TODAY, October 22, happens to be the 56th death anniversary of my grandfather Khwaja Nazimuddin, who was the country’s second governor-general and also the second prime minister after having been one of the founding fathers of the nation. At the time of his death, it was said by many that his greatness “shall speak from the grave”. And, indeed, it has.

I was only 12 when he breathed his last, but those few years that I had the good fortune to spend with him left an indelible mark on me. He was a very humble, kind and compassionate person. He disliked rudeness and arrogance, especially with those less fortunate than us.

I have very vivid memories of the wonderful times we shared. His birthdays were joyful occasions usually celebrated by close family and relatives. Since he was a keen sports-lover, special sporting events were shared with close relatives as well.

He was a deeply religious man. However, he was very tolerant, and respected all religions. One of my most fond memories of him that I remember is of observance of the holy month of Ramadan that he always made into a special occasion for the entire family.

Being a connoisseur of good food, he would take meticulous care to entertain his guests with specialties of their choice which was highly appreciated by all.

My grandfather also loved animals and did keep prized poultry as a hobby, but he never had any favourite bird, nor did he engage in any frivolities at the cost of his public duties.

Kh. Nazimuddin was very particular about not using official things for personal use. One incident he also summoned and praised a traffic policeman for doing his job by stopping and issuing a ticket to the driver of a speeding VIP car .

One of Khwaja Nazimuddin’s famous acts as the chief minister of East Pakistan was to abolish the Zamidari system, which was a selfless act to benefit the country. When my grandfather was removed from his last official assignment, he neither had a car for personal use nor a home to live in. This was despite the fact that he had his education at Cambridge University, and was a qualified barrister. He never practised as a lawyer and, instead, joined politics at the age of 28 years to work for the community at large.

Every now and then, one comes across people who use the word ‘weak’ to describe his method of governance, and that needs to be addressed. Khwaja Nazimuddin was never a weak man. His strength was taken as his weakness as he never compromised on his principles.

In stepping down from his position as governor-general to that of the prime minister, his strength of character was apparent as he would gladly sacrifise his personal position and benefits in the larger interest of the country. It was an act selflessness; not weakness.

I wish he had lived to see me grow up, but am glad that he is not here today, as it would cause him deep anguish and grief to see his beloved Pakistan in such a sorry state as exists today.

Umbereen Rahman
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2020