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| April 17, 2007 | Tuesday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 28, 1428 |
Ravians synonymous with power
ISLAMABAD, April 16: Ravian is a term used with pride sometimes bordering arrogance by and for the students of the Government College Lahore that contributed perhaps the single largest number of bureaucrats, politicians and those who influence policies and power in Pakistan.
This is one of the most influential groups in the country like the so-called Generals’ Club and 64-batch of civil servants that ruled, influenced or remained part of all governments and happenings in the country over the last 40 years or so.
And it remains a strong connection even today for young Ravians to rise in their careers and get best postings.
A Ravian would always help out other Ravians even in impossible situations. They have different political opinions or positions on any national issue but they facilitate each other when it comes to competing others irrespective of their age, ethnicity and regions and they operate like a family.
Hundreds of alumni of the Government College Lahore turned up at the fourth annual dinner of the Old Ravians Association (ORA), Rawalpindi/Islamabad chapter, held at the Nescom Club here late Friday night.
Giving scintillating speeches on the motto of their alma mater — Courage To Know — MNA Bushra Rahman, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, MNA Aitzaz Ahsan, Lt-Gen (retired) Saeeduz Zafar, Saeed Mehdi, Masudur Rahman Mufti, Maqbul Shaikh and Zulfiqar Cheema spoke about the inspiration they drew from it to become worthy citizens and reach to the top.
Mr Kasuri referred to the cant that only six persons shaped the foreign policy. He said: “Two persons from the foreign office are on that list, and I am one of them and I know how to get things done at the Foreign Office.”
The minister said he was proud to be an old Ravian.
About Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, who preceded him at the dais, Mr Kasuri said though they spoke with different perspectives, “My father would call Aitzaz his fifth child and I was lodged in the same jail cell with Aitzaz on two occasions.”
When Mr Ahsan came to speak he was of course at his witty best and said people like Khurshid Kasuri and Saeed Mehdi were already famous for their debating prowess at the college. They would go round in the districts of the Punjab to participate in debating competitions.
About one, held at Lyallpur (now Faisalabad), he witnessed one student get the first prize for speaking only one sentence — The Shaheen Express train had been late in coming but speeded away without halting at the junction.
He explained the reason thereof. After a girl debater was called in, she took her time in coming, and rattled off her memorised speech nonstop and then left.
In his speech, Masud Mufti referred to writers in the college, mentioning Prof Ashfaque Khan who would often write on economic disparities of the people.
Later, his writings became the launching pad for a full book on economy, he said, reminding the audience that he was speaking of the 50s when Pakistan was still less than 10 years old.
He also remembered Prof Khwaja Manzur, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Jamila Hashmi and poet Shahzad Ahmad.
Lt-Gen (retired) Saeeduz Zafar said Ravians were the cream of the society and they should come forward to put things right.
MNA Bushra Rahman spoke of her brief interlude as a student of the political science department in the Government College.
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