By Arré Bench Oct. 16, 2020
The Indian Army has restored the grave of a decorated Pakistan soldier in Jammu and Kashmir’s Nuagam sector. “A fallen soldier, irrespective of the country he belongs to, deserves respect and honour in death,” the army said.
As sections of social media continue to outrage over the recent Tanishq ad’s portrayal of a loving interfaith marriage, the Indian Army has set an example of unity — one that the hateful trolls have yet to boycott. The Army said on Thursday that it had restored the grave of a decorated Pakistani soldier in J&K’s Nuagam sector, in a display of class that has been sorely lacking in social media discourse in the last few years.
A Soldier First: In a gesture of honour, the Indian Army restored the damaged grave of fallen Pakistani Major Mohd Shabir Khan near the Line of Control. pic.twitter.com/QbzJ5toBPK
— Brut India (@BrutIndia) October 16, 2020
The Srinagar-based Chinar Corps tweeted a photograph of the epitaph on the grave, which read, “In memory of Major Mohd Shabir Khan, Sitar-e-Jurrat Shahid 05 May 1972, 1630 H, killed in counter attack by 9 Sikh.”
In keeping with the traditions & ethos of the #IndianArmy, #ChinarCorps resuscitated a damaged grave of Major Mohd Shabir Khan, Sitara-e-Jurrat, Pakistan Army, who was Killed in Action (KIA) at a forward location along LC in Naugam Sector on 05 May 1972.#Kashmir@adgpi pic.twitter.com/EjbFQSn9Iq
— Chinar Corps🍁 – Indian Army (@ChinarcorpsIA) October 15, 2020
The handle said that personnel had restored the grave in keeping with the tradition and ethos of the Indian Army. “#ChinarCorps resuscitated a damaged grave of Major Mohd Shabir Khan, Sitara-e-Jurrat, Pakistan Army, who was Killed in Action (KIA) at a forward location along LC in Naugam Sector on 05 May 1972,” the first of its tweets read.
In another tweet, the Army said, “A fallen soldier, irrespective of the country which he belongs to, deserves respect & honour in death. #IndianArmy stands with this belief. This is #IndianArmy for the world.”
A fallen soldier, irrespective to the country he belongs to, deserves respect & honour in death. #IndianArmy stands with this belief.
✅ This is #IndianArmy for the world. @OfficialDGISPR #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/7dnzWN2koZ— Chinar Corps🍁 – Indian Army (@ChinarcorpsIA) October 15, 2020
After it was posted, a number of retired and serving Army personnel took to Twitter to praise the courteous move.
Major Mohd Shabir Khan, Sitara-e-Jurrat (Pak Army) died while fighting for his country, Pakistan (1972). We honour his courage and devotion to duty. His grave is repaired & maintained by Indian Army.
The Indian Army is not just a powerful army. It is also a moral army. https://t.co/NHqKLHbeEw
— Major Gaurav Arya (Retd) (@majorgauravarya) October 16, 2020
A soldier is a soldier for his/her motherland, deserves all the respect after death & @adgpi has always led by example for being a professional & humane #ARMY @ChinarcorpsIA Proud of you.#JaiHind https://t.co/lxGjm4wdNm
— Major (Dr.) Gautam Vijay (@Maj_GautamVijay) October 16, 2020
Unfortunately, it also led to a few trolls asking if Pakistani soldiers would have reciprocated in the same manner.
Whats point are u trying to make ? Does our enemy reciprocate in the same manner ?
— शरद वशिष्ट|🇮🇳 (@sharadv70) October 15, 2020
But the latter should be expected by now, considering a large section of people in our country seem to be opposed to anyone of Pakistani origin. A few years ago, many will recall that several Pakistani artistes were forced to go back home following a huge outcry over them being offered roles in the Bollywood industry.
More recently, the outrage over the Tanishq ad has proved that this country has a long way to go before it starts accepting people of other faiths and religions. On Thursday, the Indian Army seems to have proved with its tweets that it is above these petty battles. Hopefully, their grace sets an example for the rest of the country.
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