After the recent demise of Dr Faiza Asghar, daughter of the legendary filmmaker Masood Pervaiz, has reignited the discussion on his epic film ‘Heer Ranjha’ and its characters. While Ijaz Durrani as ‘Ranjha’ and Firdaus Begum as ‘Heer’ performed brilliantly but the character of ‘Kaido’, played by Ajmal Khan Sahib immortalised him. Pervaiz Sahib, after completing his MSc in Physics from Government College Lahore in the decade of the forties, was planning to go to Germany for his Doctorate but instead landed in Bombay. Perhaps his maternal uncle the brilliant Saadat Hasan Manto facilitated this move.

After partition, both migrated to Lahore. Manto Sahib settled in the Dayal Singh Flats off the Mall while Pervaiz Sahib lived on Birdwood Road. It was the outstanding team of Ahmed Rahi the writer, Khawaja Khurshid Anwar, the music composer and Pervaiz Sahib the director, established Lollywood as the third largest film industry of the world after Hollywood and Bollywood. Though praises are showered on Pervaiz Sahib for directing and producing Heer Ranjha in the decade of the seventies, his own favourite creation remained ‘Khaak aur Khoon’ which he himself revealed in a private conversation.

Initially, Pervaiz Sahib selected M Ismail for the role of Kaido, the jealous uncle of Heer, who conspired against the romance of his niece with Ranjha, a prince of a neighbourly state. Ismail Sahib was another stalwart of the film industry who had played the same role in an earlier production of Heer Ranjha. Instead of jumping on the opportunity, Ismail Sahib convinced him to cast Ajmal Khan as Kaido. It was the right man for the right role whose performance was outstanding. Ajmal Khan hailed from Ludhiana, East Punjab.

I had the chance of meeting him in a function organised by the Ludhiana Old Boys Association (LOBA), which ran a school in the Sanda area under the leadership of my late father. Like most people of that city, he was a very modest person who had solid credentials and believed in honest hard work. Professor Riazuddin, who designed our nuclear device, also hailed from the city of my forefathers. The Islamia High School of Ludhiana, run by the family, produced several luminaries.

When Bhutto came into power in the year 1971 he decided to build the atomic bomb. A secret meeting of nuclear scientists was arranged in Multan at the residence of Nawab Sadiq Hussain Qureshi. With Dr Abdul Salam at his side he posed a direct question, “Who can design the bomb?” As usual, all hands went up. Dr Salam at this stage, suggested the name of his former student at Government College Lahore, Dr Riazuddin who was then a Professor of Physics at Quaid-e-Azam University and was not even invited to this get together. Again, the right man for the job was selected to lead this effort. Professor Riazuddin worked with honesty and dedication to design the nuclear device, which was then handed over to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) which was led by Engr Munir Ahmed Khan, another dedicated son of the soil.

After graduating from the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore (College then) in Electrical Engineering he started working for the International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEA) in Austria. When India decided to build their nuclear device in the decade of the sixties, he convinced Bhutto who was then the Foreign Minister to start a similar programme in Pakistan. A presentation was arranged for President Ayub Khan in London to get his nod. Unfortunately, the President insisted on the peaceful use of nuclear technology. After the Indian-sponsored dismemberment of Pakistan when Bhutto came into power, he convinced Engr. Munir to return home, who was appointed Chairman of PAEC. He worked tirelessly in this position for eighteen years and remains an unsung hero of our achievement. Again it all came together as the right man was appointed.

From Ajmal Khan to Professor Riazuddin to Engr Munir Ahmed Khan; in all cases merit prevailed. There was honesty of purpose with dedicated efforts with no publicity or self projection through paid journalists. I have had the chance to meet all these real heroes of our land. They never bragged about their achievements or service to their nation. All of them were focused on results. Common good had paramount importance with them. Ismail Sahib suggested the name of Ajmal Khan for the role of Kaido as he was better suited at that juncture. Munir Sahib convinced Bhutto to build the bomb for our national interest.

Dr Salam picked up the best available talent within the country. The land of the pure has talent in all fields but unfortunately the selectors are not focussed on results. Merit is neither understood nor ensured. The Armed Forces remain functional as merit has not been compromised there. The non-performing parasites control most government departments; even approved vacancies are not filled. The Prime Minister (PM) talks about the entrenched mafias but no major clean-up operation has been launched. As Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), the first challenge I faced was to enforce merit. After the due process two young scientists were selected. Only one reported to work on the specified date while the other called to inquire about his offer letter. On inquiry, I came to know that the call letter was deliberately misdelivered to accommodate a favourite. It became evident to me that for merit to prevail, the admin officer had to be replaced, which I did despite pressure from powerful quarters.

Dr Faiza Asghar was a great lady and so was her father Masood Pervaiz. Professor Riazuddin passed away a few years ago, leaving behind a legacy of dedicated service to the nation. Fortunately Munir Sahib after retirement, settled in Shadman Colony, Lahore close to our house where I had the chance to keep in touch with him. It is because of their efforts that our existence is not threatened today as it was in 1970. Benazir as PM consulted with him for the development of Science and Technology. He died during open heart surgery in Austria. Unfortunately, our heroes remain unsung which is why they are getting extinct while the zeros continue to exploit us. In the words of one of the greatest technologists of the 20th century, “Either lead or get out of the way”. Those who hang in there without producing results are disastrous for the country.

Dr Farid A Malik
The writer is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation, email: fmaliks@hotmail.com