*A Hero who mustered the enemy from his resolve on the Battle Field of Kargil War*
Hawaldar Lalak Jan Shaheed (Nishan Haider) Be it the 1965 war or the Kargil front, the brave grandsons of the nation have sacrificed their lives to keep this Holy Land happy & prosperous. One such example is Hawaldar Lalak Jan, who inflicted a blow on the enemy in the Kargil war that he will remember for centuries.
The Heavenly Valley of Kashmir, also known as the Valley of the Martyrs, still resonates with the hymns of Lalak Jan, where he narrated the eternal story of loyalty to his homeland with his blood, the bravery of which was acknowledged by the enemy. In the village and town, a green crescent flag is seen over the shrine of the martyrs.
Brave Son of Soil Hawaldar Lalak Jan, who defeated the enemy on the world’s highest battlefield at Kargil and crushed his nefarious intentions, was born on April 1, 1967, in the house of Nit Jan, a poor farmer in Yasin Tehsil, Ghazar District, Gilgit-Baltistan. Lalak Jan received his early education in his native village of Honduras and joined the Pakistan Army in 1984 after completing his middle school education. After receiving initial training at the Northern Light Infantry Regiment Training Center Bungee, he reported to the 12 NLI in 1985. You have been a part of most of the teams in the unit because of their professionalism.
Your drill, military turn, and physical agility has always been ideal. You played a key role in leading the unit’s commando team to the first position. Proof of your weaponry skills is that you served as a Weapon Training Instructor at the Northern Light Infantry Regiment Center, Bungee.
Lalak Jan had come to his house for a holiday during the Kargil battle. When he got the news of the Kargil fighting, he had six days left till the end of the holiday. Lalak Jan asked his father for permission to go to the front and said that I have six days left till the end of my vacation and I would like to spend this day on the front instead of spending the day at home and asked my mother to pray for me that I Let me be a martyr while defending the country. This wish of Lalak Jan was fulfilled and his father Niyat Jan thanked Allah and said that my son sacrificed his blood to irrigate Gulshan of Pakistan which is dearer than his own life.
Hawaldar Lalak Jan emerged as a fearless and brave son of the Northern Light Infantry. He took such bold steps for the sake of his beloved homeland, an example of which is rarely found in history. As a junior leader, he, through his bold move, inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and repulsed their numerous attacks. In carrying out his duties, he worked tirelessly. Lalak Jan, along with a handful of his comrades, not only successfully defended his post but also thwarted several enemy attacks and inflicted heavy casualties on him.
On June 12, 1999, Kolalak Jan suddenly launched such a fierce attack that the enemy was forced to retreat, leaving their corpses behind. Is the supreme example of the last soldier who fought to the last bullet.
In May 1999, when it became clear that the enemy was preparing for a major ground offensive, Hawaldar Lalak Jan, who was not on the front lines but was performing his duties at the company headquarters. On this occasion, Lalak Jan volunteered his services to fight on the front line. Knowing that the front lines were under attack by the enemy, Hawaldar Lalak urged his senior officers to go to the front lines and girded his back to fight the enemy at a very difficult hill post.
One night in the last week of June, an enemy battalion stormed the outpost of Hawaldar Lalak Jan. During the attack, Hawaldar Lalak Jan, ignoring his own life, continued firing from different positions and went to every front to encourage the soldiers. The enemy’s attack continued throughout the night and Lalak Jan thwarted all the intentions of the enemy by morning the enemy troops had retreated leaving a pile of corpses.
On the second night, after receiving more reinforcements, the enemy again attacked from different directions, but Lalak Jan also showed boldness and courage that night and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. On 7th July, the enemy fired a barrage of artillery at Lalak Jan’s post. It rained bullets throughout the day and at night the enemy again attacked Lalak Jan’s post from three sides. Lalak Jan was severely wounded but despite the insistence of the company commander, he remained steadfast in his post and continued to fight the enemy. When Captain Ahmed ordered him to return, he replied, “I prefer to meet my true Creator while fighting the enemy on the battlefield than to embrace death in a hospital bed.”
Eventually, this son of the soil also thwarted the enemy’s attack, but Hawaldar Lalak Jan was martyred on July 7, 1999, at his post.
In the Kargil War, when the enemy attacked to achieve their nefarious aims, despite the minus 30 temperatures, icy winds and deadly wounds, the brave man showed great courage and inflicted heavy damage on the enemy with light machine guns for several hours. But they were not ready to leave the front and stood like a plywood wall in front of the enemy and defended the country which is rarely seen.
The country’s highest military honour, the Nishan Haider, was awarded for his bravery, courage and passion for martyrdom.
