By Dr. Yousaf Alamgirian
Book “Marka-e-Haq” is the latest literary effort of Colonel (Retd) Ashfaq Hussain. Earlier, several of his books have been published. Readers know that Colonel Ashfaq Hussain has been writing since his captaincy period. It was during his captaincy that his book Gentleman Bismillah, which deals with good conduct before and especially after being selected for the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul, was published. This book has emerged as a beloved book for the youth eager to join the army for decades.
I am one of the lucky people who have also seen Sir Ashfaq in the uniform of a young captain. He was our instructor at Military College Jhelum. Sir Ashfaq was apparently quite gentle, but whenever the Adjutant went on leave, he would also perform the duties of the Adjutant, which brought out the real soldier in him.
Colonel Ashfaq was also a strict military officer regarding discipline, who came out as a humorist through his writings. Perhaps this is the reason why he wrote humor very seriously. There is another famous book of this kind, “Ka Kulliyat,” whose author is Saulat Raza.
Both Colonel Ashfaq and Brigadier Saulat Raza (both retired from Pakistan Army) are graduates of the Department of Journalism of Punjab University. Brigadier Saulat Raza studied there from 1968 to 1970, while Colonel Ashfaq studied there from 1970 to 1972. I also got the opportunity to benefit from the same department during 1989 to 1991. Brigadier Saulat Raza got a commission in the army after completing his MA, and then Colonel Ashfaq Hussain also joined the army after passing the ISSB exam. I belong to a session much later than him. But as a graduate of Military College Jhelum and the Department of Journalism, Punjab University, I also joined the Army’s Public Relations Department in 2000 through FPSC.
In any case, the way Colonel Ashfaq maintained the beauty of his uniform in his job, the beauty of his pen did not diminish. And he presented one excellent book after another to the readers. While some books place Colonel Ashfaq Hussain in the ranks of the country’s renowned humorists, some consider him a military journalist. His book on the Kargil War brings him to the fore as a better defense analyst. Similarly, Marka-e-Haq once again includes him among such defense writers who seem to shed light on the battles in the South Asian region by linking Marka-e-Haq and Operation Banyan Marsus with the military history of the world.
While reading his book Marka-e-Haq, the reader seems to be traveling with the author’s pen. The author has described a war and military battle in such a way that it is not difficult for the readers to understand how the Pakistani army, realizing the sudden attack and the situation, responded so strongly that the enemy’s intentions were mistaken and took targeted action in such a way that even the Indian Prime Minister Modi stood up and was found saying in public that “Pakistan attacked us.”
At that time, Indian Prime Minister Modi’s condition was exactly like that of a careless person who went to the railway station and someone slapped him as soon as he reached the platform. At this, he felt that something was wrong there. At that moment, someone punched him in the back; now he was sure that there was something wrong there. He was still in that state of shock when some people picked him up and threw him on the railway track. On this, he ran away saying, “If you come, there will be a battle” as if Mr. Modi came to know from the retaliation of Pakistan’s soldiers that there is a battle going on there.
Colonel Ashfaq Hussain’s first love is the armed forces, and he has even attributed the battle of truth to the brave armed forces of Pakistan. To be honest, Colonel Ashfaq Hussain has done justice by writing a book on the battle of truth and has prepared a document that will tell future generations how brave, fearless, and courageous the Pakistani nation and its forces were, that even the biggest enemy did not have the courage to stand in front of them. The history of nations is made up of such battles, and Colonel Ashfaq Hussain, as such a writer, plays his role in keeping history alive with its facts.
The author has not neglected the essential issues in compiling the book and has kept historical facts in mind. He has brought out eye-catching facts about Operation Sindoor, citing the Kashmir dispute, the Indus Waters Treaty, India’s support for separatist movements and terrorism in India, and false flag operations. He also mentioned the Indian media, how they tried to create a “tremendous” situation on the media front by citing fake news. Colonel Ashfaq Hussain writes in the book that “A soldier was describing the features of the BrahMos missile developed by India and saying that it can penetrate a window four hundred kilometers away. The anchor of Times News was shouting, ‘Oh ho! Big news, big news!’ India has directly attacked Lahore.
From such words, it seems that during the struggle for truth, the Indian army and the Indian media were playing in their own “D” and were making noise without facts. It is heard that their missiles that could even penetrate windows—some windows were closed—so they had to face a lot of regret.
Nevertheless, the author has been able to bring out the excellent professional performance of the three-armed forces, namely the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy, and Pakistan Air Force, regarding Operation Banyan Marsus. He has also shed light in detail on the achievements shown by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the diplomatic front and how the Indian position has been rejected internationally. In short, Colonel Ashfaq Hussain’s book Marka-e-Haq is a timeless work that will be remembered as a reference book for future generations, especially in terms of military battles.
Note: The original article was published in the Urdu language, and the translation has been done by the DND News Agency Team. The author Dr. Yousaf Alamgirian can be contacted at [email protected]
