By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)
The man who gave a new development concept to
the ever-sprawling city of Karachi breathed his last on April 7 at the age of
81.
Engr Z.A. Nizami, the Chancellor of the
Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), the President of the
Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association (AMUOBA) and a former Director
General of the defunct Karachi Development Authority (KDA), passed away
after a brief illness.
Born on May 31, 1931 in Meerut, Engr Nizami
has left behind five sons and a daughter besides grandsons and
granddaughters to mourn his death. He lost his wife, a reputed short story
writer, last year when she died in the US and was laid to rest in Washington on
March 19, 2012.
Engr Nizami’s Namaz-e-Janaza was offered at
Masjid-e-Umer near his Clifton residence while the burial took place at the
Karachi Milk Plant graveyard in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
The funeral and burial was largely attended
by hundreds of his fans who included ministers, former elected
representatives, bureaucrats, educationists, members of the civil society,
members of AMUOBA and the officials and staff of the Sir Syed University of
Engineering and Technology.
An acclaimed genius, Engr Nizami who rose
from the position of an engineer to the office of Director General of KDA
and steered the city of Karachi to new concepts of modernization having
introduced 45 schemes which remained at the same number till his death as not a
single new scheme was launched after his retirement.
Besides being a town planner of world class,
the most outstanding achievement of Engr Nizami was Sir Syed University of
Engineering and Technology which he established from AMUOBA’s platform in 1994
with four engineering disciplines in the initial stage and with a total
enrolment of only 200 students. The university today has six engineering
disciplines with an enrolment of over 5000.
He established this university on the land situated
in the heart of Gulshan-e-Iqbal and with solo efforts also acquired 200 acres
of land in the Education City.
Engr Nizami’s last official public appearance
was at the SSUET’s 16thConvocation held on March 26 at the Karachi
Expo Center where over 1100 passing out students were awarded degrees.
The last interview of Engr Nizami, done by
this scribe, was widely published in print media just one day before the
Convocation in which he spoke in detail about the progress achieved by SSUET in
just 18 years and the future plans he had for it.
A remarkable and outstanding person, Engr
Nizami had the reputation of being so considerate and sympathetic to poor
people. He provided them jobs in SSUET to help them earn their livelihood.
He passionately promoted both academic and
extra curricular activities at the university which won laurels nationally and
internationally, particularly in the fields of sports, declamation contests and
other social and cultural activities.
He remained the President of AMUOBA for seven
consecutive terms and held the office of Chancellor of SSUET by virtue of this
office ever since the university came into being.
“Who will now listen to our wows and grief
and extend a helping hand,” said an unknown crying poor man.
“I was a newspaper hawker selling newspapers
around Hotel Metropole and Mr Nizami made my son an engineer who is now earning
handsomely in Dubai,” a weeping Iftikhar said.
Engr Nizami’s youngest son, Naveed, was in
the US when he was informed about the worsening condition of his illustrious
father. He dashed to Pakistan and met his father just four minutes before
he expired. Engr Nizami saw his son, patted his hand and his eyes shut down for
ever.
Meanwhile the soyem for the departed soul will
be held on April 9 between Asr and Maghrib prayers at his Clifton residence.
The Sir Syed University of Engineering and
Technology has announced a mourning session to pay homage to their late
Chancellor at 10 am on April 8 and will close down after offering of fateha for
the departed soul.
