At 1330 hours on February 7, 2025, the Convention Centre in Islamabad stood in its full grandeur, hosting the International Climate Change Conference. The venue, reminiscent of Dawn’s mega events in the past under its former CEO, the Honourable Hameed Haroon, once again witnessed a gathering of great minds. This time, however, the battle was not for headlines but for the survival of the planet.
The conference hall was abuzz with intellectual discourse, passion, and urgency. Among the attendees were luminaries, policymakers, and young green warriors—the future custodians of the earth—many of whom had been mentored by Hameed Haroon himself. His bright and brilliant niece, Yusra Askari, took over the rostrum as the Master of Ceremonies, commanding the stage with a blend of elegance and authority – usual hallmark of her personality traits as a child and now a media personality .
Yusra’s devotion to her grandmother the late Begum Saeed Haroon is what made my head bow in her respect .I , continue to face the daunting task of looking after my elderly mother that all the more earns my more respect for Yusra – the commander, I would always affectionately address her when I used to be in regular contact with Mummy (late Perveen Haroon) whom I adored for her motherly affection to all those with whom she was in close contact during her lifetime. I can never forget her kindness to have visited our home in Islamabad in a wheelchair to condole the demise of my father. Few amongst us feel the pain of others and mummy was one amongst the million.
As I moved through the sea of familiar faces, I exchanged nods and handshakes with former colleagues, friends, and some of the biggest names in media and activism. Among them was Hameed Haroon himself, a legend in his own right, Naz Afreen Saigol, the bright and bold incumbent CEO of the Dawn Media Group and Shakil Masud the devoted CEO Dawnnews TV under whom we have many fond memories .
It was due to Hameed Haroon that I had once transitioned from Standard to Dawn—a move that defined much of my professional life. Every task I undertook, every story I helped shape, was driven by a commitment to integrity, never failing either him or the organization.
But today, as I stood among these stalwarts, I felt a peculiar detachment—an exhilarating sense of freedom. There were regrets, of course—one being that I should have left earlier to embrace this liberty. Never have I enjoyed life more than I do today, cycling freely around the twin cities, my saddle bag packed with essentials, including organic coffee sent to me by my beloved cousin, Sardar Abdul Khalique, aka Micky of the Bar Be Que Tonight fame, from Dubai. For his kindness, I remain eternally grateful.
Among the many distinguished delegates was Dr. Adil Zarif, a dear friend and an unrelenting voice for the environment across the Indus at Attock. His admiration for Sherry Rehman’s session was evident as he spoke passionately about how she had laid bare the apathy of both national and international stakeholders towards this existential crisis.
However, my visit to the conference on its concluding day was driven by a specific purpose—to pay my respects to the Honourable Nusrat Javed. A feminist activist par excellence, she had a heart that melted for those in distress. One particular act of kindness had stayed with me—her unwavering support for a fatherless Afghan refugee girl, the sole breadwinner for her mother. Through Nusrat’s efforts, that young girl found a future; today, she is happily settled in Washington, D.C. Such stories, seldom told, form the true fabric of humanity.
Standing before Nusrat’s daughter, Nadia Jamil, I saw history ready to repeat itself—not in struggle, but in resilience. She had inherited her mother’s unshakable resolve and had chosen her first battle wisely—to fight for posterity against the catastrophic effects of climate change. This fight was not just for today but for generations to come, to protect lives, livestock, and livelihoods from the looming climate catastrophe.
As the conference drew to a close, the realization struck—though it was the last day of this grand event, it was merely the first step in a long and arduous war against industrial polluters, a war waged by dedicated green activists.
The planet may be divided into nations, but nature’s fury recognizes no borders. If we continue to trespass nature’s boundaries, it will not negotiate—it will retaliate. And when that happens, we will not have the privilege to back off. We must act now or be buried beneath the very earth we claim to own.
