A WARM SEND-OFF PARTY FOR PROF. YUSUF GHAURI IN RIYADH

BY: FAIZ AL-NAJDI

After putting in some 23 years of his youth in the fields of teaching in Riyadh-Saudi Arabia, Prof. Yusuf Ghauri finally decided to hang his hat and return to Pakistan. This news was of course received with mixed reactions, from his scores of friends-n-foes, acquaintances, students, colleagues, lovers and admirers, etc. in the bustling city of Riyadh.

A section of his friends and admirers thought it fit to arrange a warm send-off for him and a farewell-sitting-reference in his honor was therefore hosted in a local hotel. This was attended by a select gathering consisting of some senior members from Pakistan Writers Club-Riyadh (PWC), few officials of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and some noted personalities from the journalist fraternity in Riyadh. This program was hosted by Faiz Al-Najdi.

Faiz Al-Najdi briefed the attendees about the surprise decision by Prof. Yusuf Ghauri to go on final exit and return to Pakistan. He began by expressing his extreme indignation for the vile injustices meted out to the Professor from certain vested quarters in Riyadh. He said it was a not a secret any more about the fact that he, along with Riaz Rathore and Sardar Sher Afzal, ran from pillar to post for restoration of the Professor’s services back at the Pakistan International School-Riyadh - PISR. However, in spite of knocking at the doors of the highest echelon, no success was achieved. He expressed his remorse for not able to help him in earning back his place in the School – which was his due and that the Professor rightfully deserved the same. He was very critical of the management council of PISR for their heartless attitude towards a capable and sincere teacher, who only wished and wanted to impart education to the young people but was denied the opportunity.

Choudhry Rehmat Ali – Secretary General of PWC – spoke at length in praise of Prof. Ghauri. He said being an Ex-General Secretary of the Management Council of PISR, he was fully aware of the dynamics behind opposition of re-induction of the Professor. He said Prof. Ghauri may not be associated with the School from now on however the foot-prints that he has left behind shall keep reminding everybody that at one time there existed a person who worked tirelessly for the upbringing of the School. He added that he would long be remembered in good words for the small and big things that he did for the betterment of the School, its students and teachers alike, while he was the principal at the School. He especially mentioned about the trees that he planted for providing sun-shades to the students, the courses that he taught, the discipline that he tried to instill both in the teachers and the students, and so on so forth.

Syed Bashir Ahmed – President PWC – mentioned that he came across Prof. Ghauri during the various functions of PWC that he so enthusiastically attended and also spoke from the platform on several occasion. He said that he found him to be a different person from the lot that he got to see every day in Riyadh.

Engr. Syed Khwaja Nehal Uddin – a senior member of PWC and a poet - commented that he got to learn about the School and the teachers of PISR, especially about Prof. Ghauri, via his two sons who studied under him. He added by saying that at night every day there was a routine in his house that all of his children gathered in his bedroom for some family chit-chat. And, it was during this very session that his kids used to discuss the School – and in every discussion that he had so far, his sons would always speak very high of one person only and that was none other than Prof. Ghauri.

Ashiq Hussain – former Secretary General of PWC and now a senior member – speaking on the occasion admitted that Prof. Ghauri was an excellent teacher and a person of pleasant demeanor. He said he knew from his experience that some quarters were dead against him and he and a couple of others had even forewarned him about the same. According to him, Prof. Ghauri was the victim of a Mafia in the School and outside who were dead opposed to change – and Prof. Ghauri was a man of change. He praised Prof. Ghauri for pooling more SR 87,000 in cash, from his own resources, and depositing that in the exchequer of the School.

Prof. Dr. Javed Iqbal – Bureau Chief Urdu News in Riyadh – also spoke very high of the Professor. He said according to his wisdom, Prof. Ghauri was the victim of the rotten mind-set of the Pakistani community – whose reflections can also be witnessed in the Pakistani School here. He expressed with extreme sorrow that the Pakistanis living here have formed a community that in fact represented a mini-Pakistan. And, in his opinion whatever ills that have sadly taken roots amongst the Pakistanis back home, have unfortunately penetrated in here also. He also added that this mean mind-set have in fact acted like the predators against the Professor – his only fault was he being a little different from the rest. He wished him all the best and expressed that it must be a blessing in disguise for him that he now is provided with an opportunity to return back to his country and serve the students over there.

