Ahmedabad: Braveheart Rukhsana Kausar, who fought armed terrorists and killed one of them at her house in Jammu region, Thursday said she wants to join the armed forces to
serve the country.
"I do not want anything from the government, all we desire is that me and my brother should be allowed to join the armed forces so that we are able to fight for our country,"
the 22-year old girl said when asked what she wanted from the government.
Rukhsana, along with her brother Ijaz and father Noor Hussain, was here for a felicitation programme.
Rukhsana, who will take part in a peace march in Mumbai for those killed in the 26/11 terror attacks last year, said youngsters should be given arms training to enable them to
combat terrorists.
She and her brother were presented with a cheque of Rs one lakh by All India Anti-Terrorist Front (AIATF) Chairman M S Bitta at the function.
A group of terrorists of Pak-based LeT had barged into Rukhsana's house in Upper Kalsi area of Rajouri district on the night of September 27. She, along with her brother, overpowered one of them, Abu Osama, snatched his AK-47 and killed him on the spot.
Recalling the incident, Rukhsana said she was not scared when she fired at the armed terrorist, but now she feared for her safety and that of her family.
"At that moment I was not afraid of the terrorists. I thought in my mind - look what has happened to those who came to kill us," Rukhsana said.
"But now the situation is very different. I am very much afraid now. Me and my brother have stopped going to school and I fear my family would be targeted by militants."
Last month, Rukhsana and her family were shifted from their house in remote Kalsia-Thanamdani belt to high security District Police Line in Rajouri. Two police quarters have been given to the 12-member family as a security measure.
She was also offered job as a Special Police Officer (SPO) in Jammu and Kashmir Police last month along with her brother and uncle for bravery.
But Rukhsana had demanded a permanent Central Government job as the SPO's post was of temporary nature.
Speaking on the occasion, Bitta said, "no political party have come forward for Rukhsana because they fear they might become a target of terrorists if seen with her," said Bitta, a
former Youth Congress President who survived a terrorist attack in early 1990s.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, November 19, 2009, 16:04