By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
A lot of work is going at Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), Karachi, on the lives and achievements of leaders of freedom movement and their history is being compiled.
This was stated by Chancellor SSUET, Engr Z.A. Nizami, while speaking as chief guest at a “Jauhar Day” function organized at the university to commemorate the memories of great freedom fighter Maulana Muhammed Ali Jauhar.
He said this work is going on in keeping with the traditions set by great educationist and reformer Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and in this regard lot of information on the mission and struggle waged by Maulana Muhammed Ali Jauhar and Maulana Shaukat Ali Jauhar had been collected.
He recalled that when he was Director general of the then Karachi Development Authoruty, Gulistan-e-Jauhar was named after Maulana Muhammed Ali Jauhar.
Recalling the traditions set by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, the Chancellor informed the audience that Aligarh College had started with only few students and today it is a huge university complex.
He said that some dedicated followers of Sir Syed had approached him to seek his consent to name the university after his name. But he refused saying that if some one may think that he had done something for the Muslims, they can establish an institution after his name but after his death.
He said that it was after 96 years of the death of great leader that this university was established after his name as Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology.
Today, he informed, that this university has collaboration with 22 well known universities in the US and UK.
“We try to follow the same spirit which was maintained by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Quaid-e-Azam”, Engr Nizami stated.
In this context, he pointed, SSUET is the only engineering university in Pakistan where Pakistan Studies and Islamic Studies are being taught as compulsory subjects as the university desired its students to qualify in these subjects.
Chancellor Nizami said this university observe Jauhar Day every year obn January 4 and commemorate the days of other freedom movement leaders in the same manner.
He referred to the speeches made by the students of this university on Maulana Muhammed Ali Jauhar and deeply complimented them for their knowledge and vision about the great leader.
Earlier, Muhammed Umer Khan, Umer Ali, Muhammed Adnan Akhtar, Fatima Faiza Ahmed, in their speeches threw light on the life, struggle and mission of Maulana Muhammed Ali Jauhar for the cause freedom and emancipation of Muslims of South Asia.
They described the great leader a reflection of continuous struggle for the rights of Muslims and said he learned this from Holy Prophet Muhammed and the Muslim’s army of 313.
They said that Maulana Muhammed Ali Jauhar had been a ray of light and beacon of hope for the Muslims who spent his life in fighting against the colonialists to have freedom for the Muslims of South Asia who considered him as their hero.
They said he was not the leader of Muslims of sub-continent but the entire world Muslim Community and after his death he was neither buried in his native home town Rampur nor anywhere else in India but in Baitul Muqaddas.
On the occasion, Khumar Farooqi, a noted poet and University’s honorary consultant for literature and culture, presented poetic tributes to great freedom fighter amidst applaude from the audience.
