Introduction
During my service I had occasion to experience some invisible and mysterious power that some have dismissed with incredulous looks and smiles. For the interest of our learned readers I am appending below some events and leave judgment to them.
Whose blood was that?
During 1979 I was granted commission and posted to the battalion of my father which was camping in JUTIAL area, about 20 km from GILGIT. It was winter and the whole area was in the grip of cold weather. My service was hardly ten days when I was appointed Duty Officer of the week. I was required to check all the employed guards, including at the Flag Staff House, during day and night and also the unit working parties. Any untoward incident occurring in the unit was also reported to the duty officer. A duty JCO was detailed to assist the duty officer.
For night duty sentries were issued with warm great coats. Rifles were kept loaded with fixed bayonets. The duty officer was provided with a Jeep for checking guards and employed away from the unit lines.
As it was not a family station all the officers used to dine in the Officers Mess that was set up in a temporary accommodation. Before and after every meal, officers used to gossip, play cards and watch TV programmes. I, as the junior most would listen to the seniors and speak only when spoken to. On the dinner table, as the junior most, my seat was in the end known as the starvation corner. Every petty and dirty work was assigned to me, and the proverb ‘be a dog but not a younger brother’, was absolutely proved correct.
One night the sky was covered with thick layer of clouds and a biting cold wind was blowing. All the officers were sitting around the fire place and discussing the existence of demons, ghosts and witches. Suddenly I heard the ringing of the officers mess telephone and when I lifted the received the duty clerk reported that according to the guard commander a sentry of the Flag Staff House was lying unconscious and was unable to given any reason. I at one left the Mess after taking permission from the CO and drove the jeep to the Flag Staff House in half an hour. I found a jawan lying senseless on the ground. He was wearing his great coat which was torn from the front as if someone had used a sharp knife. His rifle lay by his side with bayonets fixed on it. All the members of the guards looked terrified because according to the guard commander the sentry was frightened by a witch. I laughed because I did not believe in ghosts or witches. I enquired from the second sentry who was the companion of the unconscious guard he said his companion sentry was standing on duty under a big tree inside the gate. Since it was a dark night and the wind was blowing strongly he was unable to see if anyone had come near his companion. However, he heard loud shouting of charge by the sentry and falling of the steel chair of the sentry. In his opinion, his companion had most probably seen a witch.
The tall tree looked like a standing demon and suddenly as lightning struck I felt as if a woman with long hair was peering through the branches of the tree. The guard commander and the duty JCO also saw the ugly looking woman but I still thought that it was a reflection light on the branches, a false sight like an optical illusion. I examined the rifle, the bayonet was covered with blood and blood stains were also visible near the tree. But no foot marks could be seen. The guard commander said that while performing duty at the Flag Staff House he and the sentries had often seen an ugly looking woman with long hair behind the trunk of the tree and in the branches. At times they also heard weeping and crying. Sentries dared not go alone near the tree and all members of the guard often kept awake the entire night.
I thought the perhaps a mad woman had come from one of the houses in the far distance but previous enquiries had revealed this was not so. We sprinkled some water on the face of the sentry and after a few minutes, he opened his eyes. After having a hot up of tea, he stated, “I was about five yards away from the tree when lightning struck and I saw a horrible looking woman with hair handing on her shoulders standing behind the tree. Soon she stood closer and I saw her breasts were hanging down to the waist and she look naked. She invited me to come near her. When I did not move from my place she took a few steps towards me. I kept watching her retreated a few steps to the rear. When only a few feet separated us I decided to charge her with the bayonet and shoved it into her belly. When I pulled the bayonet out, as taught during training, I stumbled on the steel chair that lay behind me. The woman looked at me with rage and disappeared into the blowing wind and I fell unconscious.”
I took the rifle and the bayonet and explained the whole incident to the CO. The blood stained bayonet was sent for conducting tests by the chemical examiner. Meanwhile it was thought that the sentry and members of the guard had perhaps seen a black bear and let their imagination run wild. But it was later confirmed that black bears were not found in that area. Also no villagers had reported about any wounded woman and in that area the women were of fair complexion and remained in purdah.
The chemical examiner’s report was received after about a month. It read that, ‘the blood on the bayonet was neither of human being nor of animal’.
The perplexing question was, ‘Whose blood was that?”
It was not a nightmare
The border between SIALKOT-OCCUPIED KASHMIR is known as the working boundary. Soon after independence this border was defended by the then Border Police with scattered small posts with large gaps in between. SUCHEET GARH, situated on the SIALKOT-JAMMU road, was the main border post. Before independence it was a flourishing trade center. Occasionally detachments of Pakistan Army were also employed for patrolling and watching the activities of the Border Police.
Subsequently CHENAB Rangers was raised in which the Border Police troops were amalgamated whereas officers, JCOs and some specialist NCOs were provided by the Pakistan Army. During 1981-82 I was serving with my battalion in SIALKOT Cantonment. Often patrols from our unit were sent to watch the border between SUCHEET GARD – PHUKLIAN enclave across the River CHENAB.
