PESHAWAR: Families and officers were sitting in front of a dome-shaped marble monument at Balahisar Fort to pay homage to 1,180 Frontier Corps personnel, who have laid down their lives in the war on terrorism.

Solemn and emotional scenes were seen when schoolchildren enacted a play to illustrate sacrifices of soldiers.

The scene resembled with reality for the people, who had lost near and dear ones in the prolonged conflict in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

The audience comprising widows, fathers and mothers of fallen soldiers broke down completely when a girl, enacting as one of the bereaved mothers, was informed that his son had been killed in a gun battle with militants.

The tableau reminded of the agony these people underwent when they first heard of the death of their fathers, husbands, brothers and sons in the conflict. Widows and parents placed floral wreath on the monument to honour deceased soldiers.

Families, officers pay homage to 1,180 FC personnel at Balahisar Fort ceremony

Among them was Mohammad Younas, 60, whose son was deployed in North Waziristan Agency soon after he completed training.

He was killed when an explosives-laden vehicle exploded inside the Bannu garrison on January 19 this year.

At least 20 soldiers were killed and 30 injured in the blast.

“I informed my son a night before he left for Miramshah that he has been engaged. The very next day I heard the tragic news on radio that a blast occurred in the convoy inside the garrison and Shahid (his son) had died in it,” the grieving Younas said.

The family received the charred body of Shahid after four days.

Another unfortunate story was of an elderly man, Jehangir Khan, whose son was killed in clashes with militants in Sara Rogha area of South Waziristan Agency in 2011.

Jehangir, who belongs to Tirah valley of Khyber Agency, had undergone double tragedy.

Before the death of his son in militancy, Taliban torched his house in Takhta Kai area of Tirah Valley. He has shifted to Peshawar to live as displaced person, like thousands of his fellow tribal population.

FC, comprising 14 wings, has become a formidable fighting force in the war on terrorism and has been conducting joint operations with the army to wipe out terrorists from militancy infested tribal area.

Primarily FC which has 50,000 strength; is responsible to assist political administrations in maintenance of law and order situation over an area stretching 1,250km area on border from Chitral to Gulkach and curb smuggling and drug trafficking. Now it had assumed the role of counter terrorism force since Pakistan joined war on terrorism.

The newly-built monument standing at the middle of the historic fort, which serves as the headquarters of the FC, has been built to honour soldiers of the paramilitary force. Names and ranks of 1,180 soldiers, who fall in line of duty to terrorism have been inscribed on the marble tiles.

Despite fighting dangerous war in a tough terrain and rendering sacrifices, FC soldiers remained ignored for a long time.

Families of the deceased soldiers were getting negligible compensation compared to personnel of other law-enforcement agencies and the army.

Officials said 3,280 FC officers and soldiers had also suffered casualties in the ongoing conflict so far.

They said many soldiers, who suffered fatal injuries in bomb explosions and gun fights, had become disabled permanently.

FC inspector general Major-General Mohammad Tayab Azm, who inaugurated the monument, told Dawn that compensation for the legal heirs of a dead soldier had been increased to Rs3 million.

“We are utilising all available resources for the rehabilitation of the affected families to help them in these trying times,” he said.

The FC inspector general said his force had been financing a housing scheme, where a five-marla house would be given to every soldier of the force dying in the conflict.

He said 360 houses had been constructed, while 352 more residential quarters were being built.

“Also, children of the soldiers get free education in our educational institutions,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2014