OBITUARY
Defence Journal’s Graphic Designer Rizwan Alam Khan was born on March 14, 1973 in Karachi and joined the Pathfinder Group in September 1995. Having given 25 years of his life toour service, this fine individual is no more in this world. He passed away due to an apparent heart attack on the morning of September 24, 2020 on his way to office. Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un (Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Allah we shall return). It was later that we learnt of the drama that had unfolded at Masroor Base that led to his sudden demise. As he left his house in the Naval Colony, and arrived at the main gate of the Colony, manned by a guard, Rizwan suddenly collapsed in a heap. The guard ran up-to him in distress calling out ‘Sahib’ ‘Sahib’. Not receiving any reply he started sprinkling water on Rizwan’s face who slowly regained consciousnessa few minutes later and drank some of the water offered. The guard urged Rizwan to return home as he was certainly not well. Rizwan refused, saying he was all right and had to reach office to work on some ‘project’ and started walking away. Such was his dedication to work. Embarking the private coach that took him daily to his office located on Sharah-e- Faisal, Rizwan took his seat and seconds later fainted once again. The driver of the coach knew Rizwan to be a regular passenger and amid the hue and cry by other passengers, he was not able to revive Rizwan. He took Rizwan’s cell and dialled a random number which happened to be of someone in our office. In the meantime Rizwan was whisked away in an Edhi ambulance to Civil Hospital, soon his colleagues arrived there only to be informed that Rizwan had already left this world, probably while still unconscious in the private coach.
People often say that the hour of death can never be predicted or forecast and when we say this, we imagine this would be some time in the distant future. Al Ghazali once said that death is unpredictable, it is but a gateway from this short but mortal existence to a life of immortality in the afterlife. But we never thought we would be thinking about our colleague, Rizwan Alam Khan as a memory. As Muslims we are always prepared for the inevitable and for what is about to occur, yet it came a little soon for Rizwan and it came as a shock and still feels unreal.
Rizwan was very close to his family. When he was not yet 20 he lost his father, Firoz Alam Khan to a fatal stroke in 1992 when he was 49 years old, the burden of the family landed upon Rizwan’s young shoulders. His younger sister, Ghazala who was married also died in 2015 due to infection in her lungs; she left behind a son who was in 5th grade at that time. It was Rizwan who took over responsibility of his nephew. Today Rizwan’s family comprises of his mother, a younger brother Amir who is employed in Karachi and his nephew. Rizwan hails from a family with a very humble background who have lived in rented houses till today. He was interested in politics and was a cricket lover but he hardly shared his opinion or exchanged views with others, except for a handful of colleagues close to him. His relatives say that he was a shy person, which is true because even after 25 years with us, not many knew much about his personal life.
He had a company car but used public transport from his Mauripur residence to his office in Sharah-e-Faisal mostly, and almost always was on time. Sick leave was taken when absolutely necessary i.e. when acute medical assistance was needed. Rizwan was one of the gentlest persons in our company, soft-spoken and polite to the point of being an introvert but when it came to work, he transformed into another being altogether. Among our most loyal employees, the dedication and hard work that was put into every assignment was known to almost everyone working on Defence Journal (DJ) or on other projects. He could be seen head bent, clicking away on the keyboard for hours on end. If required he would personally go over to the printer’s workshop, despite it not being his job to do so, urging and cajoling the printer to work faster. At times he would be at the printer’s till 9 or even 10 pm, such was his devotion to work, he never ever complained.
That he was among our most loyal employees is without question. An asset to the company he provided it with competitive advantage in his particular line of work. He was without any doubt the backbone of Defence Journal, never shying away from hard work and giving his 100% every time. He was among those who possess strong feelings of care, responsibility and bonding for the company and consider being part of the company as in his best interest. That he was honest was never indoubt, honesty was a major component in the development of his moral character which we found to be of the highest standards. Despite his full involvementin the Defence Journal he was always ready to help out others when need be. He cooperated with Dr Bettina Robotka when approached from Berlin this summer to help with compiling articles for publication. He used to interact with printers of DJ (and other magazines previously), wholesale paper dealers and other merchants as part of his job but never once did he give a reason to even suspect that he was dishonest or deceitful. After 25 years of dedicated service we are absolutely sure about this, he was productive, motivated and was of enormous value.
His colleagues feel privileged to have worked with such a decent person and a dedicated employee, he will be missed by all of them and by those he interacted with. His sudden demise has left a void in the hearts of many, particularly his family. Each one in this company grieves at his passing away and also for the loss his family suffers. May Allah rest his soul in eternal peace and give strength to his family and relatives to bear this loss. Aameen.
