Raising the white flag: A tribute to our heroes

[Devil Soul]

Raising the white flag: A tribute to our heroes
By Urooj Jawed
Published: August 13, 2015

Just a day before Pakistan celebrates its 68 years of independence, a sense of patriotism and fervour is growing among the nation as we look back on our struggles which gave us the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

After all his efforts for the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah selflessly dedicated a portion of our flag to the minorities of Pakistan.

They may represent just a small part of this country, but dedicating their lives and leaving their homes to serve this country has made it what it is today.

This Independence Day, join hands with us as we pay tribute to a small part of the “White of Pakistani flag.”

Nathaniel served as Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s nurse in 1948 in Ziarat, Balochistan. She remained dedicated to her field for 42 years and retired in 1980. Famous for her humbleness and meritorious services, Nathaniel became a recipient of Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in 2000.

A renowned columnist, philanthropist and social activist, Cowasjee was a strong supporter of Jinnah’s ideology. Though known best for his bold articles, through the Cowasjee Foundation, he has funded the education of countless Pakistani students.

Cowasjee was laid to rest in November 2012 and as he had insisted, his funeral was open to followers of all faiths, thus albeit after his death, a sense of unity was seen when everyone regardless of their status in society came together to mourn him.

Sister John Berchmans Conway, Principal Convent of Jesus and Mary Karachi, in 2012 received Sitara Quaid-e-Azam for her services in the field of education and promoting interfaith harmony in Pakistan.

Having spent over 60 years teaching young girls from various parts of Pakistan, the 86-year-old has touched the lives of countless Pakistani schoolgirls as a mentor, counsellor, friend and teacher.

A symbol of abusive child labour in developing countries, 13-year-old Masih was shot dead by unidentified assailants in 1995. Born in Lahore, Masih at the age of four was handed over to a carpet factory when his mother failed to pay back the loan she had taken from its owner.

At the age of 10, Masih was freed by the Bonded Labor Liberation Front after which he went to school and became an outspoken advocate for other child slaves. The young boy won the Reebok Human Rights Award in 1994 for his countless efforts to help free other children, falling into the hands of slavery.

 

[Devil Soul]

A leading Pakistani fashion designer, Deepak Perwani is renowned in the industry for his creative designs. Perwani owns a number of stores across the country while 17 stockists worldwide from London, Dubai, Houston, Washington DC, Hong Kong, Singapore and Toronto sell his brand.

Born in 1973, the fashion designer belongs to the Hindu Sindhi community and is considered as one of the originators of Islamic fashion week in Malaysia and is also in the Guinness book of world records for the largest kurta in the world.

Joseph Marie Anthony Cordeiro, the first Pakistani cardinal was born on 19th of January 1918, in Bombay, British India.

Cordeiro was ordained a priest in Karachi on 24 August 1946. Most people know him for his service as the Vice Principal of St Patrick’s High School.

A famous Pakistani singer who began his career in Lahore’s film industry with Qatil being his first film in 1955. However, he gained popularity with director Syed Ata Ullah Hashmi’s film Naukar in the same year.

Though Raza’s fame was short lived, his songs remain famous among the elderly.

One of the most respected and eminent gynecologists in Pakistan, Dr Faridoon Sethna currently serves as the Chair and Medical Director of Concept Fertility Centre. Among his many patients was former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

 

[Devil Soul]

Born in December 1980 in Karachi, the leg-spinner Danish Kaneria holds the record for most international wickets by any Pakistani spin bowler.

Kaneria took 276 international wickets and more than 1000 first-class ones, however he was banned for life by the ECB after allegedly being found guilty of corruption in a spot-fixing case.

One of the finest television actresses of her time, Naveen Tajik is most famously known for a serial, Quratul Ain. After gaining popularity in the television industry, Tajik moved toward the film industry.

However, the most talked about lady of the 1970s ended her career when she decided to leave Pakistan for reasons unknown.

Byram Dinshawji Avari, one of the most famous businessmen in Pakistani and twice Asian Games gold medalist, owns and operates the Avari Group of companies with his sons Dinshaw and Xerxes. He is also the diplomatic representative, for Canada.

Avari Group is the first Pakistani company to have obtained international hotel management contracts.

Gumby, known for being the sole drummer of the Pakistani band, Noori, has not only gained popularity in the Paksitani music industry but also in some parts of Western Europe and North America.

He was lauded for his performance in Coke Studio as well as Nescafe Basement.

