POINT, WITHDRAWAL, HAND GUARD OF JUNIOR CADET CORPS,
BAYONET IN THEIR RIBS ONLY ANSWER FOR MIR JAFFERS

In memory of Ustad Rafique of St Anthony’s High School a 1965 war martyr

Schools were tough. And add a cadet training programme for boys, it became even tougher. Early in the morning before school (many could not make it), a running around the ground, march past, drills, actual firing range, even the practice of how to throw a grenade after removing the pin. It did not look like normal school. And when things were not up to standard, boys were made to run around the ground with heavy gun dummies in their hands, till they dropped with fatigue. That was JUNIOR CADET CORPS or J.C.C of St Anthony’s under Master Walters (Two Walters in fact- one P.C. Walter) of St Anthony’s High School.

Ustad Rafique was not some ideal army figure head. A rather short stature man, but he had vigour and he had passion, and he would incite the students towards passion for the country. Whether anyone learnt from his passion, one does not know, but at least he himself martyred his life in the 1965 war and never came back. One could remember this period with aching bones or with nostalgia for a man for whom the country meant so much.

There were class fellows who got martyred, as they joined the Pakistan Army. There was Captain Azhar, a dear friend. Slightly senior was our Munster House Captain, Shabbir Syed Shaheed. We are told that he killed a Sikh opponent with a Wazeerabadi special knife in hand combat. He could out run everybody else in the annual athletics on Railway Ground. Another college class fellow got martyred in East Pakistan, Captain Waheed. There were others who opted for Army too, but some went into the US Army as Marines. The strutting J.C.C cadet in front of the photograph is Shaukat Waris, who is a US Marine now and was stationed at Afghanistan too.

Hats off to Lance Naik Rafique who put the Pakistani spirit in many of us.