Prominent personalities of the city and members of various social and cultural organizations organized a farewell party for Dr. Shafaatullah Khan, who retired as senior translator after serving 24 years at the Indian Embassy here. Dr. Shafaatullah was welcomed with a bouquet by Laique Ahmed Azmi, vice president of Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Association (JMIAA), Riyadh Chapter, while Dr. Najeeb Qasmi presented various facets of Dr. Shafaatullah's life through a lively presentation. Explaining the objectives of organizing the event, Ghizal Mahdi, former president of JMIAA maintained that Dr. Shafaatullah embodies a multi-faceted personality. Mahdi asserted that Dr. Shafaatullah is compassionate and has a penchant for social work. "As a Jamia alumnus he exemplifies Jamia's basic tenets of nationalism, democracy and secularism," Mahdi added. Speaking on the occasion, Salman Khalid, vice president of Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association (Riyadh), praised Dr. Shafaatullah for always being supportive of the activities of their association. Former president of JMIAA, Khursheed Anwer, mentioned that Dr. Shafaatullah engages wholeheartedly in any work that he takes up and doesn't rest until the work goal is achieved. Renowned businessman and former president of AMUOBA, Abdul Azim Khan acknowledged that Dr. Shafaatullah was not only the founding member of JMIAA but also of AMUOBA, Riyadh. Addressing the august gathering of his friends and well-wishers, Dr. Shafaatullah emphasized the need and importance of serving mankind as per his own life-long experiences. He stressed on establishing scholarships for poor children, especially the Muslim children, in order to continue their education. It is noteworthy that Dr. Shafaatullah himself is engaged in extending scholarships to needy Muslim students through a New Delhi-based NGO, Muslim Education Foundation. Various organizations of Riyadh presented mementoes to Dr. Shafaatullah for his services to the Indian community. Uttar Pradesh Overseas Welfare Association also bestowed a memento to Dr. Shafaatullah. The representatives of different Indian organizations — Musarrat Jaffery, Salman Azmi, Abdulrahman Umari, Shabbir Nadwi, Obeidurrahman, Samsuddin Shams, Tariq Masood, Saalim Zubaidi, Husain Zulqarnain, Mohammed Qaiser, Wasi Haider and Bahauddeen expressed their sincere feelings and appreciated Dr. Shafaatullah's services to the Indian community. Displaying their love and affection for Dr. Shafaatullah, Shahid Siddiqui, Dr. Musharraf Ali, Dr. Dilshad Ahmad, Indian School Principal Shoukat Perwez, Ateequrrahman, Nisar Ahmad Khan, Dr. Sayyed Ali, Arif Shah, Ghayasuddeen, Ahsan Nadwi, Wasiullah Nadwi and Talib Rahman presented bouquets to Dr. Shafaatullah. The program commenced with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by Imtiyaz Ahmad Nadwi and conducted by Shahabuddin. Qaari Ghayasuddin, a poet, recited some couplets in honor of Dr. Shafaatullah. The program concluded with a vote of thanks by former JMIAA General Secretary Abid Aqeel. — SG
