(11 June 1954 - 6 April 2006)
It pains me enough and leaves me helpless when I set out to write about a comrade and brother no more and I do not find any photos or words of remembrance. Ishraq has been one of them. I sifted all my library to find more about him, but nothing other than the thumb photo and the final term group photo. While I have asked a few of his platoon mates to share whatever they can, here is a short write up about Ishraq as I knew him.
Aurangzeb Seniors: Ishraq standing (last row) second from right. The group also includes two other brothers (now no more): Saleem Soomro (sitting second from left) and Safdar Jahanzeb (standing first row) second from the right
As I said before I requested a few of Ishraq's platoon mates to share his memories. In response Nadeem Qadri share two memorable photos with Ishraq as under:
Two memorable photos of Ishraq (shared by Nadeem Qadri)
Above: Ishraq, Nadeem, Jahangir and Fazal
Below: Rashid, Nadeem, Munir and Ishraq
However a surprise came from Salim Nawaz, who sent me a rather elaborate write up about Ishraq, for which I am really grateful to him. Salim recalls:
Ishraq Ahmed Mubashar was my room mate for first three terms, and what a lovely and caring human being he was. Simple soul who was simply a non interfering with guys around him. Did i ever face any difficulty in year and a half living in the same room, the answer is a simple no. He used to be a lot of support, and we gelled very well for having come from similar economic background, lower middle class.Though i willingly used to participate in all "raggrra رگڑا" sessions any time when seniors called us out, and i used to do it happily but when it came to him i always envied him for almost total fallen excuses given to him by seniors, for he used to be doing some projects for them, like making some lists, writing some script, or tags or banners type of stuff; since he had a very good very good hand writing. But he was very caring. On my return from such raggrra fall-ins, which he did not attend, he would always keep some eatables and tea for me in our flask simply asking me “oh yaar take tea and don't make noise, go to sleep”. And I always did it happily yaar.
Once he did get into a difficult punishment fall-in. Episode went like this, which our course may recall as i narrate it. Since Khalid and Tariq Companies shared a block, few of our smart friends in second term got clued up and executed their smart dodging techniques against the seniors. There used to be notices for CSM or BSM fall-ins on the notice boards. But only few “disgracers” like me would turn up at the RV even five minutes earlier because we used to have read the notice. Some of our smart guys would remove the notice and many including those having read the notice, would not turn up And as we may recall Khalid coy guys saying that Tariq coy may have removed the notice and Tariq coy guys saying the reverse. End result being even harsher harder and longer punishment fallin for the entire course.
During one such fall-ins called by late BSM Gill on freezing Sunday morning behind Qasim Coy, nangey paireen ننگے پیری in only one underwear, the second term course was waiting for BSM to appear in the balcony. As he appeared and spoke in his Punjabi dialect of English, some body mimicked him from smart inters. And BSM thought Ishraq had done it. So Ishraq knowing filly well like any body else, did not reveal him. Gill ordered him to make big balls of almost solud snow and put one each in front and back inside underwear and one each in his arm pits. Which he did grumbling that could not be heard by gill but his pure vulgar vocabulary not only for Gill but also for the culprit could be clearly heard by all. Rest of one hour fall-in on that “painful” Sunday morning passed like that. But comradeship held all of us to endure it without giving the name of the culprit. Later I used to ask him jokingly, if he would ever be able to produce children since during that morning his nassbandi was complete!!!
I did at times teased him for his weak arms too that allowed him to just get passing marks only, that being the only weakness in him. He however was clear what he was to do in the army; join Ordnance, which he sure did.Very jolly he was, and Shoaib Mumtaz, a great friend of ours in K3 and in Aurangzeb company was his normal target for jokes, which he used to call out in pothohaari language and dialect. Shoaib would initially show some attitude but then only settle with it, as we remember, contesting a joke was sure a recipe for social disaster drawing more volleys, which no one could afford!!!
Very sensible man he was who never crossed limits of decency even while cracking jokes and laughing his lungs out. We were pretty close, i can claim, and there may be many others too who could claim the same; such was a likable persona he always carried. I clearly remember him consoling me and in a way teasing me too by saying yes yes you infantry lover, good you got Engineers, don't bother you will settle soon. As few may remember that MS branch initially posted me to 1st Engineers, on the day of announcing our posting. Though strength of the system was able to prevail, and I finally got my choice 4th Bn the Baloch Regt. And he came running to hug me and congratulate me for this.
Later our assignments kept us away for long time for meeting in person but contact remained intact. He was very frank and exploring too. I remember, we served at Karachi in younger service. One day he was going through a telephone directory, at my house in Jacob lines, and with a huge noisy naara he exclaimed to have found a name, Ishraq Ahmed Mubesher, of course not his name, but some one else. He noted the address and said, lets go and meet him. Despite my cautious suggestion he insisted. So he called that number, spoke to him, told him how he had found his name sake, and took his permission to meet, in army mess or any restaurant. Lo and behold, that gentleman invited him to his house. So next day we drove to that address and met the gentleman, in a nearby neighbourhood, an elderly man who was living with his wife of same age and both were very affectionate to two young army men. Law and order situation was so peaceful those days. And may be the elderly couple found some assurances that army radiated in those days. However so was his exploring nature. Amazing as it was.
Later when I met him during Kargil days, he was too busy managing provisions as one of the members being ADOS in one of the senior HQ in Rawalpindi. He looked as healthy and lively, though he did mention about his high BP. And later he suffered a stroke that left him handicapped in his ability to talk. And when I met him after long time at his house in one of the locations at Rawalpindi and went there with my wife, he was sort of naraaz ناراض with me for being absent for a long time. I hugged him and our eyes went moist, and he was so sweet to condone my shortfall in this regard.
If i correctly remember, once I visited him later along with our sweet brother Kalyaar too, (Kalyaar may like to confirm, or may be I am mixing it up), only I didn’t know that was to be the last time we were meeting. Soon later we heard the sad news of his departure from earthly abode. Despite my effort i was not able to reach from Quetta where I was neck deep caught up with sorting out foreign sponsored security situation in Balochistan. Remembering him has always given us sweet memories, and sure it does spray a gloom too for having lost him too early. 😢😢😢
As I remember him, Ishraq Ahmed Mubashir was quiet, simple and extremely loyal brother and comrade. A few years before his untimely death he suffered from speech paralysis while he was the Commanding Officer of an Ammunition Depot at Gujranwala. One could not find out of his disability which he managed with great extreme determination.
Years back, I met at the annual course get together held at Khanpur Dam and was not aware of his illness. Since I had not met him for a long, and saw him sitting alone in a corner, I went to him to say hello and started off a conversation with him but found him not responding. It really disturbed when I found him just staring at me and saying nothing. It was then someone told me of his ailment and inability to speak. I really felt sorry for a handsome man like him to be in such a state.
He kept fighting with his ailment but his heart didn't support him anymore and he passed away quietly, leaving us really mourned and sad. We sincerely pray that his soul rests in peace. Ameen.
May Allah bless Ishraq Ahmed Mubashir and all our course mates who have left us earlier than us and rest their souls in peace up in the heavens. Ameen.
Please refer to our Reference Page to read about all those of us who have left us midway for their Heavenly abode.
