Sir,
I have come to know only recently that Talim-ul-Islam College Old Boys Association has been established in Germany, solely due to your efforts and a similar initiative has been taken in UK, USA and Canada. Congratulations! It is indeed a very good step which should have been taken much earlier because such a platform provides the ex-students of any institution to get into contact with each other. These students have fond memories of the days when they were together and as the human nature is, they love to talk of the good old days and share their memories. I wish if more and more ex-students of the college avail this forum to make this Association more purposeful.
I have gone through the messages sent by certain prominent ex-students and come to know many new things about them as well as history of the college. You have been my teacher and know me well. You were kind enough to host an ‘asrana’ during my visit to Germany in 1989 and also host a dinner when myself and a non-Ahmadi friend of mine, late Haji Fazal Mohammad visited Germany in 2007. I can never forget the hospitality extended by you. As stated earlier, I am not new to you but for the benefit of those for whom I am a stranger I would like to add that I was a student of this college during 1961 to 1965. I had got admission in this college after passing the Matriculation Examination from Talim-ul-Islam High School, Rabwah the same year. I was an arts student and graduated from there, with distinction. I still remember very vividly the day I had got admission in the college. I had gone there along with my father who was required, under the rules, to accompany me as a candidate for admission. Although Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad, the then principal of the college already knew him but this was my first ever meeting (if you can call it a meeting) with him. Initially I was overawed by his towering personality but soon I could feel his affection.
In intermediate I studied Economics, Logic and Arabic besides two compulsory subjects of Urdu and English. I had, during this period, an opportunity to be a student of many able teachers whom I can never forget. The long list of teachers includes the names of Ch Muhammad Ali, Sahibzada Mirza Anas Ahmad, Dr. Nasir Ahmad Perwaiz Parwazi, Mr. Aftab Ahmad, Ch Hameed Ahmad, Ch. Muhammad Shareef Khalid, Ch Aziz Ahmad Tahir and Ch Sultan Akbar. While in B.A. some other teachers also joined the list. These included Sahibzada Mirza Khurshid Ahmad, Mr. Munawar Shameem Khalid, Mr. Muhammad Aslam Sabir and Ch Ataullah. Barring Mr. Aftab Ahmad who later joined the Income Tax Department as a class II officer, all teachers were Ahmadi who mostly belonged to Rabwah. They were very much devoted and concerned about the character building of their students.
I had no direct contact with the teachers of science subjects but in due course of time I had the opportunity of interaction with all of them one way or the other. These included Mirza Ata-ur-Rehman, Mr. Habibullah Khan, Dr. Sultan Mehmood Shahid, Dr. Nasir Ahmad Khan, Mr. Abdus Shakoor Aslam, Dr. Muhammad Shareef, Mr. Masood Ahmad Atif, Ch Hameedullah, late Mr. Abdul Rasheed Ghani and some others whose names I have not been able to recollect immediately. All I can say is that I have very sweet memories of all these very respectable teachers who also gave me lot of love and affection.
Needless to mention, I got due share of love from Sahibzada Mirza Nasir Ahmad, the principal and Mr. Muhammad Ibrahim Nasir, the professor of mathematics,who was my real uncle. It may not be out of place to mention four persons namely Ch Mehfooz ur Rehman, Mr. Muhammad Ahmad Anwar Hyderabadi, DPE; Mr. Abdul Rehman Junaid Hashmi, Office Superintendent and Mr. Fazal Dad, Librarian.I started knowing them during my stay in the college and found them very considerate and kind. After graduation, I took admission in the Political Science Department of Punjab University, Lahore for M.A. At one stage thereafter, I also intended to do M.A. in Arabic also but did not take regular admission. Since head of the Arabic department, Sufi Basharat-ur-Rehman knew me well and other members of the faculty also held me in high esteem, I was allowed to sit in the class as a casual student but somehow I could not continue.
I appeared in the Central Superior Services of Pakistan Examination, 1969 and was selected for Pakistan Taxation Service (now called IRS). I served this department for about 34 years and retired in grade 21 in the end of December, 2004. After my retirement, I was appointed Member, Punjab Public Service Commission in which capacity I served till the end of 2009.
It may be added that I had an opportunity to write about some of my international travels. Three of my books viz Shouq Hamsafar Mera, Safar Zindagi Hay and Ik Safar Aur Sahi narrate my travels to USA, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Mexico, Iran, Turkey and Kuwait. I have also written on the historical and cultural heritage of Punjab and four books in this series have so far been published. These are: Manzil Na Kar Kabool, Nai Manzalain Hain Pukkarti, Ik Jahan Aur and Armughan-e-Multan. All these books have been published by Ferozesons and highly appreciated by the critics. I am now leading a retired life and settled in Lahore.
