Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar Khan Bhatti (Nishan e Haider)

Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar Khan Bhatti (1910 – July 27, 1948) is the first recipient of Nishan-e-Haider. Sarwar Khan was born in Singhori village, Tehsil Gujar Khan, District Rawalpindi. Born in Rajput family, Captain Sarwar went to join Indian Military in 1942 and was commissioned in the Punjab Regiment of Indian Army in 1944. After independence of Pakistan in 1947, Captain Sarwar Khan was transferred to Pakistan Army.

Soon after the partition of sub-continent, tensions raised between India and Pakistan over the disputed area of Kashmir. Indian troops landed in Kashmir and took control of Kashmir. Flared by anger, patriotism and love for their Kashmiri brothers, Pakistan Army was ordered to intervene on the order of the then Governor-General Muhammad Ali Jinnah. During the early days of Kashmir war, Captain Sarwar Khan was busy in doing a course at a military school in Murre. He requested to be deployed with his parent unit which was fighting with Indians at the Uri sector but his requests were turn down. After repeated requests he was finally sent back to join his unit.

After joining his unit at Uri sector, Captain Sarwar Khan was appointed as the Company Commander of the 2^nd battalion. He led successful attacks on Indian army inflicting heavy damages to the enemy. On the fateful night of July 28, 1948, Captain Sarwar Khan launched an attack on the strongly fortified position of enemy at the Uri sector. Enemy responded with heavy machine gun and mortar fire but he and his men made their way through barbed wire barrier which was hindering their movement. In this process, Captain Muhammad Sarwar Khan received a burst of heavy machine gun in his fire and lost his life.

Captain Muhammad Sarwar Khan was posthumously awarded Nishan e Haider for the bravery shown by him

 

Rivers of Pakistan – River Chenab

Origin of River Chenab	Length of River Chenab	River System	Basins of River Chenab
Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh, India	1,242 kilometers	Indus River System	Pakistan and India

The River Chenab was called Iskmati or Ashkini in Vedic times by Indians. The river is generally considered to be the second healthiest river of Pakistan after River Indus. It originates from the Mountains of Himalayas in the Indian state of Himachal Pardesh. Passing through the area of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir the river takes a south western turn into the Punjab Province of Pakistan. The river is joined by River Jehlum at Trimmu and then by River Ravi. It then forms the Panjnad by joining River Sutlej near Uch Sharif before falling into the River Indus at Mithankot.

The waters of the river are allocated under the terms of the Indus Water Treaty between Pakistan and India. India has build many hydro power dams along the river and for that it has been storing and channeling the waters of Chenab. This is a continuous violation of the terms and conditions of the treaty and despite protesting of the Pakistani government many times the Indian government has always rejected the claims.

The importance of River Chenab is the same as Rhine is for Germans and Danube for Hungarians. The great love stories of Heer Ranjha and Sohni Mahiwal revolves around this iconic river giving it importance in the Punjabi culture.

Rivers of Pakistan – River Jehlum

Origin of River Jehlum	Basin of River Jehlum	Length of River Jehlum	River System
South Western Jammu and Kashmir	Pakistan and India	813 kilometers/ 505 miles	Indus River System

 

It is on the western end of all the five rivers of Punjab. It is a tributary of River Chenab and passes through the Jehlum district of Pakistan. It originates from a spring in the south western side of Jammu Kashmir. It flows through Srinagar and Lake Wular then enter Pakistan through a narrow gorge. River Neelam joins River Jehlum at Domel in Muzzafarabad and then the River Kunhar of Kaghan Valley.

The river also connects Pakistan with the Azad Kashmir at the Kohala Bridge which is east of circle Bakote. River Poonch joins it and then flowing through the district of Mirpur it flows into the Mangla dam. It enters the Jehlum district in Punjab Province flowing through the plains forming a boundary between Sindh Sagar Doabs and Chaj. It then joins River Chenab at Trimmu of Jhang district, which in turn joins River Sutlej forming the Panjnad by joining River Indus at Mithankot.

As a result of the Indus Basin Project few control structures are built to the waters of the Jehlum, namely:

1. Mangla dam: It was built in 1967 and is considered to be one of the largest earth fill dams of the world with storage capacity of about 5.9 million acre feet.
2. Trimmu Barrage: It was built in 1939 and located at the confluence with the River Chenab near the town of Mari Shah Sakhira. It has the capacity of discharging a maximum of 645,000 cubic feet/s i.e. 18,000 cubic meters/s.
3. Rasul Barrage: It was completed in 1967 and a flow of about 850,000 cubic feet/s i.e 24,000 cubic meters/s.
4. Harahpur Bridge: It is also called the Victoria Bridge and was constructed in 1933. The location is about 5 kilometers from Malakwal near the village of Chak Nizam. It is about a kilometers long and mainly used by the Pakistan Railways with a small passage for light vehicles as well.

