Sunset Colours

Sunset Colours Thandkoi !!!



The Thand Koi Cloudburst .

Girls Fashion !!!

Latest Bridal Dresses.

Bridal Mehndi Dresses in Dress Designs just look new and Latest Bridal Dresses which you can like in coming weeks

Hair Style.

Traditions of the North Pakistan.

Following the well attended Sindh festival now comes in the Karakoram festival which was not only entertaining but informative to the residents of Karachi. You! takes a look at the five day long festivities...

Each and every country has its own distinctive culture. Many countries have cultural diversity within the nations distinguishing from neighboring states. The strength of a nation, particularly a nation like Pakistan lies in its culture, traditions and ethnicity, differentiating one province from another. Sadly the people living in this country themselves are deprived of the richness of various existing cultures that need to be accepted, respected and promoted. This is not only about the economics of tourism the knowledge of the very concept brings in a collective sense of pride to the nation.

The best way to know and enjoy any culture is to experience it first-hand in its environment but for the ones who can't, it is surely a blessing to have different events and festivals promoting our traditional background.

Womens Shows.

SMS Stuff

Love Sms.

i love the 'y'

i love the 'o'

i love the 'u'

put them together

and i love 'you'

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(\_/)

(=.=)

(")(")

a sweet little rabbit, just like you, because I love you!! kisses...

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In the morning I do not eat because I think of you, at noon I do not eat because

I think of you, in the evening I do not eat because I think of you, at night

I do not sleep because I am hungry.

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o,,,o /),/)
( ' ; ' ) ( ' ; ' )
(,,)--(,,)(,,)--(,,)
U'n me forever..
and ever and ever!
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Life ends when you stop dreaming, hope ends when you stop believing and love

ends when you stop caring. So dream hope and love...

Makes Life Beautiful

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SMS Jokes

Man:Dr Mujhe normal potti nahi aati,Chawal khaya to chawal nikle,Roti khayi

to roti,normal k liye kya karu,Dr:PoTTI KHA!!!!
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A Chinese man took his pregnant wife to the hospital tp deliver...
The wife however gave birth to a black baby. The Chinese man who was shocked

named him: SOME TIN WONG....
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Bahu: Maan ji, yeh abhi tak nahin aaye, kahin kisi dusri ladki ke saath...
Saas: Arey kalmuhi, tu hamesha ulta kyun sochti hai? Aisa bhi to ho sakta hai

ki kisi truck ke neeche aa gaya ho
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Mom: Beti badi ho kar kya karogi?
Beti: Kuch nahin... Maan banungi, padhungi, shaadi karungi... aur kya?
Mom: Jo karna hai karo par zara serial order mein karna.
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People who do lots of work.make lots of mistakes,
People who do less work.make less mistakes,
People who do no work.make no mistakes,
People who make no mistakes.get promoted.
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Funny Sms.

Last night I lay in my bed looking at the beautiful stars, the moon and the sky...

then i thought where the fuck is my roof
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Birdy birdy in the sky dropped a poopy in my eye, I don't worry I don't cry, I'm

just happy that cows can't fly!
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At dis moment in time 10 million people r having sex.5 million people r drinking c

offee.100 million people r sleeping & 1 stupid fool is reading my text!pass on
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The rain makes all things beautiful. The grass & flowers 2. If rain makes all

things beautiful why doesn’t it rain on you?
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i want u 2 know dat our friendship means alot 2 me.U cry i cry.U lauf i lauf.

U jump out of da window... I look down & den... i lauf again
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God made man and then rested. God made women and then no one

rested ><(((:>I send dis fish as a sign of friendship Plz take care of it &

keep it in mobile & daily put ur mobile in water so tat fish wont DIE:-)
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One day Raja and rani decided to send messages to each other by using

Pigeon instead of mobile. The very next day pigeon reached raja without

any message. He angried and called to rani.She told stupid "This was a missed call"
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Smile Sms.

