Not only did the ISI defy the UN arms embargo and covertly supply those famous ATGMs to Bosniak freedom fighters that stopped Serbian offensives, but Pakistani soldiers also rescued over 380 Bosniaks, including 200 orphaned children, from Serbian concentration camps and flew them safely to Islamabad while much of the world just stood by and watched the genocide unfold.
As France and other countries withdrew their UN troops due to security concerns, the Pakistani government sent its third contingent of 180 troops to Bosnia under UN command in July 1995. Those Pakistani soldiers later rescued another 9,000 civilians from six concentration camps around Split. Most were safely moved to Pakistan, while the rest were settled in Türkiye and Jordan, which were the only Muslim countries besides Pakistan willing to accept these war-affected families.
This was at a time when Pakistan was already hosting over 3 million Afghan refugees who had fled the Soviet-Afghan War during the 80s. But even under those circumstances, Pakistan's government treated Bosniaks as guests and did not place them in refugee camps. They were housed in a large residential complex outside Islamabad, a special welfare fund was established to support them, and an entire mountain village was planned near Mansehra KPK, because many Bosniaks were unaccustomed to the scorching heat of Punjab.
Similarly, the response from ordinary Pakistanis was just as remarkable. In 1993, a Pakistani man approached Bosnian Ambassador Sadzida Silajdzic and presented her with a personal cheque for PKR 1 million to support war victims. Young college girls would volunteer to teach Urdu and English to Bosniak women and children, while countless other Pakistanis donated everything from cash and clothing to baby formula.
The world may have forgotten Pakistan's role, but the resilient Bosniaks have not. They still remember who armed them when they were defenseless, who sheltered them when they were displaced, and who stood by them when much of the world looked away.
From Bosnia to Palestine to Kashmir, the great Pakistani nation has always stood with the oppressed and, God willing, always will.
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@arnesa_kustura @AliSahin501 @AbsarAlamHaider @carin__fischerr
It was Pakistan's premier intelligence agency (ISI) that covertly smuggled anti tank missiles to the Bosnian resistance to fight the serbs when the entire world had abandoned Bosnians to be massacred.
Till day, Bosnian dignitaries pay tribute to DG ISI Javed Nasir for his help.