The heartfelt words of Shaheed Major Ali Raza’s wife cut through the hollow rhetoric that reduces a soldier’s ultimate sacrifice to a mere paycheck. When she speaks, we are forced to confront a painful truth: No amount of money can compensate for a father’s absence, a husband’s empty chair, or a mother’s lifelong tears. Yet some still cynically claim that soldiers of the Pakistan Army lay down their lives simply for a salary—as if valor can be itemized on a payslip. Let us examine this claim with the gravity it deserves. Major Ali Raza did not step onto the battlefield to earn a monthly wage; he stepped forward knowing full well that he might never return to the embrace of his wife, the laughter of his innocent children, or the prayers of his elderly mother. Would any rational human being exchange the warmth of a home, the joy of a child’s first words, or the comfort of a mother’s duas for a few thousand rupees? The answer is an emphatic no. Pakistan’s soldiers are not machines programmed by a payroll department. They are husbands who kiss their wives goodbye, fathers who promise to return for bedtime stories, sons who carry the weight of their families’ hopes. They understand, better than any outsider could, the devastation their loss will leave behind: a widow grappling with lonely nights, children growing up with a photograph instead of a father, a mother whose heart never fully heals, and a family that must somehow carry on without its pillar. Yet, with eyes wide open, they choose to stand on the front lines—not because they are paid to die, but because they are driven by something far greater than currency: patriotism, duty, honor, and an unshakable love for Pakistan. My own opinion aligns unwavering with this truth. To reduce such sacrifice to a transaction is not only disrespectful—it is a dangerous distortion that undermines the very foundation of a nation’s defense. A soldier’s courage cannot be purchased; it is forged in the conviction that some things are worth more than life itself. Major Ali Raza, and countless like him, do not die for a salary. They die so that we may live in peace, so that our children may sleep without fear, so that our mothers may offer thanks instead of mourning. Their sacrifice is measured not in rupees, but in the silent gratitude of a grateful nation. Judge for yourself: would you trade everything for a paycheck? If not, then do not insult the fallen by pretending they would.