 

[Devil Soul]

Major General (Retd) Kaizad Maneck Sopariwala was the first Parsi to obtain the position of a Major General in the Pakistan Army.

A 1986 graduate of US Army Command and Staff College, he was awarded Hilal-e-Imtiaz by former president Musharraf in 2002.

The voices behind the most patriotic songs in the 1980s, the Benjamin sisters, Nerissa, Beena and Shabana disbanded in 1987, at the height of their popularity, when Nerissa got married.

At a time when Zia’s Islamisation campaign was at its peak, these sisters from a minority community extolled nationalism in their beloved millie naghmay, capturing the nation’s heart in the process.

Famous for “Khayal Rakhna” and “Laila Laila,” the sisters were introduced to showbiz by Javed Allah Ditta, a notable sitar player and member of the PIA Academy.

Wing Commander Mervyn Leslie Middlecoat, a triple decorated war hero, shot down two Indian jets over Karachi during the 1965 war.

In December 1971, he crashed into the Gulf of Kutch but his body was not found. King Hussein of Jordan requested his funeral to have a Jordanian flag along with a Pakistani flag and regarded his death as a personal loss.

He was awarded Sitara-e-Jurat in 1965 and 1971 and Sitara-i-Basalat in 1971.

Compiled with permission of Junaid Zuberi

 

[Zibago]

You forgot Wladyslav and Zofia Turowics

 

[Devil Soul]

You forgot Wladyslav and Zofia Turowics

This list is not complied by me, but i'll get more info on the personalities u've mentioned

Air Commodore Władysław Józef Marian Turowicz usually referred to as Air Cdre. W. J. M. Turowicz, was a prominent and noted Polish Pakistani military scientist and anaeronautical engineer. He is considered as one of the chief architects of the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan's space program. Turowicz, an eminent rocket scientist and an aeronautical engineer, was the leading and central figure in Pakistan's drive to develop high-tech rocket and missile technology of its own. Turowicz was the administrator of Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) from 1967 to 1970, and towards the end of his career, he was appointed to the post of Air Marshal of the Pakistan Air Force. He was one of thirty high ranking Polish pilots who served in Pakistan Air Force during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, and is considered one of the pioneers of Pakistan's space program, playing a central role in Pakistan's aviation and aerospace industry.

In March 1949, together with her daughters flew to Pakistan (where her husband Wladyslaw Turowicz held since early 1948, along with 30 Polish aviation senior officers and technicians who helped by three years in the construction Pakistani Air Force). Sophie Turowicz was gliding instructor for Pakistani youth in Karachi (1950-1952) and Rawalpindi (1953-1954). In 1957 she began teaching mathematics and chemistry at the American School in Karachi.

Turowicz Sophia lived in Karachi. Polish citizens and Pakistan since 1961, interest in the events in Poland and was with her emotionally connected.

June 9, 2005 Consul General in Karachi Polish - Ireneusz Makles made a special medal awarding ceremony for outstanding achievements and deeds in the struggle for Polish independence during World War II for Zofia Turowicz. Pro Memoria Medal was awarded to Sophia Turowicz for outstanding achievements and deeds in battle Nazism for Polish independence by the Secretary of State, the Head of the Office for Veterans and Victims of Oppression - John Turski. The ceremony was attended by Marshal of the Pakistani Air Force and Air Vice-Marshal Shaikh Rizuddin M. Akhtar (retired), who were trained and worked under the direction of General W. Turowicza, as well as leading figures of Karachi and friends of your Turowicz.

 

[Zibago]

The rocket missile man of Pakistan and the chief architect of Pakistan nuclear program Air Cdre Jozef Marian Wladyslav Turowics

Zofia Turowics the first Pakistani female pilot

Sophia? isnt her name Zofia?
@Devil Soul

 

[Devil Soul]

GRAHAM LAYTON made an outstanding contribution to health care of the poor in Pakistan. After 30 successful years in the construction industry, he set up eight hospitals, providing free eye care to over four million patients, including 400,000 eye surgeries.
With his friend Zaka Rahmatulla, Layton invested pounds 50,000 and set up the Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust (LRBT) in 1985, opening the first mobile eye hospital at Tando Bado deep in the wilds of Sind Province the same year. A permanent, fully equipped brick-built structure at Korangi on the outskirts of Karachi followed in 1988 and the eight hospitals now in existence represent a multi-million- pound operation serving the needy in all parts of the country.
Commissioned into the Indian Army in 1942, he was promoted to Major in 1944 as Officer Commanding 536 Artisan Works Company, Royal Engineers. He was appointed MBE for the construction of the Eastern Army Boat Bridge crossing of the Barak River, during the campaign to recapture Burma.
In 1947, Layton returned to Karachi, where over 30 years he built up MacDonald Layton Company to be one of the largest and most successful construction companies in Pakistan. Among his other achievements he built the parliament building in Islamabad and is credited with "the construction of the heart of the modern commercial Karachi".