Heart Can Skip Beats 4 a While
Memories can be kept in a file
A desert can replace the Nile
But...
NOthing can stop a smile when ur name appears on my mobile.
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Today I Gave some1 ur cell no.She will be visiting u soon. plz attend her

properly. I asked to stay with you
forever. Her name is SMILE...
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Keep the smile,
Leave the tear,
Think of joy,
Forget the fear ,
Hold the laugh,
Leave the pain,
Be jouyous till i sms again
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Let me guess what U R doing...
Reading book?
Na Na!
Listining Music?
Uhu!
Watching TV?
Nah!
Caught U!
Missing me and reading my SMS na.!!
Oh now U R smiling.
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Smile is a lnguage of Luv.
Smile is a way to get success,
Smile is to win the hearts.
Smile improves ur personality.
Brush daily.
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U know what is the largest word in english language.
"SmileS" bcoz there is mile between two "S". (S mile S). So
spread smiles everywhere
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Eid Sms.

,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸-(_ Wishing You _)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸
׺°"~`"°º××÷·.·´¯`·)» Å VË®¥ HåppY ËÏD «(·´¯`·.·÷×׺°"~`"°º×

_________EID MUBA____________EID MUBAR
______EID MUBARAKEID_______EID MUBARAKEID M
____EID MUBARAKEID MUBA___EID MUBARAKEID MUBA
___EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARA_______EID
__EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARA_________EID
_EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID_______EID
_EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUB______E
EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAK__EID
EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID_E
EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID M
_EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID
__EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKE
____EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBAR
______EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID
_________EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBAR
____________EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID
______________EID MUBARAKEID MUBAR
_________________EID MUBARAKEI
___________________EID MUBAR
_____________________EID MU
______________________EID
_______________________EI
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__+__EID MUBARAK__.
____.
._______________.--"~~"-.
____________,-"____.-~~"-\___.
___.______.^______/____(_)_.
____+___{_.---.___/______~
________/____.__Y____.
_______/_____\_j_______+
._____Y_____(_)--l__
______|___________"-.______.
______|_____(________\
.__.___|________.)~-.__/__._____.
__.____l_________)
.____.__\____<;;;;;;l
__+_____\_______\
_________\_______^.
___._______^._______"-.___.
_____________"-._______~-.___,
_______._________"--.._____.^
may this eid brings lots of happiness
4 u n ur family (Ameen)
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Kuch Musarrat Mazeed ho jaye
Is bahane se Eid ho jaye
Eid milne jo Aap aajayein
Meri b Eid, Eid ho jaye.

App kie masayel our hal

Pashtun !!

Pashtun History.


(also Pushtun, Pakhtun, or Pathan) or ethnic Afghans live primarily in eastern/southern Afghanistan, and northern/western parts of Pakistan. The Pashtun heartland roughly covers a large crescent-shaped belt following the Afghan-Pakistani border on the east, southward from Nuristan, across the south, and northward along the Iranian border almost to Herat. The Pashtuns call their dominian Pakhtunkhwa (Pakhtun Domain). Enclaves of Pashtuns also live scattered among other ethnic groups throughout Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Kashmir, India and in many countries of the Arabian Peninsula, where they have settled at various times since the end of the nineteenth century as shifts in populations occurred in response to political expediency, war and economic opportunities.

The Pashtuns are typically characterized by their language Pashto, the dialects of which fall into two main divisions: the northern and central, which preserves the ancient kh (as in "Pakhto" and “Pakhtun”), and the southern, which has the modern sh (as in "Pashto" and “Pashtun”) sound.

They are characterized by their culture also known as Pashto, their pre-Islamic indigenous code of honor Pashtunwali and their strict adherence to Islam. In some areas the term Pashto replaces Pashtunwali i.e. Pakhto ye wakra = He/she did according Pashto. Ma sara Pakhto waka = Do to me according to Pashto.

In all the main aspects of their being, their language Pashto defines them.

The Pashtuns are the world's largest segmentary lineage (patriarchal) tribal group in existence. The total population of the group is estimated to be over 50 million, but an accurate count remains elusive as there has not been an official census in Afghanistan since the 1970s, while in Pakistan, due to the migratory nature of many Pashtun tribes as well as the practice of secluding women, exact figures are to hard to attain.

History and Origins

Pashtun culture is ancient and much of it is yet to be recorded in contemporary times. There are many conflicting theories, some contemporary and some ancient, about the origins of the Pashtun people, both among historians and the Pashtuns themselves.

