Brigadier Habib us Saqlain, AMC 1925-2005
Brigadier Habib us Saqlain, AMC. Eldest son of a Police Sub-Inspector, he studied at MAO College Amritsar and took pride in having been a pupil of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Dr. Taseer.
He belonged to the great generation of Indian Muslims whose dream was Pakistan and who saw their dream become a reality. As a medical student he captained The Punjab Volleyball Team in the ‘first’ Pakistan Olympics held in Karachi in 1948, in which QuaideAzam presided as the Chief Guest. He remembered by heart the speech which his leader delivered that day. “Pakistan has been achieved after a lot of sacrifices. It is now for us to build it into a great nation!”
In 1951, the year he graduated, USA offered wonderful opportunities for immigration to physicians. He chose not to immigrate but to stay and work for Pakistan. “Throughout the years that I served for the Pakistan Army, Jinnah’s words have been my inspiration,” he would often say.
In the 1948 Olympics at Karachi, he also set the first national record for 110 meter hurdles.
He had a passion for Urdu poetry and music. As Commandant of AMC Center in Abbotabad, he took a personal interest in the Bagpipe Music Band which won the Duke of Edinburgh trophy. He motivated his soldiers and with minimal funds, build the AMC Centre Masjid in Abbotabad.
Rest in Peace Aba Ji. I miss you. Thanks for teaching me the values of honesty, obedience of law, patriotism, sincerity, dedication and sacrifice.
Praised be the fathomless universe,
For life and joy and for objects and knowledge curious;
And for love, sweet love —
But praise! O praise and praise,
For the sure-enwinding arms of cool-enfolding Death.
Walt Whitman