He retired from active involvement with the business in 1977 and returned to England, where he developed a small house-building company in St Albans. But he could not rest there. In 1984 he returned to Karachi and took Pakistani citizenship. Until the last week of his life, Layton had continued as the dynamic chief executive of LRBT, despite a debilitating stroke in 1989, which had left him confined to a wheelchair and with a severe impediment of speech. To the end he remained the hands-on manager, with an ability to motivate, and generate loyalty in, those around him. He was honoured for his tireless work in Pakistan with the Sitara-I-Quaid-e-Azam.

Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora became the first Sikh in close to 67 years who entered into Pakistan’s biggest provincial assembly and took oath as a parliamentarian.

Ramesh Singh Arora is pakistani sikh politician and social worker. He is Patron-in-Chief of Pakistan Sikh Council[1] and first sikh Member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab.[2][3] He is also member of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee.

Mr. Geoffery D. Langlands, a former British colonial officer and a lifelong educationist has rendered countless services to education for well over six decades. For the past quarter-century, his home and work have been in Chitral, a sweeping district of snow-dusted peaks at the northern tip of Pakistan. The institution he ran here, the Langlands School and College, has become a watchword for excellence; each year, the best of the school’s 1,000-plus students, one-third of them girls, go on to universities in bigger cities, the United States or the United Kingdom. Mr. Langlands fought in a commando unit during World War II, assaulting German defenses on the French coast. In August 1947, he was stationed in British India, where he witnessed the bloody partition of the subcontinent at close quarters. After the other British left, Mr. Langlands stayed on, taking a teaching job at Aitchison College in Lahore, Pakistan’s most prestigious boarding school. Over a quarter-century there, he imparted algebra to the offspring of the Pakistani elite, some of whom went on to lead in politics, sports and the military. Former charges include Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who was prime minister between 2002 and 2004, and Imran Khan, the cricket hero turned politician. In 1979, he moved to North Waziristan, in the tribal belt, to run a school in a district that is today better known for American drone strikes. At the age of 94, he chose to retire and settle in Lahore, where his former students have arranged a small apartment for him on the magnificent grounds of his old school, Aitchison College. He has also, quietly, chosen his spot in one of the city’s Christian cemeteries: near the gate, he says, so friends can visit.

Mr. Justice Retired Rana Bhagwandas a highly respected name of the Pakistani judiciary was a senior judge and former acting chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (CJP). He remained the acting CJP during the 2007 judicial crisis in Pakistan and also briefly became the acting Chief Justice of Pakistan when the incumbent Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry went on foreign tours in 2005 and 2006. Rana Bhagwandas is now working as the Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission of Pakistan. He is heading the interview panel for the selection of the Federal Civil Servants 2009.

Jogendranath Mandal was one of the central and leading Founding Fathers of modern state of Pakistan, and legislator serving as country's first minister of law and labor, and also was second minister of commonwealth and Kashmir affairs.[3] An Indian and later Pakistani statesman who served as the first minister of law and labour inPakistan. As leader of the Scheduled Castes, Jogendranath had made common cause with the Muslim League in their demand for Pakistan, hoping that the Scheduled Castes would be benefited from it and joined the first cabinet in Pakistan as the Minister of Law and Labour.

Dr Christy Munir earned phd degree in chemistry from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA in 1972 and preferred to return and serve his own country. He served at Quaid-e-Azam University from 1974 to 2000 as professor of chemistry. During his tenure he held important positions as member of Academic council, elected general secretary of Quaid-e-Azam university teaching association and chief of hostels. After retirement he was invited to serve Forman Christian College as vice principal from 2003 till 2010 and later became the principal from 2010 till 2013. In recognition of his faithful and meritorious services to the institution, he was honored with title of “Professor and Principal Emeritus” in June 2013. He is still actively involved in teaching & research and firmly believes answer to all major problems of Pakistan is quality education.

