“I was born in the Patriata village near Murree. I spent my adolescence cutting wood deep inside the jungle, crossing small and large hills to bring back wood to use for fuel.

Serving in the army was in my blood. My forefathers served in the army, so my desire to serve was present since my childhood.

My grandfather, Syed Mushtaq Hussain served in the army’s engineering corps during partition, fought in the 1965 and 1971 wars and was a PoW in Bangladesh in 1971. My father Syed Liaquat Hussain served in the same corps and then retired.

I joined the army in 2000 and served for almost eight years. During the Wana operation in 2008 I was shot in the right side of my chest.

The bullet pierced my chest and damaged 80pc of my right lung, which was why I had to retire. I’m a retired former army commando of the Punjab Regiment.

I’m now working as a bodyguard for the owner of a beauty salon in Satellite Town.

It’s a 14-hour workday and I get two holidays a month. It’s a tough job – it requires both physical and mental toughness.

I’ve been married twice, and I have three kids – one is five, one is three and the youngest is just a year old. I want my sons to follow in my footsteps and join the army.”

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2016