By: Dr. Abdul Ghani : Published by ANI
E. Mail: ghanillm@yahoo.com
There are some duties that are performed in the light of cameras, and there are others that are carried out silently in the darkness of night. A soldier standing at a distant border post belongs to the second category. While millions of Pakistanis sleep peacefully in their homes, spend time with their families, celebrate festivals and plan their futures, somewhere in the mountains, deserts, forests and border areas, a Pakistani soldier remains awake. He stands between his homeland and danger.
This is why, when an enemy looks towards Pakistan, the first thing it must consider is not only our geography, our cities or our resources. It must consider the courage and determination of the men and women who have taken an oath to defend this country.
The Pakistan Army is made up of sons of this soil. Its soldiers come from Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and every other corner of the country. They speak different languages and belong to different communities, but when they put on the uniform, one identity rises above all others: Pakistan.
For a soldier, the uniform is not simply a profession. It is a promise.
It is a promise that the security of the homeland will come before personal comfort. It is a promise that duty may sometimes come before family. And, in the most difficult circumstances, it is a promise that life itself may have to be offered for the protection of the nation.
We often see soldiers during national ceremonies, parades and official events, but the real story of military service is written far away from ceremonial grounds. It is written at lonely posts where winters are severe, at checkpoints where danger can arrive without warning, and in areas where soldiers perform their duties under conditions that ordinary citizens may never experience.
Behind every soldier is also a family that serves silently.
There is a mother who waits for a phone call from her son. There is a father who hides his worry behind pride. There is a wife who raises children while her husband remains deployed far from home. There are children who sometimes celebrate birthdays and Eid without their father beside them.
When a soldier is martyred, the entire country sees a coffin wrapped in the national flag. But behind that flag is a family whose world has changed forever.
A mother loses the child she once carried in her arms. A wife loses her companion. Children lose the hand they expected to hold as they grew older. Yet many such families respond with extraordinary courage, saying that their loved one gave his life for Pakistan.
No speech can fully measure such sacrifice.
Pakistan has faced wars, terrorism, internal security challenges and difficult regional circumstances throughout its history. In these testing moments, members of the armed forces have repeatedly been called upon to stand in places where the consequences of failure could be enormous.
Many have returned home with medals.
Many have returned with injuries.
And many have returned wrapped in the green and white flag.
Their sacrifice should never become merely a number in a report or a name briefly mentioned in the news. Every martyr had a family, dreams, memories and a future that was surrendered for the country.
The strength of an army, however, does not come from weapons alone. Modern aircraft, technology, intelligence systems and military equipment are important, but the greatest strength of any defence force remains the character of its people.
Discipline, training, courage, patience and the willingness to stand firm under pressure are qualities that cannot simply be purchased.
An enemy may calculate the number of weapons a country possesses, but it is much harder to calculate the determination of a soldier who believes that the land behind him contains his family, his history and his future.
That determination is one of Pakistan’s greatest defensive strengths.
At the same time, respect for the armed forces should be based on understanding rather than slogans alone. Our younger generation should learn about the responsibilities soldiers carry, the hardships of military service and the sacrifices made by families of martyrs. They should also understand that national strength comes when institutions perform their constitutional duties professionally and when citizens contribute responsibly in their own fields.
A strong Pakistan requires strong institutions, an educated population, a productive economy, justice, unity and disciplined national defence. These elements support one another.
Our soldiers defend the physical borders of Pakistan, but every citizen also has a responsibility to defend the country through honesty, education, hard work and national unity.
There is also another lesson in the life of a soldier: Pakistan must come before personal differences.
A soldier at a border post does not ask whether the citizen sleeping peacefully behind him belongs to a particular province, political opinion, language or social class. His duty is to defend all Pakistanis.
That spirit of national unity is worth learning from.
In an age of social media, rumours and instant judgments, Pakistanis should also be careful about misinformation. Healthy discussion and lawful criticism are part of a society, but deliberate falsehoods, hatred and fabricated propaganda can weaken trust and create divisions. Differences should never cause us to forget the sacrifices of those who gave their lives in service to the country.
Respect does not require blindness. It requires fairness, responsibility and gratitude.
Whenever we see the national flag flying freely, we should remember that its freedom has carried a price. Somewhere in Pakistan there is an empty chair at a family table because a soldier did not return. Somewhere a mother still keeps the photograph of her martyred son. Somewhere a child knows his father mainly through stories, medals and memories.
These are not ordinary sacrifices.
So when enemies look towards Pakistan, they do not see an undefended nation. They see soldiers standing at borders, officers carrying responsibility, families accepting separation and generations prepared to serve.
And behind those soldiers stands a nation that remembers.
The Pakistan Army is not respected merely because it carries weapons. It is respected because, in moments of danger, its soldiers are expected to move towards the threat while others move towards safety.
That is the meaning of duty.
That is the meaning of sacrifice.
And that is why, as long as Pakistan remembers the blood of its martyrs and honours those who stand guard over its soil, the courage of its soldiers will remain one of the strongest walls protecting the homeland.
Long live Pakistan.