Ancient text

The Greek historian Herodotus first mentions a people called 'Pactyan' living on the eastern frontier of Iran as early as the 1st millennium BCE. It has been conjectured that these may be the ancestors of today's Pashtuns, but there is no specific evidence for this. In addition, the Rig-Veda mentions a tribe called the 'Pakhat' as inhabiting present-day Afghanistan and some have speculated that they may have been early ancestors of the Pashtuns, but this too remains unproven. The Bactrians appear to have spoken a related Middle Iranian language and it is conceivable that some Pashtuns are at least partially descended from them.

Pashtuns are also historically referred to as ethnic Afghans as the terms Pashtun and Afghan were synymous until the advent of modern Afghanistan and the division of the Pashtuns by the Durand Line drawn by the British. According to W.K. Frazier Tyler, M.C. Gillet and several other scholars, "The word Afghan first appears in history in the Hudud-al-Alam in 982 AD." It was used by the Pashtuns and refers to a common legendary ancestor known as Afghana.

The Pashtuns are generally hypothesized to have emerged from the area around Kandahar and the Suleiman Mountains and began expanding millennia ago. But according to the mentions in various ancient texts about the people and areas of Pakhat, Pactyan, Paktikuk, and Paktues, modern researchers believe that the most likely originating place of the Pashtuns could have been the provinces of Paktiya and Paktika of Afghanistan.

Due to their geographic location, they have often been in close contact with the Persians, while religiously most Pashtuns, according to archaeological evidence, were most likely Buddhist and Zoroastrian with small minorities of pagans, Hindus, and Jews prior to the coming of Arab Muslims in the 8th century CE.

From the 1st century BCE to the 5th century CE the regions where the Pashtuns lived saw immense migrations of Eurasian peoples including the Aryans, Persians, Sakas, Scythians, Kushans, Huns, and Greeks. Later invaders would include Muslim Arabs and Central Asian Turkic tribes as well as the devastating assaults by the Mongols.

Pashtun descent

There are also various groups which claim Pashtun descent and are largely found amongst other groups in Afghanistan and South Asia and generally do not speak Pashto and are often considered either overlapping groups or are simply assigned to the ethno-linguistic group that fits their geographic location and their mother tongue. These populations are usually only part-Pashtun, to varying degrees, and often trace their Pashtun ancestry through a paternal lineage, and are not universally viewed as ethnic Pashtuns.

Traditions behind the origins

In addition, some anthropologists lend credence to the oral traditions of the elder Pashtun tribes themselves. For example, according to the Encyclopedia of Islam, the Theory of Pashtun descent from Israelites is traced to Maghzan-e-Afghani who compiled a history for Khan-e-Jehan Lodhi in the reign of Mughal Emperor Jehangir in the 16th century CE. Another book, that corresponds with most Pashtun historical records, Taaqati-Nasiri, states that in the 7th century a people called the Bani Israel settled in Ghor, southeast of Herat, Afghanistan and then migrated south and east. These Bani Israel references are in line with the commonly held view by Pashtuns that when the twelve tribes of Israel were dispersed (see Israel and Judah, Lost Ten Tribes), the tribe of Joseph among other Hebrew tribes settled in the region. Hence the term 'Yusef Zai' in Pashto translates to the 'sons of Joseph'. Although originaly the Yusefzai were called Espazai or Aspazai (horse riders). The Afridis also claim through oral tradition that they are descendants of the Bani Israel tribe of Ephraim. While other clans of Afridi claim to be descendents of Alexander the Great's Greeks.

Other Pashtun tribes claim descent from Arabs including some even claiming to be descendants of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad.

Maghzan-e-Afghani's Bani-Israel theory has largely been debunked due to historical and linguistic inconsistencies. The oral tradition is a myth that grew out of a political and cultural struggle between Pashtuns and Mughals explains the historical backdrop for the creation of the myth, the inconsistencies of the myth, and the linguistical research that refutes any Semitic origins.

While the whole idea behind Maghzan-e-Afghan was to conclude the Pashtuns as foreigners in the region, it is believed that the reason why Pashtuns adapted to this tradition was basically because of the idea that they were monotheists even before the Arabs and everyone else in the region they resided.

