Maqbool Hussain

Sepoy Maqbool Hussain was a Pakistani soldier who became well known for his capture and brutal imprisonment for four decades in Indian military jails when he was wounded during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and subsequently taken prisoner by Indian troops. Following Hussain's capture, the Indians did not register his legal status as a prisoner of war (POW), stripping him of certain rights that he would otherwise be entitled to by international law. While in the custody of Indian forces, Hussain was notoriously subjected to severe torture by interrogators and remained defiant when he was demanded to give up any information he knew to jeopardize Pakistan's security. He was regularly harassed by his captors and put under pressure to insult his nation with various phrases such as "Pākistān Murdābād", to which he was known to actively respond with "Pākistān Zindābād". His persistent refusal to oblige with his Indian captors angered them, and they proceeded to cut out Hussain's tongue and rip his fingernails off. Over the next 40 years, Hussain remained in an Indian prison, where he would regularly write "Long Live Pakistan" on the walls of his jail cell with his blood. He was released on 17 September 2005 during a prisoner exchange between India and Pakistan at the Wagah-Attari border crossing. Upon his return to Pakistan, Hussain had no family left to go to, and his mental and physical state had reduced to the point where he would only respond with his rank and military service number whenever he was asked any questions by passersby. Hussain managed to find his way to a Pakistan Army garrison in Azad Kashmir and repeatedly wrote down his rank and service number on a piece of paper. After much inquiry, Hussain's service in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was discovered and full accommodations began to be made by the military for him. On 23 March 2009, Sepoy Maqbool Hussain of the Azad Kashmir Regiment was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat for his gallantry during the war. Hussain died on August 28, 2018 in the city of Attock, Punjab. He was a native of Tarar Khel, Sudhanoti District in Kashmir.