WOUNDED SOLDIER
The news spread like wildfire in the entire village that someone's dead body was lying near the hill of the village. It was a small village situated near a high hill in the Baramulla sector of Kashmir. Fifty-sixty families lived there.
All the people of the village gathered near the hill in a hurry. The dead body was lying in a bush below the hill. Two young men took the dead body out of the bush.
Everyone was surprised to see that it was the dead body of a soldier. He had been shot in the chest due to which his entire uniform was soaked in blood.
Mohammad Gaus Khan touched his body. He felt his body a little warm. Then he checked his pulse. "Hey, he is alive." He said looking at everyone.
"What?"Came out from everyone's mouth simultaneously. "Yes, I am right." Perhaps he has fallen from the hill after being injured by a terrorist's bullet." Mohammad Gaus Khan told everyone.
Two young men opened the bag hanging on his back. They found his identity card in it.
"Hey, this is Lance Naik of our army and his name is Ranveer Singh." A young man told everyone.
By then Dr. Firdaus had reached there. After completing MBBS from Srinagar Medical College three years ago, he opened his clinic in this small village. People from nearby villages also came to his clinic for treatment. Everyone respected him a lot.
Dr. Firdaus examined the injured person. Then he said, "Thank God that the bullet has hit near the shoulder. A lot of blood has been lost, but I am sure that he will survive.
"Then take him to the village quickly." Mohammad Gaus Khan said.
"But he is a Hindu and our entire village is Muslim. Then who will shelter him in their house?" Rahmat Mian asked looking at everyone with questioning eyes.
Everyone started looking at each other. "What are you saying, Rahmat? He is a soldier of our country. When a soldier is standing on the border of the country and facing the bullets of the enemy, he does not think whether the person he is protecting is a Hindu or a Muslim, a Sikh or a Christian." Mohammad Gaus Khan said explaining to everyone.
"Khan Uncle is right. We must save his life." Dr. Firdaus said supporting him.
Mohammad Gaus Khan was the oldest person in the village. People respected him a lot. Whatever he said was law for everyone. So everyone accepted his words with their heads bowed picked up the injured soldier and started walking towards the village.
It had been two days since the injured soldier had come to the village. Dr. Firdaus himself was working day and night to treat him. The soldier had lost a lot of blood; so many young men in the village donated their blood to save his life. He was being treated at Gaus Khan's house. It was the effect of everyone's prayers that he was now out of danger but he had not regained consciousness yet.
It was evening time. Dr. Firdaus and many people of the village were sitting in the drawing room in Gaus Khan's house. Everyone was busy talking among themselves. Suddenly the sound of gunfire was heard. Before the people sitting in the drawing room could understand anything, some people of the village came running there and told Gaus Khan that some armed terrorists had entered the village. They are asking about the most injured soldier and are coming towards your house.
Hearing this, everyone's face turned pale. Gaus Khan consoled everyone and said - "Don't worry, Insha Allah everything will be fine."
Then after consulting everyone, the injured soldier was hurriedly taken from Gaus Khan's drawing room to the basement of his house and laid on a cot.
After entering the village, the terrorists first reached Doctor Firdaus' clinic. They searched every inch of the place, but they did not find the injured soldier anywhere. They also asked the people, present at the clinic about the injured soldier, but everyone said that they had no information about this, and neither had they seen any injured soldier there.
The terrorists got into deep thought and started whispering among themselves. Then one of them asked the compounder working at the clinic - "Where is Doctor Firdaus at this time?"
The compounder said that Doctor Sahab had gone to Gaus Khan Uncle’s place. Then the terrorists took the compounder to Gaus Khan's place.
On seeing eight-ten armed terrorists, everyone present there was stunned.
"Tell us quickly at whose place the injured soldier is hiding in the village, otherwise we will destroy the entire village."
One of the terrorists said sternly. He probably seemed to be their commander.
Before any villager could say anything, Doctor Firdaus stood up and said very politely, "There is no injured soldier in the village, sir. Yes, three days ago we did find an injured soldier near the hill of the village. We brought him to the village, but two hours later the army men came and took him to the army hospital."
The terrorists started whispering among themselves. Then the same commander asked, "Who is Gaus Khan among you?" I am here, sir." Gaus Khan said politely after getting up.
The commander stared at Gaus Khan and said, "I have heard that you are a real Muslim and never lie. You tell me where have you people hidden the injured soldier?"
The whole village knew that Gaus Khan never lied, so everyone was sure that now Gaus Khan would tell the terrorists everything about the injured soldier. Dr. Firdaus was also in a dilemma. He too could not think of any way to save the injured soldier. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Gaus Khan's face. One color was coming on his face, and then another color was going. He was probably in a deep dilemma. Then he said - "Dr. Firdaus has said the right thing, sir! I swear by God that there is no injured soldier hidden in this village. If I am lying, then may I go to hell?" After saying this, Gaus Khan became silent. There was silence there for some time.
The terrorists talked among themselves. They were completely convinced by Gaus Khan's words that there was no injured soldier there, so they left from there, but before leaving he warned everyone that no one should tell the police or the army about their arrival.
Everyone nodded in agreement. The terrorists had left, but the question that kept coming up in the minds of the villagers was why Uncle Gaus Khan lied. When they could not bear it anymore, everyone asked Gaus Khan, "Uncle, why did you lie to the terrorists?"
Gaus Khan said, "I told this lie for the sake of my country. I can go to hell, but I cannot play with the security of my country."
Hearing this, the youth lifted Gaus Khan on their shoulders and started shouting slogans of Gaus Khan Zindabad and Jai Hind.