Genetic insights

Research into human DNA has emerged as a new and innovative tool being used to explore the genetic make-up of various populations in order to ascertain historical population movements. According to some recent genetic research the anthropological evidence that the Pashto-speaking Pashtuns are an Indo-European people related to other Iranian groups as well as speakers of Dardic languages such as the Kalasha and the Nuristanis appears very probable but is not by any means conclusive at this time. The testing, though still in its initial phases, has not shown any substantial connection between the general Pashtun population sampled to the genetic markers found amongst most Greeks, Jews, or Arabs. What may be the case is that the Pashtuns have been slightly modified over time by various invaders, while maintaining their original base genetically overall. Ultimately, more research and a wider sampling of DNA will be required before the findings can be deemed conclusive and generally representative of Pashto-speaking Pashtuns.

Who is considered Pashtun?

Amongst historians, anthropologists, and the Pashtuns themselves, there is some debate as to who exactly is a Pashtun. The most prominent views are (1) that Pashtuns are predominantly a ethno-linguistic group of Aryan origin from the Eastern Iranian/Indo-Aryan group and their culture originated from the intermingling of ancient Aryans with invaders who are speakers of the Pashto language and live in a contiguous geographic location (this is the generally accepted academic view) in Afghanistan and Pakistan, (2) Pashtuns, in addition to being Pashto-speakers and meeting other criteria, are also Muslim and follow Pashtunwali and thus Jews, Christians, or atheists would be excluded, (3) to define the Pashtuns in terms of patrilineal descent going back to legendary times in accordance with the legend of Qais Abdur Rashid who is seen as the progenitor of the Pashtun people. We may call these the ethno-linguistic definition, religious-cultural definition, and the patrilineal definition.

Modern era

The Pashtuns are intimately tied to the history of modern-era Afghanistan stretching back to the Durrani Empire. The country's founder, Ahmad Shah Durrani, was an Abdali (Durrani) and formerly a high-ranking military official under the Turko-Iranian ruler Nadir Shah in Iran. He founded the empire which covered all of what is today Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, and Iranian Mashad. His successors would rule this empire for the next 40 years, while truncated Afghanistan emerged following conflicts with the Sikhs and the British. The Pashtuns/Afghans fought the British to a standstill and kept the Russians at bay during the Great Game during which Afghanistan managed to remain an independent state that played in the hands of the two large empires against each other to maintain some semblance of autonomy. In the 20th century, Pashtun troops enlisted in the British Indian army and fought in World War II and became an important component of the Frontier Scouts and the Pakistan army as well as the modern Afghan military and were active in the opposition against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. However, at the same time, the major Communist factions during Communist rule of Afghanistan, the Khalq and the Parcham, were made up mostly of Pashtuns, epecically those from Paktia and Paktika Provinces. More recently the Pashtuns became known for being the primary ethnic group that comprised the Taliban, whose ideological basis began in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Their activity was centered around the city of Peshawar and at the Madarassa-e-Haqqania in Akora, Khattak.

In addition to Peshawar, the cities of Kandahar and Kabul figure quite prominently in Pashtun culture and the city of Quetta in Baluchistan also has a Pashtun majority population.

Pashtuns have played an important role in the region. They have lead many of the Delhi Sultanates including the Suri and Lodhi dynasties. The current President of Afghanistan is an ethnic Pashtun, Hamid Karzai, while in neighboring Pakistan another ethnic Pashtun also attained the Presidency in the 1950s and 1960s, Ayub Khan. The Afghan royal family now represented by Muhammad Zahir Shah is also of ethnic Pashtun origin. Other prominent Pashtuns include a political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British rule during the final years of the Empire on the Indian sub-continent, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan aka Bacha Khan. The 17th century warrior poet Khushal Khan Khattak, Afghan "Iron" Emir Abdur Rahman Khan and in modern times Pakistani cricketer turned politician Imran Khan, US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad.

Population

Pashtuns comprise over 20% of Pakistan's population or 36 million and about 65% of Afghanistan's population totaling 19 million. All the figures are uncertain, particularly those for Afghanistan, and are affected by 4 million Afghan refugees that have settled in Pakistan.

Nishan e Haider !!!

