On 27 October 1980, Lt Tariq Niaz Shaheed died in a road accident in Malir, Karachi, while he was on duty. He was a young officer of the Pakistan Army, and his life ended far too soon. Today, forty-six years later, Pakistan still remembers him.
First of all, Tariq Niaz was a Lieutenant of the Pakistan Army. He belonged to the 56th Long Course, and he served with 42 S&T ASC. In other words, he was a young officer who had chosen the uniform, the discipline, and the hard road that comes with it.
Lt Tariq Niaz Shaheed: The Young Officer of 56th Long Course
A young officer’s life is full of movement, duty, and long roads. For example, Tariq Niaz served in the Army Service Corps, the arm that keeps the Army fed, fuelled, and moving. At the same time, every posting carried its own risk, even on a normal day. His service asked for the same courage as any other branch, and he gave it without question.
Three years before his death, fate had already tested him once. On 7 July 1977, he survived a tragic road accident in Dongagali. However, he walked away from that crash and returned to duty. As a result, his comrades must have believed he was a man luck protected. Yet luck, as every soldier knows, is never a promise.
The Day Lt Tariq Niaz Shaheed Embraced Shahadat
On 27 October 1980, Lt Tariq Niaz Shaheed was on duty in Malir, Karachi, when a road accident took his life. He had survived one crash, but the second one proved fatal. In the end, the road that had spared him in Dongagali claimed him in Malir. He died while serving his country, and that is how Pakistan remembers him.
The Original Tribute
The tribute posted in his honour reads as follows:
Remembering Lt Tariq Niaz Shaheed, on his 46th shahadat anniversary
56th L/C ex 42 S&T ASC
He survived a tragic road accident in Dongagali on 7 July 1977, he later died in a road accident in Malir, Karachi on 27th October 1980 while on duty.
May Allah SWT rest his soul in eternal peace & grant him the highest ranks in Jannatul Ferdaus. Aameen
His Sacrifice, Our Future
The soldiers who guard this country stand day and night like a wall before the nation. They take the risks of the road and the field on their own shoulders so that the people behind them stay safe. Their sacrifices guarantee the bright future the rest of us walk into every morning.
As a result, every year on 27 October, his shahadat anniversary will return, and tributes will honour a young life given in the service of the nation. Meanwhile, the country will remember Lt Tariq Niaz Shaheed’s services with pride. May Allah raise his ranks, grant him the highest place in Jannat-ul-Firdous, and bless Pakistan with peace and security.
Above all, remember this: he was young, he was brave, and he was ours. Will you keep his memory alive? Share his story, and let the nation know that Pakistan has not forgotten its son. Pakistan will never forget him.
Read also: GC Arif Ullah Shaheed: Martyred While Praying and Sepoy Taseer Ahmed Shaheed: Son of Talagang.
