On this father's day, the writer of this blog wants to dedicate a piece of writing to her father, Naseem Ahmad Khan Pitafi. Lovingly, called by his children, as 'abu jaan'.
Extremely kind and gentle, Naseem Ahmad Khan Pitafi, hailed from an aristocratic, feudal, Balouch family, residing on the lands of, 'Lundi Pitafi'. Named after his family, which exercised, a historic record of eleven hundred years of ownership over a vast area, near Muzzafargarh district.
His date of birth is believed to be 15th January, 1948; but during his life, he denied it's originality, because he believed the year was 1946 & also had doubts about the day & month, for some reasons only known to him.
He joined army in 1965 as a teenage cadet, got promoted to Lt. Colonel (don't want to go into details of his services & important posts that he served, because it is his fatherhood, being discussed here). He took an early retirement in 1988/89 because of difference of opinions, with people he was then working. Rest of his life, which lasted for 2/3 years more only, he remained a landlord & looked after his lands. He passed away on 7th July 1992, leaving behind three children, the eldest a daughter, me, Fariha Khan Pitafi, & two sons, Qaisar Khan Pitafi & Farrukh Khan Pitafi.
Abu jaan loved to walk, I was older & stronger to walk miles & miles with him, on the streets of Rawalpindi. Sometimes, I got so tired & sleepy that he had to carry me home, either on his shoulder or in a Taxi.
Greatest treasured memory is, of swimming, something which still makes a big part of me. When Qaisar was born, my mother failed to handle me, with the new born. So, abu jan started taking me (an year old or so) with him, for swimming. All my childhood; I remember, during summers, every afternoon, an hour after lunch, he put all 3 of us in his car & took us for swimming. Where instead of enjoying with his friends, he spent maximum time, teaching us, different strokes. Giving us dips in water, which sometimes, made us cry & then, he would self recommend his punishment, jumping down from 15 feet high, diving board in deep, that he pretended to be really afraid of. We used to go frantic, shouting, 'jump, jump, jump', every time he got on the diving board. He knew, his children were watching. He acted, as if he, he did not want to jump; like a baby, made faces & it drove us mad again, 'jump, jump, jump' & finally he would.
And what a great story teller was he. We loved listening to the tales of his real life, childhood adventures, 'in the land of Lundi Pitafi'. For hours & hours, he would narrate, dramatize & spell bound, we listened to him & admired him as our hero.
He was an absolutely brilliant writer. Started writing from his college days, for magazines at, Government college, Lahore. During army life also, he vigorously contributed articles to army journals & papers. But after retirement, he pursued his passion of writing, seriously. All three of his children have inherited this skill & art of writing from him.
We did not know, every moment, he spent with us, he was drawing a beautiful picture of cherished memories on our little minds. We never realised it, we thought, life would go on like that...
Today, I suggest everybody, who have their fathers with them, & fathers who have their children at their side, spend maximum time together. One never knows, what moment turns out to be a treasured memory, for you or for them. Because, life will not go on like this forever.
Extremely kind and gentle, Naseem Ahmad Khan Pitafi, hailed from an aristocratic, feudal, Balouch family, residing on the lands of, 'Lundi Pitafi'. Named after his family, which exercised, a historic record of eleven hundred years of ownership over a vast area, near Muzzafargarh district.
His date of birth is believed to be 15th January, 1948; but during his life, he denied it's originality, because he believed the year was 1946 & also had doubts about the day & month, for some reasons only known to him.
He joined army in 1965 as a teenage cadet, got promoted to Lt. Colonel (don't want to go into details of his services & important posts that he served, because it is his fatherhood, being discussed here). He took an early retirement in 1988/89 because of difference of opinions, with people he was then working. Rest of his life, which lasted for 2/3 years more only, he remained a landlord & looked after his lands. He passed away on 7th July 1992, leaving behind three children, the eldest a daughter, me, Fariha Khan Pitafi, & two sons, Qaisar Khan Pitafi & Farrukh Khan Pitafi.
posted toQaisar Khan Pitafi & Farrukh Khan Pitafi
- Of all three, his children, I was the one, who spent, maximum time with him. Qaisar was our mother's favourite, Farrukh was too little for the adventurous company.
Abu jaan loved to walk, I was older & stronger to walk miles & miles with him, on the streets of Rawalpindi. Sometimes, I got so tired & sleepy that he had to carry me home, either on his shoulder or in a Taxi.
Greatest treasured memory is, of swimming, something which still makes a big part of me. When Qaisar was born, my mother failed to handle me, with the new born. So, abu jan started taking me (an year old or so) with him, for swimming. All my childhood; I remember, during summers, every afternoon, an hour after lunch, he put all 3 of us in his car & took us for swimming. Where instead of enjoying with his friends, he spent maximum time, teaching us, different strokes. Giving us dips in water, which sometimes, made us cry & then, he would self recommend his punishment, jumping down from 15 feet high, diving board in deep, that he pretended to be really afraid of. We used to go frantic, shouting, 'jump, jump, jump', every time he got on the diving board. He knew, his children were watching. He acted, as if he, he did not want to jump; like a baby, made faces & it drove us mad again, 'jump, jump, jump' & finally he would.
And what a great story teller was he. We loved listening to the tales of his real life, childhood adventures, 'in the land of Lundi Pitafi'. For hours & hours, he would narrate, dramatize & spell bound, we listened to him & admired him as our hero.
He was an absolutely brilliant writer. Started writing from his college days, for magazines at, Government college, Lahore. During army life also, he vigorously contributed articles to army journals & papers. But after retirement, he pursued his passion of writing, seriously. All three of his children have inherited this skill & art of writing from him.
We did not know, every moment, he spent with us, he was drawing a beautiful picture of cherished memories on our little minds. We never realised it, we thought, life would go on like that...
Today, I suggest everybody, who have their fathers with them, & fathers who have their children at their side, spend maximum time together. One never knows, what moment turns out to be a treasured memory, for you or for them. Because, life will not go on like this forever.
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| With all three of us, abu jaan at Shakar parian, 1984, Islamabad. |
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| When I took this picture, didn't know, it'll become an everlasting memory. Abu jaan with my brother Farrukh Khan Pitafi in 1987. |
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| As dashing, young lieutenant. |
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| 1986. A friend of abu jaan with him, at 1st, Karachi expo, organized by DMLA, HQ, Karachi, where he served as G-1 at that time. |
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