KARNAL SHER KHAN SHAHEED

Karnal Sher Khan (1970 - 1999)
29 yrs, Captain, 12 Northern Light Infantry (NLI), 27 Sind
Nishan-e-Haider (1999)

Year Of Birth :: 1970

Year Of Shahaadat:: 1999

Marital Status:: Not married

Education:: Completed upto Intermediate from Government College Swabi

Before Commission in the Army, he joined the PAF as an airman; He worked as an Electric Fitter at Risalpur for some time

Brothers & Sisters:: Karnal Sher has two elder brothers and two elder sisters.

Karnal Sher's grandfather had fought against India in the 1948 Kashmir War. He wanted his grandson to become a 'Colonel' in the Army and hence named him Karnal.

He is the first officer from NWFP to be awarded Nishan-e-Haider.

His tomb is situated at Nawankilli (Swabi); this place has now been renamed to Karnal Sher Killi.

BACKGROUND.

Sher Khan was the youngest of his two brothers and two sisters. His mother died in 1978 when he was eight. He was brought up by his paternal aunts. His family is deeply religious and they say that Sher was an embodiment of piety and Islamic teaching.
After completing his intermediate from Government College Swabi he joined Pakistan Air Force as an air man. On completion of his training, he was appointed electric fitter (aeronautical) at Risalpur. During these years he appointed twice for commission in the Pakistan Army as this was what he really wanted to do — he succeeded the second time. He joined the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul in November 1992 and graduated in the 90th Long Course in 1994. His first posting was at Okara in 27th Sindh Regiment. Always smiling as a devoted soldier, he was fondly called Shera and was very popular among his officers and colleagues. In January 1998 he volunteered to serve at the LoC in Kashmir, he was posted in 12 NLI.

MAIN ACHIEVEMENT

The Tiger Hill Complex is a set of six strategic posts; the Tiger Hill Top, Western Spur, Eastern Spur, India Gate, Rocky Knob and Helmet. If the Indian account is to be believed, Captain Karnal Sher Khan was responsible for setting up and defending one of these posts. On the other hand, the Pakistani account states that Sher was responsible for setting up forward defensive posts around the Gultari and Mushkoh Valley areas in Kargil, and that he had nothing to do with Tiger Hill. This article is based on the Indian account. In any case, the actual location does not matter as will be seen in the remainder of this article. From Indian readings, it appears that Sher was in fact defending the post on the Western Spur. The truth, however, will never be known. The active participation of the Kashmiri Freedom Fighters in the Tiger Hill battles is, however, a well researched fact.

Tiger Hill Top was the most strategic post at Kargil. This was the highest peak overlooking the Srinagar-Leh Highway. Although there were other active posts from where the Indian supply lines to Siachen glacier could be cut as well, Tiger Hill Top was the most effective. For the protection of Tiger Hill Top, the Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri Freedom Fighters occupied the five other posts in the Tiger Hill complex. The most important was the Western Spur post, which had to be neutralized in order to launch any sort of infantry offensive on the Tiger Hill Top post.

The task of isolating the Western Spur post was given to the Indian 8 Sikh Regiment (800 - 1000 men). Later on, this regiment also participated in the capture of Tiger Hill Top. The task of bombarding this post was given to the Indian 41 Field regiment (a full field unit with massive heavy artillery capability).

Manning the Western Spur post was Captain Karnal Sher Khan with 21 ORs (Other Ranks, men who are ordinary sepoys and do not hold any specific rank).

From 26th June to 27th June, the 41 Field Regiment excessively shelled the Western Spur post with no less than 19 Howitzers, while the Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 jets flew sorties over the post and pounded the bunkers with laser guided bombs. Under these circumstances some infantrymen from 8 Sikh also fired at the posts held by Sher and his men, and 'dared them to recite the Kalima, for it will be their final one'. Obviously, the Pakistanis and the Kashmir's did not get any sleep during this time.

It was around 9:00 PM on the 27th of June 1999 that the 8 Sikh launched a fierce attack on the Western Spur post. The tired 'intruders' tried to fight back, but the sheer number of the Indians (450 - 500 men) along with the IAF and Artillery support made it impossible for them to hold on. There were not many casualties on either side, but as far as Karnal Sher's men were concerned, there didn't have to be many, as they were not great in number to start with.

