, left behind folklore of extreme devotion to the call of duty, dedication and loyalty to his men, undaunting courage and rock-hard faith in his creator, Faqir's demonstrated spirit of comradeship was infused in his subordinates as well. Sepoy Amanat Ali along with Din Mohammad and Allah Yar were safely perched on a treetop. With the rise in the surface of freezing water, the exhausted and injured Din Mohammad and Allah Yar were compelled to loosen their grip on the branches and were about to be washed away by water currents. Amanat, through sheer determination, managed to clinch the two close to his own body while gripping the tree strongly with his legs. The two colleagues remained in Amanat's arms for ten hours. At 5 a.m. the next morning, when visibility somewhat cleared, the two jawans in Amanat's arms were found lifeless.

The dawn of September 10 saw the rains stop; the flow of water in the camp had not receded; the only hope for the besieged men of the AT squadron was an airlift by helicopter. At 9 a.m.; that morning, a military helicopter left Rawalpindi, but could not undertake the rescue mission due to the canopy of thick dark clouds over the campsite. Hope arose when the sector commander, Brigadier Shaukat Qadir, arranged another helicopter from the aviation base at Rawalpindi. The Puma was flown by the army's ace pilot, Colonel Zakaullah Bhangoo, who had experienced the formidable northern valleys and was familiar with the region's peaks. Major Shahid Rana was the co-pilot of the machine that arrived at the site at 4 p.m. A rope ladder was dangled from the chopper to assist in lifting the men who had survived the previous night's meteorological fury and were sticking to the treetops.

Chaudry Siddiq, a militiaman of the Mujahid force had never been on a helicopter. For 36 hours, he had endured the agony of seeing the helpless AT jawans perched on trees and grow weaker, he immediately volunteered to suspend himself from the hanging rope ladder of the chopper to assist in lifting the weak and injured; transporting one, two, three at a time across the raging water to a hurriedly established treatment centre, At times it took several attempts to reach the besieged soldiers for many were apprehensive to let go the frail branches. Siddiq's arms and legs were painfully cramped from exhaustion and low atmospheric temperature. Yet he continued with his determination. The rescue mission continued for two hours. At 6 pm, due to nightfall, the Puma returned to Kel, 29 miles away, for the night's stay. In all, the helicopter team saved 34 men, 33 had been washed away by water waves, earlier that fateful night.

While remembering with reverence September's real-drama-in-life, let us salute the 34 surviving soldiers and the 33 who faded away, along with their steadfast commander, Naib Risaldar Faqir Mohammad. They added to the inventory of Islam's proud military history a saga of outstanding courage, personal sacrifice, deep-spirited comradeship, and unflinching faith in the Creator. The 67 valiant soldiers of the Army Service Corps on the fateful night of September 9 demonstrated human valour at its infinite edge. Their demeanour was a testament to their courage and sacrifice.

The author is a retired army colonel. He served as Director (Public Relations) WAPDA for three years, member Federal Board of Film Censor Islamabad for 4.5 years, Editor Frontier Post Peshawar's daily newspaper. He contributes articles in English, Urdu, Pashto newspapers/magazines and appears on television talk shows.