People near border in high spirits

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LAHORE:

Even as a complete blackout cloaked areas near the Indian border, where heightened security measures were being rolled out to shore up national defense, residents remained undeterred.

Despite coming under missile fire the night before, the people of these frontline villages stood their ground, with nerves of steel and spirits unbroken, ready to stare down the barrel and go toe to toe with the country's arch-rival.

"Four missiles that came from India landed a few hundred feet from where I stood in my fields within the span of eight minutes at Markaz Taiba, Muridke — a complex that houses colleges for boys and girls, a university, a hospital, mosque, and living compounds," said Advocate Sheikh Tamoir, a local leader and farmer.

The first missile, he recalled, shook the ground like an earthquake and sent villagers in Nangar Sadain scrambling out of their homes.

Later, three more missiles followed. One tore through the palatial mosque, another hit Safa Academy, while the remaining two struck the living quarters.

The assault knocked out security arrangements at the Markaz gates, opening the floodgates for nearby residents to rush in for rescue efforts.

Sheikh Tamoir said the local community, on its own, rescued the women of the Markaz and shifted them to nearby houses for safety. He added that instead of running for cover, the entire area converged at the Markaz to show solidarity, as it is a highly regarded place where children receive education and where people from other areas come for subsidized treatment.

He said he was in the advanced years of his life and detested any form of terrorism, and had never seen any sort of training taking place at the Markaz, let alone ammunition training.

"Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is a fiery speaker, and that's pretty much it," he said, adding that the entire area could vouch for this.

A complete blackout was observed following the attack and rescue. However, by Fajr, morale was sky-high, spirits unshaken and resolve stiff as ever. The mood was so charged that a near-riot broke out when law enforcement agencies cordoned off the mosque, barring residents from offering morning prayers.

He said that under pressure from the locals, the police eventually relented, and residents offered prayers in the destroyed mosque—standing their ground, both literally and in spirit.

Those who lost their lives included the mosque's prayer leader, Haji Abdul Malik, who also served at the Markaz as the in-charge of CCTV cameras.

Whenever a theft occurred in the area, locals would turn to him for footage from the cameras stationed around the Markaz to help track down culprits. The other two martyrs were the mosque's caretaker, Khadim, and the muezzin, the one who calls the faithful to prayer.