ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday handed over allotment letter of a plot in Islamabad’s park enclave sector to the family of Qazi Abdur Rehman Amritsari, a school teacher, who had coined the name of Islamabad in 1959.

Mr Qazi, a teacher and poet had suggested Islamabad as a name for the new capital city and his proposed name was also approved by the federal cabinet headed by President Ayub Khan. President Ayub, through an official letter in 1960 had promised a plot to Mr Qazi in Islamabad.

But in his life time, Mr Qazi never received it. He passed away in 1990. The issue was highlighted by several media outlets including BBC, but to no avail.

However, the family of Mr Qazi was honoured by the prime minister who gave a 10 marla plot to them in his office. Journalist Hamid Mir and chairman of CDA Noorul Amin Mengal were also present on the occasion. The PM appreciated Mr Mir for taking up the issue of the forgotten plot for the family of the teacher.

It is relevant to note here that recently, Mr Mir had asked the CDA chairman about why the promised plot was not given to Mr Qazi’s family.

The CDA chairman then directed the estate wing of the civic agency to identify a plot for the said family. Mr Qazi was born in 1908 in Amritsar in British India and later he along with his family migrated to Pakistan and started living in Arifwall in Punjab.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2023