Tale of former Pakistan army officer who won one of India's top civilian honors
Lt Col Qazi Sajjad Ali Zahir received one of highest civilian honours in India, the Padma Shri
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-Kinjal Yogesh Dixit
Have you heard of a tale in which a Pakistan army officer risking his life crosses over to India and helps to liberate Bangladesh in the war of 1971 at the age of 20! Yes, you read it right! It seems fascinating that a former Pakistan army officer wins India's top civilian honors i.e. Padma Shri and it is none other than Lt Col Qazi Sajjad Ali Zahir.
.Although Lt Colonel Zahir's name went by mainly under the radar, decades ago, mostly due to the confidential nature of military business, he came into the spotlight this week when he stepped onto the podium to receive his Padma Shri award - a recognition of his contributions to the Indian intelligence and along with the Bangladesh freedom movement.
Lt Col Qazi Sajjad Ali Zahir’s risk of his life to helping India and then-emerging Bangladesh is no understatement. Back then, when he was only a 20-year-old officer posted in Sialkot, Lt Col Zahir crossed over to neighboring India at the height of the Pakistani army’s atrocities and the human rights violations in Bangladesh, which was East Pakistan back in the day.
This youth’s trouble did not end even after he arrived in India. Here, he was but naturally suspected of being a Pakistani spy. He was grilled by the border security force, and then later by senior officers of the Indian Army in Pathankot.
Lt Col Zahir was believed in, only after he presented a bunch of confidential documents of the Pakistani Army which were proof to back up his cause. Then, he was sent to a safe house in Delhi. From this safe-house, the Indian intelligence coordinated with him. Later on, the former Pakistani soldier moved to Bangladesh. Here, he trained the Mukti Bahini, the freedom fighters, in guerrilla warfare to take on the Pakistani forces. The name of Lt Col Zahir is continued to be hated to this day, in Pakistan.
Lt Col Zahir, who retired from service back in 1982, has written more than 26 books based on the liberation war. He had also helped the Bangladesh government bring mortal remains of freedom fighters from India.
According to the lieutenant, there’s still a death sentence pending with his name in Pakistan for the past 5 decades. At the same time, however, Lt Col Zahir has been honored with gallantry medals such as the Bir Protik. He was also honored with the country's highest civilian honor which is the Swadhinata Padak. And, now India has recognised his contributions to the military history and Indian intelligence, conferring him with the prestigious Padma Shri award. On the other hand, Lt Colonel Zahir flaunts the death sentence pending in his name for the last 50 years in Pakistan. And for him, it's a badge of honour.
Recalling the reasons for his escape from Pakistan, he told India Today, "Jinnah's Pakistan became a kabristan (graveyard) for us. We were treated like second-class citizens, with no rights. We were a deprived population. We never got a democracy as was promised; we only got martial law. Jinnah said we would have equal rights but we didn't have any. We were treated as servants of Pakistan."
"As a member of Pakistan's elite para-brigade in Sialkot, I was an isolated human being. But then I thought I had three people in me- me, myself, and I. So, I started planning which route to follow. I decided to take the Shakargah route towards Jammu, which was probably least patrolled," he recalled.
The Padma Awards are of the highest civilian honours of India, and are announced annually, ahead of Republic Day. However, the award-giving ceremony got affected owing to the Covid-19 pandemic this year. Padma Awards are given in 3 categories namely Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. The award recognises achievements in all fields of activities where an element of public service is involved.