In Memory of Abdus Samad

(12 November 1954 - 22 February 2012)

One of the landmark figures of our course was Abdus Samad. Although there were many "elderly" among our course (born 1952), it was Samad alone who was nicknamed "Taya" and he never did mind this prefix to his name. I came to know him from close quarters when he joined our platoon Tariq-1 in the third term when the old company system reverted – by that time K-4 had become Tariq Upper-1. He did not take long to mix up with the rest of us and became friendly to all of us in days. 

First Term snow fall: Samad with with Noor and Fazal

Samad and I at the Embussing Point for departure to Pani Pat exercise area

 

Exercise Pani Pat: Samad with Noor and Arshad - and Arshad, Shams (late) and Tassawar

While Exercise Pani Pat went off like all other exercises, there happened an incident which I must share for which almost the entire remaining period of Third Term, out platoon in general and the "Nashpati Squad" in particular had to undergo an ordeal of third kind:

The Dirty (Half) Dozen charged of plucking Nashpati (pear) in Exercise Area

The ordeal started when Taya Samad lost the pencil shooting in the last leg of the exercise Pani Pat. At the end of the exercise, when the final parade state was being given by Samad to Captain Shaheen Shaukat, Samad reported the missing of a pencil shooting. This infuriated Captain Shaheen who ordered Samad and Co to go back and find the missing pencil shooting. Samad and Co included Ikram (who was the platoon commander for the exercise), Shahid, Mujeeb, Razzaq and Mujeeb. 

Ikram Kiyani narrates the story:

After one attack exercise, the platoon assembled for the parade state near Dadar Mental Hospital for all OK report. Captain Shaheen Shaukat was to take the parade state. During the handing over of the parade state a pencil shooting was reported missing. A furious Captain Shaheen ordered Kiyani, Mujeeb, Razaq, Samad and Shahid to go back and find the pencil shooting. Now how could one find a small pencil shooting in a vast hilly area. Anyway, the squad went off and soon found a ‘Nashpati Orchard.’ Seeing the ripe fruit, the entire squad started throwing up their steel helmets in a bid to ‘shoot down’ the nashpatis.  While doing so, one of the helmets got struck in the tree and Taya Samad volunteered to climb up the tree to retrieve the steel helmet. 

While up in the tree trying to retrieve the helmet amid shouting from the rest, suddenly Taya Samad became serious and still – and shouted “Platoon  Hoshiar Baith,’ and also asked in ENGLISH to throw him a stick to retrieve the helmet.  But the squad was too busy collecting the nashpatis and ignored Samad’s repeated rather alarming calls. When Samad persisted, everyone turned and found a fuming and furious Captain Shaheen Shaukat standing.  And naturally all the jubilation was gone in a nano second and complete silence prevailed. The nashpati squad was then brought back like POWs by Captain Shaukat and was told to report to his office the very next day of the exercise.

Back in PMA, every day the Nashpati Squad would go to Captain Shaheen’s office and wait for hours- and then told to come back and come back again the next day. This ritual went on for a few days – until one day they were taken by Captain Shaheen to the Term Commander’s office. Naturally this meant a far bigger punishment than what had been anticipated by the culprits.

While the lot waited for their fate, there emerged Major Usmani (later Lt Gen Usmani, may Allah bless him as he just a few days back succumbed to a massive heart attack - pictured left), who was from 10 FF and knew Razzaq’s father well. And he in his peculiar voice asked Razzaq as to why they were there.  Seeing a window of opportunity opening, Razzaq asked a minute from Major Usmani and told him the whole episode and requested him for a ‘favourable action.’  Major Usmani seeing the plight of the poor GCs, walked over to Captain Shaukat’s office – although it is not clear what transpired between the two. But soon the nashpati was squad was cautioned ‘not to repeat such acts’ and were told to march off - Thus ended the ordeal of the dare devils who chose to eat nashpati rather than finding the pencil shooting. It would not have been the end of the story had Captain Shaheen Shaukat not been posted out and went to Saudi Arabian Military Academy. It was only with the appointment of WTO Major Talat Umer, SJ in the vacuum that our platoon was finally saved from any injury that could have happened had Captain Shaheen stayed on.

Final Term Exercise Qiyadat

Tariq-1 with  Major Talat Umer, SJ during Exercise Field Firing. Samad standing third from right

‘Intercepting’ each other’s letters was common practice in PMA. While one such interception resulted into exposure of love life of one of our platoon mates, another incident cost Arshad a much dearer price. One day, a rather ‘suspicious’ letter arrived for Taya Samad – which was intercepted by Arshad. This really created a scene with Arshad running in the corridor towards Khalid Company holding his hand high with the letter with furious Taya Samad in ‘hot pursuit.’ The glass door at the end of the Khalid Company which opened towards the Battalion Mess was closed, which was not appreciated well by Arshad. Resultantly, Arshad crashed into the door glass which broke with a big bang and Arshad went somersaulting out of the broken gloss on the concrete floor outside. Perhaps his para landing skills saved him from any major injuries.

Final Term: Two photos in which Late Abdus Samad appears (Shared by Naveed Akbar)

Now the big question was how to get the glass back before it was reported. Nauman, who was always a sport and had a magnanimous helping attitude, came to the rescue of Arshad and gave him Rs. 100. In those days, Rs. 100 was a big amount which could buy a full-length door glass. The money was given to CQ and the glass was replaced before the incident could be reported.

Final Term Tariq 1 Platoon: Samad standing third from right

Although very simple by nature, had a wit of his own kind. He was liked by all of us and respected too. Samad was very fond of tea and biscuits and he would make sure that he reaches the company lines after the games period earlier than the rest of us and lay an ambush on the tea and biscuits of most of us – we knew who did that but Samad could not be stopped from doing it for as long as we remained in the academy. 

Samad looked elderly but he was young at heart like everyone one of us. The photo above is a memorable photo of ‘dandy’ Samad wearing bell-bottom style uniform with Saleem Sarwar at PMA (Shared by Saleem Sarwar)

A memorable photo of Samad: Seen here standing with Saleem Sarwar and a visiting Japanese general (Abbottabad 1982)

Samad passed out with us and joined the infantry, Baluch Regiment, which was in his blood. He retired as a major and has been working with a private firm since then. He was a regular attendee of all course get together in Lahore, especially those arranged by Zahir Khan in his office as CC Arty.

20 July 2008 Lahore: Samad at a tea party in Zahir’s office

Months before his death, he became much interested in course website and specially requested me to add his e-mail in the distribution list and was happy when his request with complied with. In his later life, he had added a suffix of Babur with his name and would always write his name as Abdul Samad Babur.

Life was eventless for Samad and his family till the angel of death finally arrived on morning of 22 February, 2012. Samad had a heart attack at the breakfast table and did not take long to proceed to his journey towards heavens. He was buried in Lahore.

May Allah bless Abdus Samad Babar and all our course mates who have left us earlier than us and rest their souls in peace up in the heavens. Ameen. 

Please refer to our Reference Page to read about all those of us who have left us midway for their Heavenly abode.