Mr Hugh Catchpole was one of the most distinguished educationists who taught generations and left an indelible mark on his students. Born in England, he joined Prince of Wales' Royal Indian Military College, Dehra Dun (now Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) in 1928 and went on to become its Principal in 1948.

The first Pakistani Air Chief, Air Marshal Asghar Khan and his successor Air Marshal Nur Khan had been his students at RIMC. They requested him to come to Pakistan and become the founder Principal of Cadet College Hasan Abdal.

He was still at Hasan Abdal when Air Marshal Asghar Khan handpicked him to join PAF Public School Sarghoda as Principal, in 1958. He stayed there till 1967 and then joined Abbottabad Public School as Head of English Department, a post he held till his very last.

He died at the age of 90, on 01 February, 1997, at Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi. Mr Catchpole was buried with such honours as would be the envy of many.

Besides being an extraordinary educationist, Mr Catchpole was a humanist and philanthropist, who remained a bachelor throughout his life and financed many students' education with his scholarship funds in England, India and Pakistan. In his will he wished to donate all balances of his account to the institutions he had been associated with. Mr Hugh Catchpole was honoured twice by Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth. In 1971, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In 1980, the Queen awarded him Commander's Badge of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) also called the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

In 1979, the President of Pakistan General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq conferred upon Mr Catchpole the award of "Sitara-i-Imtiaz" for his meritorious services in the field of education. On 15 June, 2007, the President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf conferred upon Mr Catchpole the highest civil award of Pakistan "Hilal-i-Imtiaz" posthumous for his incomparable, selfless and single minded dedication to the cause of quality education in Pakistan

 

[Dubious]

Mr. Geoffery D. Langlands, a former British colonial officer

He recently went crazy about a school in Northern areas (Chitral) removing the new headmistress and appointing himself admin

Aitchison College

 

[Shamain]

Thanx for ruining the list by adding likes of deepak parwani.

 

[Kompromat]

Beautiful post, should have added Dr Abdul Salam, Cecil Ch and Major General Noel Israel (serving).

 

[WAJsal]

Beautiful post, should have added Dr Abdul Salam, Cecil Ch and Major General Noel Israel (serving).

How can we forget Major Alexander Brown's services to this great nation, it is a shame that many don't know about him. A national hero, indeed. He later received Sitara-e-Pakistan.
How Gilgit-Baltistan got liberated . | Page 6
How Gilgit-Baltistan got liberated .

 

[Green Arrow]

A beautiful post but list is incomplete with Chief Justice A R Cornelius, The first Christian CJ of Pakistan.

 

[Devil Soul]

A beautiful post but list is incomplete with Chief Justice A R Cornelius, The first Christian CJ of Pakistan.

Chief Justice Alvin "Bobby" Robert Cornelius, Hilal-e-Pakistan, was the Pakistani jurist and judge, serving as the 4th Chief Justice of Pakistan from 1960 until 1968. Alvin Robert Cornelius became the first Christian Chief Justice, becoming one of the most famous and influential figures ever to serve on the supreme court. After his departure from the supreme court, Cornelius remained influential and was a symbol protecting the rights of minorities, freedom of religious practices, whilst serving as the legal adviser to successive Government of Pakistan on judicial matters.[2] His opinions, according to legal scholars in Pakistan, were some of the greatest defences of "freedom of religion" written by a Christian Chief Justice of a Muslim state.

Beautiful post, should have added Dr Abdul Salam, Cecil Ch and Major General Noel Israel (serving).

Group CaptainCecil Chaudhry (27 August 1941 – 13 April 2012) was a Pakistani academic, human rights activist, and veteran fighter pilot. As a Flight Lieutenant, he fought in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 and later, as a Squadron Leader, in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. During the 1965 war, Chaudhry and three other pilots, under the leadership of Wing CommanderAnwar Shamim, attacked the Amritsar Radar Station in a difficult operation. He was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat(Star of Courage) for his actions during that mission. The 1971 War led to the dismemberment of Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh.

Noel Israel Khokhar is a Major General, the highest ranking Christian serving officer in the Pakistan Army.

Early life
He was born in Lahore and attended at St. Anthony's High School (Lahore) and Forman Christian College. Khokhar joined the Pakistan Army in 1976 and was commissioned in an artillery unit in 1980.

