Maqbool Hussain

Sepoy Maqbool Hussain Khan (1940 — 28 August 2018) was a Pakistani soldier who was well known for his capture and imprisonment for four decades (40 years) in Indian military jails when he was wounded during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and subsequently taken unofficially as a prisoner by Indian troops. Due to the torture inflicted upon him, including the removal of his nails, he was declared mentally unstable.

Capture in 1965 and subsequent torture Following Hussain's capture during the war, the Indians did not register his legal status as a prisoner of war (POW) under the international law of war, stripping him of certain rights that he would otherwise be entitled to by international law.

His persistent refusal to oblige his Indian captors angered them, and they proceeded to cut out Hussain's tongue and rip out his fingernails. Over the next 40 years, Hussain remained in an Indian prison, where he would regularly write "Long Live Pakistan" on the walls of his cell with his blood.

Return to Pakistan He was released on 17 September 2005 during a prisoner exchange between India and Pakistan at the Wagah-Attari border crossing.

Awards On 23 March 2009, Sepoy Maqbool Hussain of the 41 Azad Kashmir Regiment was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat for his gallantry during the war.

Death Hussain died on 28 August 2018 in the city of Attock, Punjab. He was a native of Tarar Khel, Sudhanoti District in Kashmir.

Burial He was buried in his hometown of Tarar Khel, Azad Kashmir. His mother had waited for his return for as long as she lived and when she died she wrote in her will that the people bury her at the entrance of her village, so when her son would come back home, she'd be the first to welcome him.