“Congratulations, Musa,” Musa whispered to himself, hoping to hear the same words, and took a deep breath. His heart started racing between hope and nervousness as he tore open the envelope stamped with an army insignia.
Behind him, his mother watched him with her hands clasped as she prayed silently, “Please, God… let it be a rejection. I know I am being selfish, but as a mother, I cannot bear the thought of losing my son.”
Musa began to read the letter. His hands started trembling as he read, “Due to your height and visual acuity, you are not eligible for service in the army.”
He was aware that his mother was against his enlistment. Even when he filled out the registration form, his mother had told him not to do so.
As tears started rolling down his cheeks, he quietly walked to his room and closed the door. He stood in front of the mirror and asked himself, “Why not me? What should I do to serve my nation as my grandpa did? He sacrificed his life. I have always wanted to do something meaningful for this country. I wish…”
Days passed, but Musa kept thinking about what he could do to serve his country as his grandpa. He felt a strong connection with his nation, and it was this connection that made him question how he could show his love for his country.
A few days later, as he was filling out the extracurricular activities form, the cybersecurity course immediately caught his eye. Without hesitation, he selected it. He closed his laptop and started smiling as he leaned back in his chair.
“Cybersecurity… why didn’t I think about it before?” he whispered to himself.
A few days earlier, he had stumbled upon an article about the Pakistan Air Force’s defence unit. He read about how critical infrastructure was protected through strong cybersecurity wings established by the military.
“I could serve my nation. Brave soldiers protect us at the LOC. Similarly, by being a part of cyber security, I can protect my country online. I could learn coding and become a cybersecurity professional. I can become a soldier of the digital age. I can fight for my nation through algorithms, code and artificial intelligence,” Musa said enthusiastically.
Since receiving the rejection letter, this was the first time Musa felt that perhaps his dream had not fallen apart. He decided to work very hard to accomplish his goal.
After his first coding class, the bits 0 and 1, that seemed like just two simple digits, left him completely perplexed. The world of bits, digital signals, zeros and ones felt like a totally different universe. His confidence gradually started to disappear as he went deeper into the subject.
His mother noticed that he was feeling discouraged. She tried encouraging him and said, “Musa, you are doing great. You always wanted to be a soldier. Soldiers guard our nation on the ground. You can digitally protect its networks and firewalls from threats. Of course, what you have aimed for is nothing compared to the sacrifices our soldiers make. But never think it is worthless. Beta, I want you to stay steady on the path you have chosen and never give up. You are protecting your nation, but in a different way.”
Musa worked harder than ever. He coded daily, as consistency was the key to success. But when his first coding test came, he failed. It was hardly surprising, as he had never coded before. The result disappointed him, but he did not give up.
He reminded himself: “This is nothing compared to what a soldier sacrifices for his nation.” This thought became his motivation.
Musa kept failing and trying again. This way, he kept learning from his mistakes. Whenever he struggled with a line of code, he would debug it with focus and determination. To him, the keyboard felt like a rifle and every error was an enemy blocking his path. He followed each bug to remove every error from the screen as if he were defending the country on the battlefield.
“Got you!” he would shout each time he fixed a stubborn error.
In the next test, he succeeded. This achievement charged him up. He worked every day so that results would have no choice but to follow. As the course progressed, he learnt about cryptography, ethical hacking and much more. The course brought a new challenge every day, but he never backed down. He smiled at the screen and faced every vulnerability with determination.
In this digital age, the battlefield has changed. The weapons have changed. However, the mission will always be the same: to protect the nation at any cost. The soldiers defend the borders, while cyber defenders, our unsung heroes, guard the nation’s digital frontiers. Together, they protect the country from threats on every front, allowing citizens to live peacefully.
Published in Dawn, Young World, October 10th, 2026
