This historic picture is dedicated to the very first five girls and boys admitted at the public school sangota Swat in March 1965 the year the school wast founded. Aftab Khan being one of them is seen in the picture with his both hands behind his back, curiously observing the gymnastic maneuver being performed over the gymnastic horse before the old administration block with marvelous stone masonry. Sadly, the historic building was lost due to the government failure to protect it.
The administration ashrf. asked the school Principal to close the school for security reasons and then one day it was bombed the building raised the ground and its furniture looted by the nearby villagers something that will always remain as black spot on our condolences that the sanctity of the institution that imparted education from thousands of boys and girls was never kept.
Aftab Khan, comes from the near by historic village of Manglawer and is elder brother of the once outstanding gymnast Murid Khan. Both these sangotians are sons of late S. D Khan, the first Principal of Jehanzeb College Swat. Later he joined the Army in the elite armoured corps and retired as a Colonel. To me personally he showed great affection and on my invitation, he travelled all the way from Peshawar as his devotion to his school to participate in the award ceremony that the old students organised in honour of high achievers at the board examination.
Later, the school opted to abolish Co – education and dedicate the school to the girls education only. While I reflect on the history, present and future of by alma mater that the thought of another local educationalist Honourable Zia Uddin Yousafzai running a modest private school ” Khushal Public School whose daughter Malala Yousafzai was conferred the world most coveted Nobel Prize remained silent over the attack on girls and in their own home town.
I wonder what prevented the Honourable Malala Yousafzai or her Honourable father Zia Uddin Yousafzai condemn the cowardly attack in which head of a five years old baby girl was blown off and other sustained critic injuries.
Either it didn’t come into their notice which has a remote chances in the present fast paced communication or they were pee-occupied in the new role of film making and fashion modelling. Whatever maybe the reason yet their mysterious silence was not well received both the local people and Pakistanis as a whole to whom her becoming the youngest Nobel Peace Prize Laureate came as a surprise that undermined the prestige of the prize itself to be conferred on someone who did nothing for the cause of girls education in her own home town that she qualified to be elated to the international status of champion for the cause of the girls education.
The world has become a strange place with strange development that is confusing to the ordinary mind. In this particular case. Here I wouldn’t shy to give credit to Honourable Zia Uddin Yousafzai, who not only outwitted the Nobel Peace Prize Committee rather clean bowled them in the English Cricket jargon that compelled the west caste them in their new role at the Hollywood , hoping one day the duo will pick the Oscar and bring the West pride for their contribution towards the girls education.
