PVC winner Abdul Hamid’s widow recalls his sacrifice
ASAL UTTAR (TARN TARAN): The last wish of 92-year-old Rasoolan Bibi to pay tribute to her husband, Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid, who was awarded Param Vir Chakra (posthumously), at his “samadhi” (mausoleum) at Asal Uttar in Tarn Taran district was finally fulfilled on Monday.
A soldier in the 4th Battalion, The Grenadiers of the Indian Army, Hamid died in the Khem Karan sector during the 1965 Indo-Pak War in the battle of Asal Uttar, but not before destroying seven enemy Patton tanks. He was the posthumous recipient of country’s highest military decoration, the PVC.
Tears rolled down Rasoolan’s wrinkled face as she offered “chadar” and wreath at her husband’s grave after 13 years. She had earlier visited the place in 1999 and 2004. “I am proud of my husband’s sacrifice,” said Rasoolan in a fumbling voice. Unable to walk, she managed the strength to cover a long distance from Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh to Asal Uttar, 8km from the zero line. “I will be visiting the place every year, till my last breath,” she said, recalling the days she spent with her husband.
The martyr’s wife also inaugurated a medical camp and planted a sapling near the martyr’s mausoleum. She also motivated schoolchildren to join the armed forces and serve the nation.
Hamid’s grandson Jamil Alam who accompanied Rasoolan, told HT that her grandmother expressed her desire to visit her husband’s grave. “Despite my grandmother’s age and deteriorating health, she somehow keeps a tab on tension along Line of Control through news,” he said, adding that she was pained to hear about the mutilation of two Indian soldiers along the LoC. “She keeps the PVC awarded to my grandfather with her as a treasure,” he said. “The family is following in the footsteps of the great martyr. My uncles Jai Hassan and T Mehmood retired from the army. Our next generation is also willing to join the forces,” said Alam. Later, troops presented a guard of honour to the martyrs. Brig Narinder Singh lauded the efforts of Shaheed Abdul Hamid Yadgar Committee to keep martyr’s memories alive.