Famous motorcyclist and social activist Mukarram Khan Tareen kicked-off his 10-day country-wide tour on Thursday. The tour is a tribute to the 10 army soldiers awarded with the highest military award, Nishan-e-Haider.
“This tour is an attempt to pay tribute to those soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country,” Tareen told journalists at Gilgit Press Club.
Tareen’s journey started from the press club and he plans to reach Karachi via Chitral, covering a distance of 3,200 kilometres. “I am doing this on my own and hopefully I will be in Karachi on September 6, Defence Day.”
Stop and salute
Tareen plans to make his first stopover at Shaheed Havildar Lalak Jan’s tomb to hoist the Pakistan flag in a show of respect. He will then do the same at the remaining nine graves of Shaheed Captain Sher Khan at Swabi, Shaheed Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz at Rawalpindi, Shaheed Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar and Shaheed Raja Muhammad Hussain Janjua at Gojar Khan, Shaheed Major Tufail Muhammad at Vehari, Shaheed Major Aziz Bhatti at Gujrat, Shaheed Major Shabbir Sharif at Lahore, Shaheed Major Muhammad Akram at Jehlum and Shaheed Rashid Minhas at Karachi.
“The journey will be through a difficult terrain but it is meant to express solidarity with the Pakistan Army,” said Tareen. “I am sure it will give me courage to finish the task in the given time,” said the biker who is known for his love for the open road.
Tareen has undertaken several such expeditions. In 2011, he was part of a motorcycle tour which left for China from Multan to mark what Pakistan declared the Sino-Pak Friendship Year. Similarly, in a 13-day tour, Tareen visited 25 historical forts in Punjab.
The cyclists explained how he also undertook travel expeditions to raise awareness about the welfare of people with disabilities and various diseases.
“In future I plan to travel all the way to Germany. This will be for the welfare of orphans.”
Express Tribune
