A Cascade of Memories
In May of 1953, an auspicious day marked my travel from darkness to light. I was admitted in class 1 at government high school Gilgit, the lone educational institution in the northern most region of Pakistan, encircled by mighty Karakorum Mountains.
In a ramshackled class rooms with no furniture and teaching devices, students listened to their teachers sitting on the ground without a mat, wearing tatterdemalion uniforms. There was no transport facility to bring the students to school from their near and far homes. That is how the extreme poverty heralded the onset of our educational odyssey.
From this school I passed matriculation securing highest first division marks; twenty-five other students also obtained first division and the remaining students secured highest second division marks for the first time in the history of this school since her inception. There was a great rejoicing among the teachers and parents of the students because of those extraordinary resulsts. The old head master of the school late Mr. Shah Din Riaz danced in ecstasy.
Gordon College Rawalpindi was the second destination in my arduous educational odyssey. I passed FSC (Intermediate) examination from this college in 1965. There were many celebrities and prominent figures at various levels in this college. Sheikh Rashid (MNA) and Prince Issa Khan s/o Nawab of Kalat State were the prominent figures. Sheikh Rashid and another student leader Mr. Niazi, probably, were the ones who led a procession from the college campus, during Ayub Khan era against a hike in sugar price from rupee one per kilogram to rupee 1 rupees and 4 paisas. These protesting students were baton charged by police on Muree road. I narrowly escaped the baton of a police constable!
Compare today’s sugar prices (Rs 200/kg) with Ayub Khan’s era of Rs 1/kg.
After passing FSc, I was selected against a medical seat in ‘Sylhet Medical College’ then East Pakistan. At Sylhet, I was confronted with an altogether new and a different social and ethnic milieu. Linguistic problem was soon overcome, but simultaneously the entire atmosphere was felt laden with ethnic over tones resounding with separatist narratives. Bengali nationalism accompanied with true or false stories of economic injustices against East Pakistan were the common talk in the streets.
Sheikh Mujibur Rehman a demagogue venerated by Bengali masses was at the peak of his political career through his rhetoric against the ruling elites from west Pakistan.
A sea of hatred had engulfed even the moderate Bengalis. Hardened separatist elements, trained militarily in India, came in open armed conflict with security forces. Along the entire length of East Pakistan borders, India started armed skirmishes, continuing for a year. These skirmishes then led to an open war between Pakistan and India culminating on December, 16, 1971, with subsequent fall of Dhaka to Indian forces.
Pakistan army being too small in comparison, thirty-two thousand in number, had to fight in an alien terrain among estranged people, and was faced with enormous difficulties but they did not succumb to Indian military might. In Shamsher Nagar Sylhet a pitched battle was fought. Indian army could not make a breakthrough despite her men and material superiority. They bypassed Pakistan Army’s trenches which were filled to the brink by rain water with the help of native benglis and by doing so gradually reached Sylhet city.
Heroic deeds of Pakistan air force are unforgettable; only six vintage sabre jets used by America in second world war were the sole property of PAF in East Pakistan.
They fought against latest Russian mig-21 held by India; not a single Sabre Jet could be downed-PAF pilots. They fought with extreme valour, guarded the entire air frontier of East Pakistan. Unable to subdue the PAF, Indian air force bombed the Decca Airport, destroyed the run way and air warfare came to a grinding halt. Destruction of the only airport, paved the way for defeat of Pak army in East Pakistan. We were made pows and shifted to a concentration camp at Allahabad India. Later, subsequent to “Shimla Agreement” we were repatriated to Pakistan after spending 22 months in Indian concentration camp.
My ordeal does not end here.
I got readmission in Nishtar Medical College Multan and reappeared in final year MBBS examination which I got through. After going through intensive training in the subject of ENT and acquiring a post-graduate diploma in the same subject. I was inducted in the health services of Northern Areas. A few years later I got an opportunity to proceed to UK after passing a test and interview examination held at British Council, Islamabad. On return I performed hundreds of ENT surgeries over a period of 32 years. Basically, I pioneered and introduced ENT surgeries in GB hospitals.
