In memory of Dr Aamer Mansoor

(31 April 1956 - 2 November 2017)

It always pains me when I add a new photo of a lost friend in the caption of my blog. And today with a very heart I add thumbnail photo of one of our dearest friend and my first term platoon mate Dr Aamer Mansoor who expired just recently on 2nd November 2017 in Lahore.

Aamer joined Khalid 4 platoon on 12 May 1975 and was aspiring to be a man in khaki. But he had his destiny written somewhere else. His mother wanted him to be a doctor and he wanted to wear the long heavy military boots. He missed his admission in King Edward Medical College (KE) Lahore and thus he was allowed to join PMA and follow footsteps of his father, serving brigadier at that time. 

A memorable Khalid-4 group photo of 1st Term

Standing (L to R):  Safdar Jahanzeb (late) Jamshed, Shirazi, Tahir, Razzaq, Zafar, Fazal, Mujeeb, Noor

Sitting )1st  Row (L to R):   Asif, Janjua, Awan, Masood, Corporal Tareen, Jalal, Tariq, Younis         Sitting )2nd Row (L to R):   Naveed, GM, Iqbal, Aamer Mansoor,  Jamal, Khalid, Aslam, Mushtaq

But despite missing his bus to the medical college, his destiny and his mother's prayers were answered and due to additional marks of NCC, he was granted admission in KE, Lahore. Thus he opted for discharge from PMA, which was accepted and he became a doctor - later a cardiologist.

In those days, the means of communication were rare, sluggish and rather non existent - thus we lost any contact with him as we did with many of our course mates who were withdrawn from PMA in the first term. For forty years we did not know where Aamer was till one day in 2015 he googled 55 PMA and came across course website hosted by me and from there he got the phone number of course secretary from the letter I had displayed for the 2016 course get together. He then contacted Asif and that is how he found the rest of us after forty years.

Dinner in the honour of a newly found comrade at DeSOM

Iqbal, Janjua, Zahir, Aamer Mansoor, Naveed Akbar, Abdur Rehman, Athar, Maqsood, Nauman, Shirazi, Tassawar, Ali Akbar and Khalid Javed

Aamer Mansoor with K-4 (Left to right): Aamer Mansoor, Iqbal, Naveed Akbar, Shirazi, Younis, Tassawar, Nauman, Khalid Javed and Janjua

Lahore Chapter was prompt in embracing him into Lahore Chapter group and we got in contact. A special dinner was hosted in his honour by Lahore Chapter which was attended by a sizable number of course mates stationed in Lahore and specially his platoon mates of Khalid 4.

In February 2016, I visited Lahore and meeting Aamer was first priority. I called on him and we both were pleased to see each other after four decades. Thereafter Aamer became a regular attendee of any function organized by Lahore Chapter and graced each occasion with his typical smile and friendly personality.

A get together  at Lahore - Aamer standing extreme right

Aamer was always seen making up for the lost time with us and bridging the gap of the last four decades. This was evident on all gatherings as he would interact with each and everyone around and trying to revive the memories. He may not have had any intimate interaction with our Malaysian friends, Ramli and Ismail, in PMA for he had had hardly three months with us in PMA, but during Ramli's visit to Pakistan and Lahore, he had frequent chats with Ramli and posed with him to preserve the moment forever - maybe not for him for he had his life running out, but for us to remember him forever.

Aamer (standing extreme left) posing with Khalid-4 platoon mates (Iqbal, Younis, Tassawar and Khalid Javed) and Nauman and Ramli

While Lahore Chapter had frequent interaction with Aamer, I was at a loss as I could not meet him again. I was recently in Lahore to visit my ailing cousin admitted in CMH due to critical head injury and I was to meet him on a dinner being planned on 2 November - but it was only found that he had had a heart bypass when Nauman rang him up to extend the invitation. I wish I could have known on that day and would have visited him 1 November - but I was too late as early morning on 2 November I received the lamenting message of his death. I attended his funeral and bade farewell to a friend, a jolly good man and superb human being. 

Amir Mansoor from youth to graceful age - shall always be missed

May ALLAH SWT rest his soul in peace and bless him in His Jawar e Rehmat. Aameen