Recently, I had the privilege of witnessing a Swat Medical College van transporting students from Punjab to the Daewoo bus terminal. This heartwarming scene underscored the profound impact of education, extending its reach to every corner of Pakistan.
Just last week, Saidu Medical College marked a remarkable milestone – its silver jubilee, celebrating a quarter-century since its establishment. It’s worth pondering whether this institution would have ever come into existence without its affiliation to the illustrious 500-bed Saidu Central Hospital, originally founded by the last ruler of Swat, Maj Gen Abdul Haq Jehanzeb.
In a series of captivating images, we can spot Prince Dr. Mahmud Aurangzeb alongside the Honorable Professor Dr. Riaz Anwar, who serves as an advisor to the Chief Minister of KPK. Another image captures them sharing a meal with DC Qasim Ali Khan. One can’t help but wonder whether Prince Mahmud Aurangzeb’s involvement in this event would have been possible had he not held the position of Dean at Khyber Medical College.
This raises the question of why, even after 25 years, the college has not named a single building or block after late Prince Asfandyar Amir Zeb, who conceived the idea of establishing this very medical college during his tenure as the Health Minister of KP before dying a tragic death in Swat. .
Ironically, it is often the individuals who envisions founding institutions that shape the course of a nation, rather than the individuals temporarily occupying these positions of power without ever reflecting on the history and the personalities shaping it . Unless we put our acts together and stop bowing down before chairs than respecting the personalities who shape events that make history that we will be a nation with no past or future.