Career
He served in a variety of command and staff positions as well as with the United Nations. He has also been an instructor inPakistan Military Academy, Kakul, Command Staff College, Quetta and the National Defence University in Islamabad.[1]

On May 9, 2009, the Army Promotion Board in Rawalpindi promoted Brigadier Khokhar to the rank of major general.[2]

According to an Inter Services Public Relations Press Release dated September 6, 2010, Khokhar was General Officer Commanding in 2010.[3]

In 2011 Major General Khokhar commanded the 23rd Division. Khokhar has also been Chief Instructor of the A-Division at the National Defence University, Islamabad. In 2011 the President of Pakistan awarded Khokhar the Hilal-i-Imtiaz (M).

In 2011 he was also on the Editorial Board of the National Defence University Journal, Islamabad. He is among those Christian officers who have made to the rank of a general.[4]

Squadron Leader Peter Christy served as a B-57 Navigator and flew a number of successful operational missions in 1965. In 1971, Peter Christy was on deputation to PIA when he himself volunteered to return to PAF for war duties. He displayed great keenness to fly, and inspite of overwhelming family obligations and responsibilities he was always willing to take on any mission at any odd hour of the day or night. His sense of humour under war conditions, his dedication to the cause of the country and his personal courage contributed immensely to the Squadron’s morale. On 6th December, 1971 Squadron Leader Peter Christy was detailed as Navigator for a bombing mission to Jamnagar. He failed to return from the mission and was officially declared ‘missing in action’. For his personal example and complete devotion to duty, he was awarded Sitara-i-Jurat. On 6 September 2006, independent analyst B. Harry published the war study report IAF Combat Kills- 1971 Indo-Pak Air War, claiming that Christy had died while returning to Pakistan when IAF's Anti-aircraft Artillery shot down Christy's plane, and that he had died before capture.However, India's Ministry of External Affairs declined to give any comments.

Wing Commander Mervyn Leslie Middlecoat was a Pakistan Air Force fighter pilotwho was involved in a number of aerial battles during the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani wars, before being shot down on 12 December 1971.He was credited with several air-to-air kills and was one of a number of distinguished Pakistani strike and fighter pilots of the period. Before his death he was stationed in Karachi, Pakistan where he flew the F-104 Starfighter. He was shot own over the Gulf of Kutch . The shooting pilot saw him eject into the Arabian Sea, and contacted a nearby air force base to send a rescue team, however he was nowhere to be found when they reached the site. Middlecoat had ejected in shark infested waters and it was considered unlikely that he survived.[citation needed] Declared missing in action, he was posthumously awarded a Bar to the Sitara-i-Jurat. His remains were never found. The aviator King Hussein of Jordan wrote to Middlecoat's widow stating that his death was a personal loss for the King, requesting to bury him with the Jordanian national flag under his head if he was to be wrapped in the Pakistani flag. Middlecoat had fought for the King earlier during the Six Day War with Israel.

Air Vice-Marshal Eric Gordan Hall was a Pakistan Air Force bomberand fighter pilot, and former director general of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). A two-star general in the Pakistan Air Force, Hall had served as Vice Chief of Air Staff and was one of the distinguished pilots who participated in the Indo-Pakistan wars of 1947, 1965 and 1971. He is also notable as the Director-General of the Pakistan Air Force's Air Force Science Research Laboratories (AFSRL) when he headed the atomic weapon's research as part of Pakistan's nuclear technology project. Through his vision, dedication and hard work, he rose to the rank of Air Vice Marshal and Deputy Chief of Air Staff. During his service, Hall commanded a number of PAF Bases and also served as the Commandant of the PAF Staff College. In 1960 and the early 1970s, Hall served as a Defence and Air Attache in the Pakistan Embassy, United States.

Air Commodore Nazir Latif SJ and Bar was a one-star general officer in the Pakistan Air Force and a former director-general of the Operations and Plans at the Air Headquarters, Islamabad.
Nazir (Bill) Latif was born into a highly educated Christian family. He grew up in Rawalpindi, where his father was a well-known professor of psychology and had done his doctorate at Princeton University. His father later taught at FC College in Lahore as a full professor. Bill had always wanted to be a fighter pilot and joined the Pakistan Air Force soon after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. He did 8th GD pilot’s course but because of his high standard in flying, was upgraded to the 7th GD (P) course and graduated in 1950. Nazir was sent to Great Britain where he attended and graduated from Royal Air Force College Cranwell in 1954. In 1958, he was promoted to Wing Commander as Air Marshal Asghar Khan assumed as Chief of Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force.

 

[saiyan0321]

Minorities have played an active role in Pakistan and have brought great honor to our nation by their achievements. They will always be remembered and in the eyes of Pakistan they are its sons/daughters .