“I belong to Ghakhar Mandi in Gujranwala. My father worked as a mechanical engineer for a construction company in Saudi Arabia.

He took me with him when I was in school so I could study there. However, I got sidetracked and he sent me back after a few months when he realised I was not serious about my future.

I enrolled in class nine when I came back and went on to graduate from the local college. My father had come back by then and we started a poultry business.

He died three or four years later and the family started fighting over the business, which led to us losing the company altogether.

I had gotten married during all of this and, disappointed by all the fighting in the family, I decided to leave Gujranwala and come to Rawalpindi for a fresh start.

I worked many jobs here and my first job was that of a medical rep which I left to join IBL as a sales executive. In 1993, I thought I should start up my own business and I had many false starts. I had a cousin who had a printing press in Rawalpindi.

He asked me to join the printing business. I began as a contractor and moved my offices to Circular Road where I have had my own press since 1999. I have three children.

My son is a software engineer and my daughters are studying to become doctors.

I thank God that I left my native village and that unlike me, my children have access to quality education.”

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2017