To make our lives meaningful, we always look at many people like our mentors and draw inspiration. For me, it was my father who I found in him a source of inspiration. Late Mr. Riaz Ul Hasan!
His determination, a great level of consistency towards his job and honesty to fulfill his responsibilities, inspired me to be just like him. He was an exceptional personality full of life, colossus human being, caring husband, devoted father, passionate worker and above all, a humble Muslim and patriotic Pakistani.
Unfortunately, his childhood was not so ideal as it should have been. Just at the age of five, he endured misery and a great struggle to survive, when he started the migration by foot at the time of Independence from Indian Punjab, in the hope to reunite with his father who was already posted in Karachi.
During this heart throbbing journey, he witnessed his mother being martyred, witnessed one of his sisters being kidnapped, losing a toddler among his brothers during the journey, and accidentally got separated from the rest of his family, eventually ended himself all alone in a Mohajir Camp in Qasoor. It was a never-ending misery that, when he woke up one morning sleeping under a tree in the jungle, he could not open his left eye and consequently lost his left eye for lifetime. From the Mohajir Camp, one of the couples
who did not have any kids at that time adopted him and started to take care of him. After about six months, his father Mr. Nazr Ul Hasan (my grandfather) found his name in the newspaper and immediately traveled to Qasoor to bring him back.
My father possessed an incredible sense of humor leaving everyone guessing about the pain of hardships behind his smiling face, as all his life, he bravely conquered all the hurdles and challenges that came through his way. He spent 4 years of his education at Hasan Abdal Cadet College, that helped him to have a solid foundation for his successful career ahead. After graduation, he started with a remarkable career in Sales & Marketing in Zulfiqar Industries Limited (ZIL), makers of Capri Soap product.
In the later part of his career began in 1977, my uncle, late Mr. Najm ul Hasan welcomed him in his team as a chief Editor for his newly launched magazine ‘Engineering Review’, first of its kind (like a MEED Magazine of that period). My father remained associated with this esteemed organization for almost 37 years and earned a lot of respect, gratitude from engineering fraternity including all Pakistani engineering councils and associations, associations of consultants, engineering universities, etc.
Being an upright journalist, he dared to write the truth and facts related to construction and engineering activities in Pakistan and never compromised in exposing reality.
He was a true and loyal Pakistani and devoted all his life to the betterment of the country. He was from the generation that has sacrificed their loved ones for independence. To enlighten the importance of independence amongst the next generation, he with his other brothers one time invited all family members on the occasion of Golden Jubilee of Pakistan’s Independence Day Celebrations, to share their stories of struggle and hardships. Further, talking about his understanding of Islam, he once attempted to do the Urdu to English Translation of Quran Tafseer, but somehow was not able to complete it.
He proved to be the wonderful companion of my mother and both had spent over four decades of a happy relationship together before my mother passed away in 2016. He used to call my mother ‘Aali Jaa’, the most adorable way to respect your partner.
Talking about his life as a father, my elder brother at the age of two, his hearing adversely affected due to high fever, leaving my elder brother short of listening and speaking. This was a challenging time for my father and mother, but even at those tough times, he never gave up and did everything he could do to regain my brother’s hearing and speaking.
In 1979, he even left Karachi and shifted to Islamabad for five years, where he started treatment of Acupuncture from the first Pakistani Acupuncture doctor available in Rawalpindi. This was the toughest time for my parents, leaving behind everything including work and fighting for the recovery of their child.
It was their untiring efforts that my elder brother Fahad Ali Hasan is successfully living an independent life without relying on others.
My father was very frank and open to all of us and for me, he was more like a friend. Today where I am now, would not have been possible without my father’s contribution, support and wisdom. We all owe him a lot of prayers in return and I am truly going to miss him. May Allah bless his soul in peace.