Karnal Sher finally retreated from the post, going to a point of lower elevation. The Indians had gotten hold of the Western Spur post. They were in a terrific position to launch the final offensive on the other posts, especially the Tiger Hill Top.

Karnal Sher was in a terrible spot. The Indians were now at an elevated position; they were much greater in number and had the support of a much bigger artillery. Unlike Sher's men they were well rested, as the enemy did not subject them to intense fire and they also had no shortage of ammunition or food.

One of Sher's men had died during the attack. Most of the others were wounded. To top it all, some Sikh soldiers were still daring them to come out and recite their final Kalima.

One of Karnal Sher's men asked him about what they were supposed to do next.

"Counter Attack", replied Sher

The stunned man gazed at Sher. Counter Attack under the circumstances was suicidal. The Indians had an advantage in every thinkable manner. They had also been fortifying their defense ever since they had taken the Western Spur.

"Counter Attack?", the man asked Sher again.

"Yes counter attack. The Indians attacked my post at night, with heavy artillery and air support. I will attack them in broad daylight with the men that I have left."

Sher had been operational in the area since November 1998. He knew the Drass Sector area inside out. He had a good idea of the positions that could be taken for an attack on the Western Spur. The 8 Sikh Regiment had not utilized any of those areas in their attack, hence Sher took the chance they were not well aware of their existence. During the night he placed his men in those positions, strategically placing the compact artillery that they had in the optimum areas.

The counter attack, with 21 men, was launched on the Indians occupying the Western Spur. Sher's men were told never to stay in on position while attacking, and the positions that every man was to move to and from during the attack were also identified. Every one of Sher's men was changing position to no less than 8 places.

This was the shortest battle of the entire Kargil operation, taking no more than one hour. There were many reasons for its success. First of all was the deployment. As an Indian soldier would be killed, the others would direct fire towards the area from where the fire came from. In the mean time however, the Pakistani/ Kashmiri would have changed his position to another area where he was safe from the Indian firing but still could see them.

Secondly, the Indians were not expecting an attack from the positions where Karnal Sher had deployed his men. Had they known about them in advance, they would have placed their own men over there as a defensive measure.

The third was the timing of the attack. It came at the most unexpected time, only 7 or 8 hours after the Indian offensive.

Finally, there was the sheer ferocity of the attack. Sher's men knew before going into the attack that they are going in for an impossible task. They had no fear of death, and that itself makes a better fighter during any battle.

As the 8 Sikh regiment began to retreat, Kernal Sher left his position and came out in the open. He started reciting the Kalima aloud. Picking up his machine gun he started charging towards the retreating forces.

"Cowards!" he said, "Where are you running off to? I will not let you run away like this."

Sher's remaining men, having suffered some casualties while they were ascending the Western Spur post, finally managed to reach on top. They replaced the Indian Flag with the Pakistani one and started chanting slogans of 'Allah O Akbar'. Sher, on the other hand, was obsessed with the retreating forces.

"I am reciting the Kalima as you had dared me to." he shouted, "Where are you running off to? Stop and fight. Make this my last Kalima if you can". While saying this he was seen running after the retreating troops, firing at will, with little or no opposition except from the ongoing artillery shelling. 10 or 12 of Sher's men, who had taken up positions on the Western Spur, also opened havoc wreaking fire on the retreating troops to add to their woes.

Captain Karnal Sher followed the Indian troops until he reached the proximity of the 8 Sikh Regiment base camp.

Most of the men who had retreated from the Western Spur had come back to the base camp. The base camp already had around 300 to 400 soldiers. When the commanding officer was given the news of the counter attack at the Western Spur post, he radioed back to the Indian intelligence and cursed them for letting him believe that there were only 20 odd men in the area. He told them that at least a company strength (150 men) of militants had just attacked and retaken the Western Spur post.

One of the soldiers told the Commanding officer that the enemy commander was following them down. The CO told the man not to worry as one man would not dare enter the base camp. However, he was anticipating that a much larger party of militants would attack the base camp. He ordered his men to take the necessary defensive positions.

While the 8 Sikh soldiers were taking their defensive positions, they were greeted with the sound of 'Allah O Akbar' followed by intense machine gun fire on those areas where any movement was taking place.