Saeed Javed Mughal – a noted journalist and Editor Urdu Section of CP Newsletter – opined that his children also studied in PISR and he was quite cognizant about the affairs in PISR, inside-out. He expressed his disappointments at the treatment meted out to him. He expressed his best wishes for the Professor and said that he would always be remembered by all Pakistanis in Riyadh in good words. He was very critical of the parents for not playing their due role in overseeing the affairs at the School. According to him, the parents needed to be trained so as to enable them to keep a critical eye over the School and its management, especially on the decisions that the Management Council took.

Gohar Rafiq – a Professor in PISR and a colleague – lauded the services of Prof. Ghauri for the betterment of the affairs at the School. He said many years ago when he first met Prof. Ghauri, he immediately became his good friend. He also added that ever since he couldn’t find another friend of the type of Prof. Ghauri. He commented that Prof. Ghauri was an idealist and a romantist. This is the reason he engaged himself in many innovative things to better the affairs at the School, that otherwise an ordinary person may not normally indulge it. According to him, Prof. Ghauri would be long remembered for many good things that he initiated and culminated at the School which has ultimately proved to be in the long interest of the School. He cited from some of his glorious achievements during the tenure that he served as the Principal of the School. He said the principal achievement was that he hosted the first ever workshop of the teachers from the Pakistani Schools throughout Saudi Arabia, including some invitees from Pakistan. According to him, this workshop was a great success and Prof. Ghauri did not burden the School with any financial liabilities for this. In fact Prof, Ghauri managed all of the expenses via some sponsors. Prof. Gohar commented that this alone was a landmark achievement and would remain a record for many years to come.

The guest-of-honor for the occasion, Muhammad Asghar Qureshi – Executive Member board of governors for OPF (Overseas Pakistanis Foundation) and Chief Coordinator-PPP-Saudi Arabia – commended Prof. Ghauri for services to the PISR, both as a teacher and as a Principal. He was critical of those who played negative role in denying the rights to Prof. Ghauri to rejoin the School. According to him by denying Prof. Ghauri the opportunity to rejoin the School, in fact a great loss has been inflicted to the School and its students by losing a good teacher. He also added that Prof. Ghauri would surely make his marks in Pakistan and PISR , on the other hand, would not be able get another Prof. Ghauri.

The second guest-of-honor, Muhammad Riaz Rathore – Adviser to the President PPP-KSA – also spoke on the occasion. He opined that he would characterize Prof. Ghauri to be not only a romantist & idealist but also a revolutionary too. He added that Professor suffered at the hands of the vested Mafia of the School because of the fact that he was non-conformist as well. According to him, the Mafia favored a status quo and that they couldn’t tolerate and digest any non-conformist at the School. He said that this was the reason many hurdles and obstacles were created for the Professor in rejoining the School.

The Chief Guest on the occasion – Prof. Muhammad Yusuf Ghauri – spoke at length about his journey from Karachi-Pakistan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia way back in 1988 and thereon his experiences of some 23 years of stay in the Kingdom. He said he was serving Pakistan Customs at that time when he came across an advertisement for the post of teachers for the Pakistani School (PISR) in Riyadh. According to him that was the era of the military dictator – Gen. Zia – during whose period democracy was severely curbed. “I came to Riyadh to teach democracy to the young people of Pakistan”, he opined. Then after, he described in great details the many great difficulties that he surmounted to earn a place as a teacher in PISR. “It was not an easy sail and I had to put a lot of hard work to earn a place”, he added. He said that at that time he was determined to prove to the students and the management that he was very much capable of teaching. He also informed that very soon he was able to win the hearts and minds of the young students. According to him, although he was teaching Pakistan Studies only but it was very heartening and encouraging for him to note that he commanded more respect and honor at the hands of the students than any other teacher in the same School. Finally, he informed that he was leaving for good on his own accord and had no complaints against anybody. He also informed that he had few job offers here also but he has decided to return back because in his own words, “My time here was up and I think I must return to Bahawal Nagar because those people now need me. And, I want to go back and teach democracy to the young men over there. Because I believe only a democratically enlightened Pakistan is a way forward and the only name of the game to defeat the forces of darkness, who are hell bent upon taking us back to the stone-ages.”, he opined.