Over this period, suddenly sectarian prejudices among the local population turned to an open conflict in Gilgit-Baltistan. Peace and tranquility of the area was compromised. Hospital was infested and besieged by sectarian zealots. It was quite risky to work in alarming conditions prevailing in the hospital so I decided to become Medical Superintendent of DHQs Hospital Chilas, 139 km away from Gilgit. One year later, I was raised to the post of Director Health Services GB comprising of seven districts and finally promoted as Secretary Health GB which I continued until my retirement from services on superannuation in October 2008.
One day, while sitting in the office of Director Health Services Nas (GB), I was summoned by then Secretary Health Brigadier Abdul Qadir to reach his office immediately. On reaching his office the Secretary Health ordered me to reach Islamabad where a meeting was being convened between Health department GB and KFW Bank Germany in connection with a Loan of 7.5 million Euros offered by KFW bank to develop infrastructure of health department GB.
Health Department GB had already floated a PC-1 titled “Northern Areas Health Development Project”, which was completed with the help of a loan from KFW. Later, a second PC-1 under the same title was submitted to KFW bank through German Counselor at Islamabad. KFW authorities had raised many queries and objections on this second phased PC-1 and returned the same to Ministry of Kashmir and Northern Area Affairs. After lapse of a considerable period of time the Ministry failed to remove the objections and the German counsellor warned that if the objections are not removed timely, he will withdraw the loan offer.
The officials at the Ministry were in great panic and urgent calls were made to Chief Secretary NAs (now GB) to send Health Department GB representatives to attend the proposed meeting with the officials of KFW Bank at Islamabad. I was the natural scapegoat to be sent. One day in the office Deputy Director Ghulam Ali called on me to inform that Chief Secretary NAs has ordered our immediate movement to Islamabad with the preparation to answer the queries raised there in on the PC-1.
I hurriedly called on the assistant director of the planning section to enquire about the queries on PC-1 with reference to execution and snags encountered. He was unable to convince me with a befitting reply.
Deputy director, Assistant Director and I rushed to Islamabad without wasting time. At 11:00 Hrs Deputy Director came to my hotel room with a cunning smile and said, “Sir, you have to address the audience tomorrow morning, comprising Secretary Economic Affairs division and his senior officials, Secretary Kashmir affairs and his entourage, Mr. Jochum German counsellor and some other officials, officials of Agha Khan Health services, officials of Family Association GB. Sir, you alone will conduct the proceedings of the meeting and answer all the questions pertaining to delay in implementation of the project. On hearing this I felt the earth under my feet had slid. I had no former preparation, nor was I briefed about the PC-1 as I was a new entrant in the Health Administration.”
I imagined the horrific scenario likely to be encountered by me next morning and failure to deliver would result in my unceremonious removal. I was caught unaware, despite of not being responsible for the delay. I rolled on bed brooding and praying to Allah to grant me his grace to face the audience of high government officials and elites. Probably my prayers were heard. An idea came to my mind to write a speech, eulogizing German counsellor to the extent of flattery, praise him formally and eloquently.
I rose on my seat on the stage, praised and thanked German counsellor for their generous help, when I reached then point of my speech that the loan extended to health department NAs had ‘Ushered a mini revolution and infused a new life in the morbid state of GB Health department by providing state of art diagnostic tools like MRI, C.T Scan, sophisticated digital X-Rays latest surgical instruments, diagnostic gadgets for Eye and ENT with refined surgical instruments, imported land rover ambulances and a providing a sizeable amount for purchasing drugs and capacity building of the staff’.
Mr. Jochum on hearing this stood from his seat with a radiant face and said I am really happy to hear from the ‘Key Person’ of Health department NAs that our loan has helped in bringing a radical change. I from the stage could see the faces of all audience animated. Later we jointly wrote a draft signed by Mr. Jochum. Thus, a loan of 7.5 million Euros was approved and the meeting ended on a happy note.
I thanked Allah that he saved me from a likely disgrace. Secretary Economic Affairs and Secretary Kashmir Affairs appreciated my performance and thanked me.
Had the loan offer of 7.5 million Euros been withdrawn with out being consumed, it would have been a great disaster for the health department NAs as without the loan the state-of-the-art diagnostic tools could not have been purchased and the health department NAs would have been in a decrepit and dilapidated condition.
The contributor is a former Healh Secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan. He can be reached at doctorabduljalil@gmail.com
