Muhammad Mujahid Syed Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — “Saudi Arabia under the wise leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has developed in all fields. During the reign of the Saudi monarch Saudi Arabia in respect of education, engineering and medical facilities has touched new zenith. “Its development is unparalleled. The infrastructure during my 32 years stay in the Kingdom has seen revolutionary changes. “The big or small almost all the cities of Saudi Arabia got a new face recently. The change in the infrastructure of the cities bears testimony to the farsightedness and wisdom of the leadership that has paved way to the dialogue and peace,” said Azeez Ahmad, a senior engineer and a long-time resident of the Kingdom. Pakistani national Azeez Ahmad is a talented senior civil engineer, social activist and a respected figure in the Pakistani community. Ahmed, who came to the Kingdom 32 years ago, shared his experiences of his personal and professional life in the Kingdom. Ahmad was born at Mehrauli, New Delhi in 1944 in a respected family of “Sajjadanashins” of famous saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaaki. His father Muhammad Ahmad, an employee in the office of the controller of the import and export at the Ministry of Industry, had an option to work at the same position in the then newly carved Pakistani nation. Muhammad along with his family migrated to Karachi, where Ahmad received his basic and professional education. He matriculated from Government Technical High School, Jacob Lines and passed B.Sc. exam from DJ Science College and got a degree in civil engineering from NED Engineering University, Karachi. The construction of a medical center of the Ministry of Health, Hail was his first project in the Saudi Arabia. Ahmad worked with the Water Supply and Sewage Department, in the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Makkah as a resident engineer, and a project manager of Saudi Engineering Consultants and Sugair Consulting Engineers for nine years. He supervised 70 percent of the water and sewage lines of Makkah city. During 1991-2008, he served at Jeddah International Airport facilities of the engineering department as a civil engineer for the maintenance and development. From 2010 to 2013 he is working on a project under Ministry of Finance as a quality control laboratory engineer. Ahmad is a self-made man. He was only 13 when his father after prolonged tuberculosis disease died. Eldest among his five siblings (two brothers and three sisters), Ahmad had to shoulder great responsibilities. His mother, a handicraft teacher, not only brought up and nurtured her children but spent every penny on her children's education. Ahmad then supported his mother by working during the night shift at Karachi General Post Office. He worked for a brief period of time in the office of managing director of Karachi Water and Sewage Board. He not only completed his education as a civil engineer but also sent his younger brother Jamil Ahmad to Canada for a degree in engineering. His eldest sister was already married yet two other sisters received higher education. Ahmad as a student leader and social activist had an inspiring career too. During his student life he served the Students Welfare Organization, Karachi as president, vice president and general secretary at different times. This student organization distributed books, arranged coaching classes and helped poor students in the remission of their fee. “We had our offices and library in Khaliq Deena Hall, Karachi. “We organized many memorable literary evenings under the patronage of Khaliq Deena Hall, Karachi for the great Urdu scholars and poets like Josh Malihabadi, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Majnu Gorakhpuri, Ms. Hajera Masroor, Syed Hashim Raza, Ahmad Faraz and Ahmad Nadeem Qasimi,” he said. During his student life Azeez used to take part in the discussions of the Radio PakistanKarachi's Science Ki Duniya Program. He took part in the social and cultural activities of DJ Government Science College Karachi and got elected as the vice president of its students union. He contested election for the president of the university students union too but due to the lack of only 34 votes failed to get elected. When former Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto declared separation from Gen. Ayyub Khan's government Ahmad joined Pakistan People's Party under the leadership of Meraj Muhammad Khan. He was a private secretary of Sindh's Finance Minister Kamal Azfar in 1971-72. During 1973-77 Ahmad was appointed as officer on special duty in the Prime Minister's Secretariat by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto for Karachi and Sindh's matters. During former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's regime he was offered many government posts. During his long social and political career as an activist he had a chance to see many stalwart politicians and historical figures like Fatimah Jinnah, Raja Saheb Mahmoodabad, Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (the founder of Bangladesh), Sheikh Zahiruddin, Nawabzadah Nasrullah Khan, Mir Ali Ahmad Talpur and Mir Rasool Bakhsh Talpur and many others. Ahmad was the secretary-general of the Pakistani Engineering Society Jeddah for 12 years. This society organized many engineering seminars in which Saudi and non-Saudi engineer read out their papers. In his professional career and in these seminars Azeez had a glimpse of the talents of young Saudi engineers and was impressed by the knowledge of their profession. Ahmad was optimistic that now the day is not far for the young Saudi engineers to hold their sway with the help of their wise and helpful leadership in respective fields. He was considered for appointment as a Consul Education in the Consulate General of PakistanJeddah as well as an advisor to present Chief Minister of Sindh. Ahmad's father was a poet who used to compose Urdu poetry but Ahmad though has a keen literary taste has kept himself limited to organize literary activities. While talking about the literary scene of the Urdu language in Saudi Arabia he recollects that during his work on the KAAI Airport, Jeddah he along with friends was able to organize four big international Mushairah's in which Jamiluddin Aali, Ahmad Faraz, Shamim Jaipuri, Kalim Ajiz, Mahshar Badayuni and other leading Indian and Pakistani poets participated. An avid reader of the Saudi Gazette and a fan of its Editor-in-Chief Khaled Almaeena, Ahmad sees revolutionary changes in the paper after Almaeena took the reigns. He prays to Allah the Almighty to give strength to the leaders of Pakistan and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to serve Pakistan and the Muslim Ummah in the best of their capacity. In his message to the readers, he advises them to look after their old parents and family with great care, love and sincerity. The sacrifices made in this regard fill the hearts with joy and satisfaction and God bestows His Mercy on the people who are kind to other human being and other creatures, he said.