During the last week of January 1982 I was sent to PHUKLIAN enclave for patrolling. The village JUNG LORA in PHUKLIAN enclave was reported to be a den of smugglers and spies. I had eight armed soldiers with me. The sky was overcast and it started drizzling at 1700 hours. A vehicle dropped us up to the river bank from where we crossed the river in a local boat. Soon it was dark and the track was muddy and slippery. The area was dense with trees and only the lights of the village we had left behind were visible. To avoid the village I took a wide turn and reached the vicinity of a big banyan tree, some of its long branches had deep roots in the ground. In torch light and flashes of lightning I saw a mud hut under that dreadful looking tree and decided it would provide shelter from the rain and biting weather.
The mud hut had no doors or windows. The dusty floor and scattered leaves of the tree revealed that it had not been inhabited for quite a long time. The room was about 10 feet x 15 feet. There were layers of webs hanging from the ceiling and I left two men to clean it and collect dry branches for starting a fire inside. I took six men with me for patrolling the area with the help of a torch and candle light covered with a ground sheet. We had hardly gone 400 to 500 yards when he heard the sound of approaching beasts and by torch light we saw a herd of wild boars heading towards us. I fired my pistol to frighten them off but they continued advancing. I told a jawan to fire his rifle which hit the biggest wild boar. The herd had stopped but failed to turn right or left. The drizzle had turned into rain and we were all drenched when we returned to the hut. The two men were sitting outside and shivering. They said someone was present in the room but was not visible. I scolded them and keeping three men as guard the rest of us spread some sheets and went to sleep. A candle was kept burning in one corner. Suddenly I heard the fluttering of birds over us and at the same time the candle went off and it became dark. I then ordered the candle be lit again and be kept in the middle. I looked up at the roof but could see no nest of bats or any other bird. An unknown fear gripped me but I did not say anything because the men also looked scared. I shook off the fear and started dozing when suddenly we heard the fluttering of birds and the candle once again went off. I was now convinced that something was in the room with us, something mysterious and invisible who was disturbed by our presence.
The candle was lit and the torch was also kept lighted. All of us started reciting AYATS of the HOLY QUR’AN to ward off the fear. All of us offered FAJR prayers and in the morning light I went out and found the three men covered with sheets, huddled together, shivering and pale with fear. Upon our asking, they said a strange bird had appeared from the room which changed into a hideous looking woman with long hair and arms who looked at them and disappeared.
This was not a nightmare!
Haunted Rest House
During 2006 the WARID management selected me to visit BANGLADESH for establishing Logistical System for WARID. After a stay of a few days in Dhaka I, alongwith my team members, visited various places. It was heartening to see that BANGLADESH was progressing smoothly and in some fields had even surpassed us! The WARID team also visited SYLHET the world famous tea producing center. The garden management of SREEMANGAL, a suburb of Sylhet invited us for dinner and also arranged a cultural show. Our lodging was arranged in the Rest House.
From Dhaka we travelled by road, parallel to which a narrow gauge train was moving. A light drizzle had started, the green paddy fields and floating clouds presented a most fascinating sight and my heart leapt with joy at the beauty of nature. After travelling for about five hours we arrived at the famous tea garden of SREEMANGAL. The reception was most cordial, the dinner sumptuous and the cultural show, captivating. I and my four members were accommodated in the upper storey rooms of the Rest House, about 7 km away.
We were told the Rest House was 130 years old. It had wooden floors, high ceilings and tall doors and windows. It reminded me of our MARDAN Punjab Regiment Center Room known as the HODSON Bastion constructed on higher ground about 150 years ago – Major HODSON was residing in the fort bastion. He was the killer of three Mughal princes during the 1857 War of Independence. He had removed their rings, armlets, jewelry, swords and other valuable items. He was killed at Begum Kothi in the hope of loot, he being the most notorious looter in the whole British Indian Army.
It was about 2230 hours when myself and my team members went upstairs to spend the night. As we walked on the wooden corridor and I entered my room, a strange feeling seized us, the house and the room was depicting a century old horror film story. There was a strong urge for a cup of tea so we called the caretaker to make some; he was a 60 year old lame man who could be heard dragging his feet on the wooden floor – he looked like a character from a horror story. The tea was served without milk; nonetheless we thanked him for making it at such a late hour. I asked my companions to sleep in my room which was large enough because none of us were feeling comfortable and a strange feeling prevailed over us. Earlier we had been told that over a century ago the British owner of the tea garden and his family members had been murdered in this house and this tragedy kept lurking in our thoughts.
We were tired and went to sleep but suddenly I got up with a shudder because I felt someone was pressing against my chest. Two of my room mates also felt that someone was sitting by their side. All of us were now awake but did not see anyone. We tried to shake off our fear by consoling ourselves that it was probably a nightmare but I kept thinking about the spirits of the murdered persons who were trying to search their beds.
By 0200 hours we were all sound asleep. When I heard knocking on the window close to my bed I got up and saw it was still dark outside. I quietly shifted the window curtain and to my surprise, saw a big sized crow hitting the window glass with its beak. I struck on the window with my fist and the crow flew away. However, I could not help shuddering because I knew it was not normal for birds to come out of their nests at night. I did not mention anything about the crow to my room mates but I felt pretty sure the Rest House was haunted.
