Unknown hero

These days, one is hearing a great deal about various people taking credit for initiating the process of recruitment of the Baloch in the Pakistan Army. It was in March 1988 when Lt-Col (r) Musawar Hussain Shah conceived the idea and sought permission from higher authorities. He diligently completed the requisite formalities after which a ‘Mini Baloch Centre’ was established in Quetta in early 1989. All this came about through his painstaking devotion and dedication. The Selection and Recruitment Centre, Quetta, had no integral transport of its own. For this he had to depend on his infantry unit – the Frontier Force Regiment – located at Quetta. I can vividly recall him going to remote areas of Balochistan in an army truck accompanied by a driver and a few soldiers. He travelled from village to village, met Baloch youth individually, motivated them and succeeded in persuading them to join the Pakistan Army.
It is unfortunate that the efforts of Lt-Col (r) Musawar Hussain Shah have largely gone unrecognised. But it is never too late. The officer is very much alive. The authorities concerned are requested to recognise his efforts. This is the least we can do to honour our hard-working, selfless, dedicated and devoted officers.
Lt-Col (r) Rashid Hassan Khan
Peshawar