Page 46 - RADC Bulletin 2022

Ex NANKANA PILGRIM
– Defence Engagement visit to Pakistan
– 22-29 Jun
Maj Varinder Singh Bassi
The maxim ‘no plan survives first contact’
is exhausted in the military, but it aptly describes the opening gambit of my visit to Pakistan. Given the force health protection and security briefs highlighting the risk in Pakistan prior to our departure, I would have presumed navigating London Heathrow unharmed would have been the least
of my concerns. How wrong I was. The check-in officer assisting me at bag-drop disappeared suddenly without notice.
Five, ten, then twenty minutes had passed, whilst I remained rooted to the spot, the
rest of my party, looking on from a distance, increasingly frustrated. When she returned, she explained that despite her best efforts to chase my luggage in the deep dark labyrinth of Heathrow’s baggage carousel, she did not manage to retrieve it. She explained that she had accidently placed the wrong tags on one of my bags (the one with all my clothing!) and it was now headed to Mumbai, whilst the suitcase with my non-essentials was on its way to our intended destination, Lahore. This explains my highly questionable dress state in the accompanying photos. I’m just grateful I could acquiesce enough rig from the rest of the delegation to be appropriately dressed enough for the occasion.
Despite this early setback, my enthusiasm for our visit did not wane. The reason, an appreciation of how privileged it was to accompany Maj Gen Celia Harvey in leading a delegation of Sikh soldiers on a Defence Engagement (DE) visit to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Battle of Saragarhi. This was the first such visit of its kind, since partition at least, for serving soldiers to remember and honour the sacrifice of British Sikh soldiers who laid down their lives in
the ultimate display of bravery and selfless commitment.
On 12 September 1897, soldiers from the 36th Sikhs of the British Indian Army pitched a last-stand battle against local Afghan tribesmen to defend the picket at Saragarhi. An estimated 12,000 – 24,000 Orakzai and Afridi tribesmen were seen near Saragarhi, attempting to cut off Fort Gulistan from
Fort Lockhart. Saragarhi was particularly
44 RADC BULLETIN 2022
ENGAGEMENT