My half family served in Cavalry part of the Armoured Corps another in Infantry in Pakistan Army . I as a child who on the quiet meekly watched my cousin play with his dinky toys in their house in Rawalpindi, praising the “Centurion Tanks”, as his father Col Yayha Effendi, served in 12 cavalry.
Every child has his passions and dreams mine was to play battles and wars in the lawns of our house in Swat. What I never knew then would take me one day to real combat situation sharing my experience with almost all known distinguished units of the Pak Army including the famed Zarar company of the 2nd Battalion of the Special Services Group.
Pakistan itself faced one of the biggest tanks battles post WW2 in the Indo – Pak 1965 war, which my uncle late Brig Hissam Effendi fought as the Divisional Commander despite being of a Brigadier rank the last rank on which he got retired before he and his two sons Podger Effendi and Vicky Effendi took up playing professional polo in Pakistan. I would have this regret ever that the army and the country he served so selflessly deprived him of his polo legacy by renaming the El Effendi Polo Tournament as the Quaid – e- Azam Polo tournament when Quaid never played polo, show our shallowness as people that brought us to this mess from which we now find ourselves difficult, if not impossible to extricate.
As a child I loved to watch the WW2 documentary World At War that was telecasted post 9 o’clock news that my disciplinary mother always disallowed me to watch and when I grew older I no more had the heart to see the sufferings that wars inflict on humanity.
This picture of the tank in action is of the legendary American M4 Sherman, taken during in action against the Afrikan Corps, under the iconic German General Romme, known as the desert fox, fought between 4 October to 31st, October 1942, at El Alamein: The same Afrikan Corps of Rommel that in the past overran the Regiment of Hissam Effendi and Sahibzada Yaqoob, both taken Prisoners of War. Effendi offered Sahibzada to join him escape, the offer he declined and Effendi availed that made Hissam rejoin his unit to resume the unfinished war against the Germans, while Honourable Sahabzada stayed behind to learn the various European languages that would help him later in life as a Diplomat to advocate peace then fight wars and spill blood.
Rest in Peace Two Great Legends Who Both Fought Together Great Wars But Realised Peace Was The Ultimate Victory whether achieved above the ground in one’s life or beneath it hereafter.
