It was cathartic to be Mr. Abdul Rehman Qureshi’s pallbearer, former principal PAF School/College Sargodha and Aitchison College Lahore. I lifted the coffin after his first funeral at PAF Base Nur Khan, on November 23, and carried it towards a nearby positioned helicopter for the final leg of his journey to Sargodha. During this walk of few steps, the mind completed a whirlwind tour of my association with Mr Qureshi that began 44 years ago at PAF College Sargodha. His second funeral was held at PAF Public School Sargodha, followed by burial at the graveyard of PAF Base Mushaf (Sargodha).
From a humble educational environment, I was able to complete the arduous selection process and reported to PAF College Sargodha. On the second day I formed an opinion that I won’t be able to cope-up with the demanding standard of written and spoken English. I worked out a strategy to quit; for this I was to ask for emergency leave to visit my sick grandmother, and once back home I would not return. So on the third day I entered Mr Rehman’s office with tearful eyes and requested for leave. Mr. Rehman said, “Well! Well! If I let you go, you won’t return. Moreover, the reason you have narrated for getting leave does not exist; tell me what the difficulty is”. I was completely overtaken by his face and mind reading capabilities. Seeing the failure of my strategy, tears began rolling down my cheeks; with my choked throat and eyes fixed to the ground, I could only muster two words “Sir! English”. By now, I was crying loud enough to be heard outside the Principal’s office and two teachers (Mr Noor and Mr Motilal) entered the office to witness the soap opera.
Mr. Rehman started talking to them in Urdu-cum-Punjabi. Then turned toward me and said, “Please do not go by our dresses, we are all Urdu medium—like you”. Then why do all teachers insist that I talk in English only? I asked in an agitated voice. “So that you strive to learn English quickly”, he replied softly. By now I had decided to reverse my decision and stay back. Seeing signs of ease on my face, Mr. Rehman went on to consolidate. He put me at ease by informing that my position on merit list was pretty high and there were other 25 students with similar educational back-ground; and that all of them had been grouped together in on one section, for focused attention on spoken and written English. By this time my English teacher (Mr. Rafique Raja) had been summoned to the Principal’s office. Mr. Rehman looked at him and said, “Mr Rafique! I have recovered him, now over to you”. Then he turned toward me and said, “Well! Well! Now go back to your class, English learning is no longer your problem”.
This interaction that lasted for less than ten minutes changed the course of my life. From then on, there was no turning back. Two years down the line, I stood in front of Mr. Rehman to receive a prize for my performance in a small English debating contest. After another year, I was on the editorial board of the College magazine. While handing me over the approved draft of the magazine, he looked at me affectionately and quipped: “Well! Well! Your reason to cry no longer exists!” This narrative is applicable to most of Mr. Rehman’s students. He always took upon himself to help each one of us in overcoming all sorts of difficulties, whether curriculum related or extracurricular.
His responsibility was to produce quality leadership for the Pakistan Air Force; however, due to spillover effects, his students have done well in all walks of national activity. Five Air Chiefs of Pakistan Air Force, one Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, two federal ministers and numerous high ranking civil and military officers were his students. Moreover four Air Chiefs and one Army Chief of Bangladesh had also been his students—all Sargodhians.
Modern Physics and Leadership were his favourite subjects; both demanding imagination and innovation. He was a staunch believer of democracy. Mindful that most of his students would one day end up on senior military positions, he would often stress: “The military has no right to assume political rule, it is akin to a watchman forcibly taking over administration of the house that employs him for protection!”
I saw him under stress only on three occasions: firstly, while striving to give us a healing touch after the 1971 war; secondly, on the issue of development and implementation of “Honour Code” and thirdly, when due to an oversight by the Punjab University, my batch had to confront ‘Aero Engines’ question paper based on dated syllabus. On all three occasions, his conduct was remarkable—becoming of a beacon light.
After the 1971 war, East Pakistani staff members and students who formed 25 percent of the college strength were gone forever. Having lost our teachers, friends, and half of our country, we were desperately looking for an anchorage to restore and reconstitute over selves. Mr. Rehman provided us the shoulder against which we could lean and vent out our traumatic emotions. His response was always calm and fatherly, couched in historic references. He would often refer to Indira Gandhi’s post 1971 war speech to the Indian Parliament, in which she had ridiculed the very foundation stone of Pakistan—‘two nations’ theory, and tell us how and why she was wrong in her assumptions and assertions.
He had put in lot of effort towards composing the “Honour Code” for students (Flight Cadets). While doing so, he studied the documents and practices of all leading military training institutions of the world. Once, the pretty looking small booklet was out, he ensured that each student heard the contents personally from him. Conspicuously missing were the visible steps towards enforcing it; he quietly created an environment that desired traits became second nature of most of us well before leaving the college.
And upon receiving the information about the dated question paper he said, “Someone has goofed up, I would say that I have goofed up; it was my responsibility to ensure that no one goofs up, I accept the responsibility and would ensure remedial actions”.
On the farewell of my batch, his address was soul piercing; excerpts: “…Soon you all shall be first class officers, so start exhibiting first class qualities— behave first class, wear first class, travel first class, strive for everything in a first class way….at times you will be under pressure to hide facts, do not take the easy way out…speak first class—the truth…be honest while rendering advice to your superiors, always tell what you feel is right and not what he wants to years; at times you will have to pay heavy price for that; do that—for that is what a first class leader ought to do—, and that is what “Honour Code” demands of you”. Ironically, most of those who took the honour code seriously, fizzled out rather early in their careers, and most of those who looked down upon it as a ‘mere idealistic sermon, rose to the highest levels. It wasn’t Mr Rehman’s fault, during the intervening years our national values got eroded.
His son, (Dr) Sohail Rehman, was a day scholar in the college. Rules did not require him to abide by hostel norms after college hours, but his father did; because “Dad did not want to differentiate between one son and remaining 359 sons”. Once Mr. Rehman was outstation, Sohail took a chance with his father’s private car and drove though the students’ residential area. The matter came to Mr. Rehman’s notice on his return, and poor Sohail had to do corrective drill for one week.
Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt has aptly paid glorious tributes to the distinguished principal: “Services and contribution of late Abdul Rehman Qureshi in the field of education would never be forgotten and he would always be remembered as a beacon of light and a source of inspiration for the generations to come. Abdul Rehman Qureshi was an educationist par excellence”. Life Time Achievement Award for Mr. AR Qureshi is certainly long overdue.