Why we love Pakistan? Because of its resilient and determined people!

The more we dig in to know what Pakistan means to its people, the more we come to know of the passion and zeal Pakistanis have to do something for this country. One such heart touching and dignified proclamation has been made by Farheen Zaki who once was hardcore bank employee and now is playing a housewife role. Lets hear Farheen’s love for this beautiful country:

“It is quite natural to love your native country and I love Pakistan for the same reason.I t was a dream of Iqbal and fruit to the years long struggle and sacrifices of our ancestors under the dynamic leadership of our Quaid. Freedom is indeed a great blessing.Ask about it from the Muslims of Palestine and Kashmir.”

“Pakistan is not an ordinary country to love only for this common reason. It is the land of ancient civilization with rich cultural foundations.Its people are the proud inherent of Mohenjo Daro and Harrapa. It is blessed with all the natural resources and scenic beauty of Mother nature.It holds 4 out of 14 highest peaks in the world, 2nd largest salt mines,world s largest deep seaport and one of the largest deserts of the world. It also holds worlds 7th largest standing Arm force(pride of our nation) and is the 7th nuclear power of the world. The Karakorum highway it possess is considered to be the eighth wonder of the world.”

“Pakistan is a land of fertile soil, diverse wild life, fresh water lakes, serene beauty and a long coastal line. From the snow capped peaks of Himalayas in the north to the mangroves of the Indus delta on the other end, Pakistan is a true picture of Allah’s glory. I recently took a road trip from Lahore to Karachi and witnessed how the rich fertile land of Punjab turns into the mystic desert of Sindh. Within hours the whole scene changed even the color of the soil, cattle, atmosphere, language, dresses and crops changed. The diversity of our country is unique.”

“But the real power of this country is its people. People with strong determination, people who have lived in hard times and emerged as united nation after every calamity. It has been very unlucky as far as leadership is concerned. But it does not belong to the few elites who have been ruling it since the independence. It belongs to the farmers and workers and every citizen of this country. Pakistanis have been resilient enough to withstand injustice, corruption and terrorism year after year. We as a nation have always stood united and helped each other in times of need.”

“Who says Pakistan has not grown in these 63 years. It is the same country which didn’t have office stationery at the time of its birth and today it’s a nuclear power and thus a threat to the so called super powers of the world.”

“Pakistan is ‘The Land of the Pure’. Each day the sun rises with new hope. I am quite sure that this nation who has survived famines, threats, blood sheds, natural calamities, injustice, exploitation, corrupt leaders and heavy criticism from the West can literally survive anything. We as a nation if stand united, rely on our own resources and put all our belief in Allah Almighty can defeat all enemies. This country has seen the worst now only good will happen and if my Allah stays with us we shall sooner or later see this country win for itself a place of great honor and pride. This is the only country taken in the name of Islam. If we all stand united under the umbrella of this ideology no one can degrade or defame us any longer. It is the time to strengthen our bond and stand upright in front of our enemies and win back our pride. And for the people who think this country is a shame and it will soon banish from the map of the world I have only one sentence.”

“Pakistan – Love it or Leave it.”

Destiny of Kashmir – Pakistan or India?

1947 saw the first of many fights which the world witnessed between Pakistan and India, over Kashmir. Although more than 70% of the population of Kashmir is Muslims, the Raja of Jammu and Kashmir politically found it convenient to join hands with India on the time of partition. Muslim Kashmiris were too depressed on this act and rebelled. In a fit of desperation, Raja signed the accession treaty with India as Indian troops took over one part of Kashmir. Until this date, the other part of Kashmir belongs to Pakistan.

After the first war of 1947, the valley was divided into two parts. Pakistan had control over a thin strip of land encompassing Western Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan. The rest of Kashmir came under the control of India. But the point was that the UN treaty had made it clear that the state was a disputed territory and neither of the countries could lay claims to it. This led to indecision and ill feelings between the two nations, a matter still unresolved 64 years later.

Is it not time all of us learn to make peace? That is all we could say. Democracy and the sorting out a problem through political discussions can lead us to prosperity, while incidents like the 1948, 1965, and the 1971 wars will only hinder the progress of both countries.