Anticipating a company sized attack, the CO was stunned to see one man, reciting the Kalima aloud, charging towards the center of the camp.

"Come out cowards!" Captain Sher shouted having reached the center, "I will show you how to fight a battle".

Angered by the dare inside their own camp, two Sikh soldiers tried to attack Sher. Their attack was of no avail; the captain, who had started firing in their direction the moment they tried to move, killed both.

It was apparent that this was not an attack by a complete company, but by only one man. "You are surrounded from all sides " the CO shouted to Sher, "There are no men with you. You cannot possibly kill us all. There does not have to be any unnecessary bloodshed. Lay down your weapon and Surrender".

Sher fired in the direction of the Commanding Officer's voice. "I would rather die than to surrender to you" he said. While trying to continue firing, Sher realized that the ammunition in his machine gun had finished.

Seeing that he no longer had any ammunition, the Indian soldiers, including their CO, came out in the open and showed Sher that he was indeed surrounded from all sides. They started moving closer and closer to him, tightening their circle around him.

"Look around yourself" he said to Sher, "There is nothing more that you can do".

Sher looked around. There were more than fifty men who had surrounded him and could shoot him at point blank range. Instead of giving up, he started reciting the Kalima aloud once again. Seeing that the closest to him was the CO, he charged him and pushed him back by hitting him on the head with his empty machine gun. Seeing that Sher was not surrendering, and was in fact going to attack him for the second time, the 8 Sikh regiment Commanding Officer told his men to open fire on the militant.

The 8 Sikh regiment soldiers opened fire on Captain Sher. Hit many times, he tried to attack the CO for the third time, but of no avail.

Sher had always believed in not dying at the enemy's feet. He was about five feet away from the CO, who could see the desperate attempt Sher was making in not to fall down. Finally, Sher sat down, with his knees bent and touching the ground, and his machine gun still in his hand. The Kalima that he had been reciting so far became lower and lower in volume until it finally stopped. Captain Karnal Sher Khan had died.

Some of the Sikh soldiers became ecstatic that they had indeed made the 'intruder' recite his final Kalima. Two of them ran to Sher Khan's body to kick it from a sitting position into a one where his head was touching the ground.

Seeing the intent of his men, the CO ordered them to stop. He told them that this was a brave man and his body should not be desecrated at any cost. He ordered that Sher's body be brought back to Srinagar rather than being left at Tiger Hill. Upon finding out that Sher was a Pakistani Captain, he made sure that Sher gets a proper military treatment from the Indians. It was he who wrote the citation of Captain Sher, recommending him for the highest gallantry award in Pakistan. The citation can be found at Captain Sher Khan's residence in Fajounabad Charbagh, Swabi.

The government of Pakistan awarded Captain Karnal Sher Khan with Nishan-e-Haider, the country's highest gallantry award.

Pakistan

Swabi Villages

Name Of Swabi Villages .

Anbar. Ismaila. Nawa Kali.
Asmail Abad. Jahanger Dher. Pabeni.
Bada. Jalbai. Panjman.
Baghicha. Jalsai. Pontia.
Baja. Jamal Abad. Panjpir.
Bamkhel. Janda. Salimkhan.
Batakara. Junait. Sandwa.
Beka. Kadi. Sardcheena.
Besuk. Kafgani. Shagai.
Boka. Kala. Shahmansoor.
Chanai. Kalabat. Shaikh Dheri.
Charbagh. Kalokhan. Shanai.
Dagi. Karnal Sher Killi. Shawa.
Dalori. Kaya. Sheikh Jana.
Darra. Khoro. Sikandri.
Devel. Kotha. Swabi.
Dhok. Kula Dhand. Takail.
Dobyan. Dodher. Thand Koi.
Zaida. Kunda. Lahor (Chota).
Topi. Gala. Mabnai.
Tordher. Gani chatra. Malak Abad.
Toolandai. Gar Munara. Maneri.
Utla. Ghulama. Mangel Chai.
Manki. Waisa. Gohati.
Yarhusain. Gulu Dheri. Marghuz.
Yousfi. Gandaf. Meni.
Himlet. Mian Dheri. Zakarya.
Hund. Musa Banda. Zarobi.
Naranji.shar dara.sher ghund.