THE generation that saw and took part in the making of Pakistan is gradually departing from this world. On Sept 28, Viqar Ahmed Zaphyr, the president of Muslim Students Federation, Meerut, passed away in Karachi.

He worked tirelessly in gathering support of the Muslims of Meerut for the All-India Muslim League (AIML) and the Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Such support of the unknown soldiers of freedom movement, like him, eventually got us Pakistan.

He was the younger brother of my father. Both the brothers studied at the Meerut College and attained the highest degrees from there. My uncle did his master’s in English literature, while my father did his master’s in history along with a degree in law.

Viqar Ahmed was an adherent supporter and follower of the Quaid and worked tirelessly for the independence of the country. When the Quaid visited Meerut in 1939, he stayed at the residence of Nawab Muhammad Ismail Khan where Viqar Ahmed met the Quaid and told him about the activities and support of the Muslim students of Meerut. During the same meeting, he met many towering personalities of AIML, like Liaquat Ali Khan and Raja Sahib Mahmoodabad, to name but a few.

As the weather was very pleasant on the day when Ahmed met the Quaid, he said: “My heart is as cloudy as the weather is today”. The Quaid instantly replied: “The boy is poetic!”

He had a lot of stories to narrate about the independence movement and the struggle of the young students of undivided India.

He met the Quaid again in Bombay (since renamed Mumbai) where he presented him the group photograph taken in Meerut. Viqar Ahmed can be seen sitting next to the Quaid on his left in black sherwani, along with top AIML leadership.

He requested the Quaid for a message for the students upon which the former asked him to visit him in his chambers the next day at 2pm.

He reached the Quaid’s chambers in time but, unfortunately, could not meet him as the Quaid had to attend an urgent call from court. He left a note for the Quaid, saying he had come to get a message from him for the students which he could now send at his Meerut address.

Exactly two days later, he received a letter from the Quaid, with regrets for not having been able to meet him; such was the greatness of Jinnah and that is why he was and is called the Quaid-i-Azam.

With Viqar Ahmed gone from this world, many hidden stories of independence movement are also gone. My generation is lucky and fortunate to have heard these stories from our elders, like Viqar Ahmed and many others who were part of the struggle for independence and were people of integrity, honesty and character.

Let us salute the unknown and unsung heroes of independence movement because it is partly because of them that we today live in an independent country.

Aamir Aqil
Lahore

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2021