Annual course get together have been a hallmark of our course and these dates back to early 90s when organized course gatherings started to take place and I have covered all these occasions separately. But today I am sharing perhaps the earliest course get together that was held in 1983 at Risalpur. And the credit goes to the young Sappers of our course who while doing their Engineers Course at the Military College of Engineering, Risalpur found an opportunity to get together course mates in and around Risalpur.
I am grateful to Syed Baqar Zaidi for voluntarily contributing these photos and taking us back to 1983 when we were hardly a few years long in our commissioned officers' life. These photos remind me of the Agfa film days which had a tinge of red as compared to real life colours of Kodak films.
The beauty of this get together was that beside engineer officers of the course, course mates from infantry (Farooq), Signals (Agha Hussain and Shafiq) and ASC (Kiyani) made it to the venue. Thus making it an almost all arms participation.
Shafiq Anwar, may All bless his soul, was always a sport. Wherever and whenever he was present, he was bound to inject vigour and life into an event. Here in the photo above he drags in Agha Farooq in a happy dancing mood while Kiyani is all smiles in the background enjoying the duo making merry.
Picture in BW below is our Basic course picture which was attended by engineer officers of 54 and 55 PMA. From Left: Alamgir, Salim Soomro, Bashir behind raised hand and Shams on extreme right edge.
Well this was a purely Sappers' initiative at a time when organized gatherings had not started, rather it was in early 90s that we started getting together en masse, the memories of which are well preserved. But these few photos definitely add spice to our course spirit and exhibit our brotherly bondage right from outset.
The year 2020 went dry owing to the prevalent Covid-19 pandemic. Hopefully the dawn of 2021 brings glad tidings for all of us and we should be able to resume the annual gatherings as have been held since, In Sha Allah.
PS: In a separate post, Agha Farooq adds: "This gathering was one of the initial formal get together that was initiated when I was posted as GSO 3, 6 Bde, Nowshehra in 1982. Shafiq as my colleague as SC, we found huge collection of our course mates doing degree in MCE and quite a few in Arty and AC School. Shared the idea with Nauman and Sulehria, While Baqar posted as QM at ACE, Risalpur had resources....... as my memories goes, it happened at Risalpur three times from 1982 to 1985. Unfortunately, our mates at AC School didn't make it.... Thank you Nauman for mobilizing the spirit and thank you the Sappers around......"
4 comments:
This is beautiful Jalal, great to see the memories of first get together of 55th PMA. Sappers toook the lead as they are always first to enter the battle fields.
Pleasure to see Pappu looks of most like، Agha Farooq, Agha Hussain, Shafique Anwar, Alamgir, Hassan Alam Kayani, Asif, Ihtishsm, Javed Ashraf Bajwa n others.
I had arranged few get togethers at Karachi, Kharian and Lahore but unfotunately donot have any pictures to share.
May Almighty Allah bless those who have left for their journey to heavenly abode.
Yes, we had quite a few informal mini course gatherings initiated in Lahore in 1979 and 1980s.
this mentioned above was one of the initial formal getotagther that was initiated when I was posted as GSO 3, 6 Bde, Nowshehra in 1982. Shafiq as my colleague as SC, we found huge collection of out course mates doing their degree in MCE and quite a few in Arty and AC School. Shared the idea with Nauman and Sulehria, While Baqar posted as QM at ACE, Risalpur had resources....... as my memories goes, it happened at Risalpure three times from 1982 to 1985. Unfortunately, many of our mates at Nowsgehra/Peshawar/Risalpur didnt make it....
Thank you Sappers
Shafiq seems in full farm; enjoying. May Allah rest his soul.
An excellent account of the course event. The beauty of this account is that, though JHB was not there, looks like eyewitness account.
Thank you sir for your very kind words of appreciation.
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