This picture of Honourable Justice Syed Ikhlaque Hussain, as one of the Founders of the FAST University in Islamabad, was recently hung on the wall by the University Administration next to the pictures of Co-founders that was shared by my son Azeem Effendi, who studies there.
It was Azeem and his fellow students’ commendable feat to have arranged their maidan podcast from their university platform that incidentally had a guest, who by sheer chance turned out to be the daughter of this so – far – forgotten- founder: . During the course of the interview that Honourable Nasim Zehra discussed her childhood memories, including her father’s contribution in the founding of the institution that fortunately was taken notice by by the proactive administration, for which all credit is due to the institution.
I wonder, if Cadet College Hasan Abdal where incidentally Azeem also studied for five years, would have shown similar courtesy and recognition to its own founder Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan, where taking a formal photograph in front of the “Ayub Block”, by all new entrants is mandatory, yet shockingly there remained no picture of the very personality after whom it was named.
Honourable Tahir Ayub Khan, son of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, was kind enough to accompany me and take along a copy of his father’s beautiful portrait painted by world acclaimed artist Gul Jee, for the Army’s Command and Staff College Quetta and, presented it with his own hands to the then Principal Honourable Maj Gen Najeeb Tariq, when I was in the process of shooting the documentary on the institution.
To deny history is called “Denialism”, which is tragic especially for a society that is already in search of its own identity both internally and externally, yet it sadly doesn’t miss a chance to distort, tamper or change facts into fiction and vice versa not realising history never dies, even if denied, it still keeps living in the hearts of those who witnessed it happening .
A society unable to protect its past can never promise any future either to its own people or the future generations . Long Live Pakistan That Denies Its Own History & Heroes 🇵🇰
