A Himachal-based couple has decided to 'adopt' the 12-year-old daughter of an Army jawan, who was beheaded by Pakistan in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on May 1. They have offered to bear the child's expenses from school till marriage, to ensure a good future for her.
As a tribute to Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh's sacrifice, Kullu deputy commissioner Yunus Khan and his wife Anjum Ara, an IPS officer, have decided to take care of his daughter, Khushdeep Kaur.
"Khushdeep will continue to stay with her family. We will be paying for all her expenses and meeting her from time to time to know about her problems and solve them. If she wants to become an IAS or IPS officer or choose some other career, we are there to help," said Ara, SP of Solan district.
"Khushdeep was the youngest daughter and had a special relationship with her father; he used to respect his daughters like sons and had big dreams for them; he wanted them to become officers", says Khushdeep's mother, Paramjit Kaur.
Yunus said it is difficult to assuage the pain of the martyr's family, but they are trying to share their grief. "By ensuring good education to his daughter, we are doing our duty as responsible citizens," he said. Yunus said that it is up to Khushdeep whether she wants to continue studying at her village school or join some other school. "We would be there for her throughout her life to help her in making decisions," he added.
Young Khushdeep is a student of class 7. Yunus and Anjum, who have a four year old son, have decided to sponsor Khushdeep's education in entirety and also bear all her other expenses while growing up. "She will be with her family and we will continue to visit her here and guide her siblings as well. Whether she chooses to become a civil servant, or join the army, we are there to always to support her," added Anjum.
For Paramjit Singh's family, the gesture is godsent. "They (the couple) have come into our lives like god. Look at the irony; god took away one father from a young daughter but has given her another father's care and blessings," said Ranjit Singh, Paramjit Singh's brother.
"This is truly an example for the entire country; a person who doesn't even relate to you is taking such a sensitive step. Our family is very grateful (to the couple); when our child will do well, surely she will also extend her goodness to others around her," said Mukhtar Singh, Khushdeep's grandfather.
