Haqq Maghfirath Karay… Nauman Saahab Passes On

Posted by Sabahat (iFaqeer) on November 18, 2009

Professor Nauman in his element—Photo courtesy Muhammad Akbar Sohail of Computer Systems Batch '87-88. Taken in August 2009.

Nauman Saahab is no more. The news was as sudden as it was devastating. And like a lot of people, I got it by means of a distribution list of my classmates from NED. Personally, I wasn’t as close to Professor Mohammad Nauman as some of my friends and classmates. But is almost a truism to say that one of the most important measures of a human being is the kind of relationships he or she develops with other human beings, and what kind of respect and affection he or she engenders in others. And in our broken public sector educational system in Pakistan, to find a teacher who commands the kind of adulation, almost, that Nauman Saahab did is very, very rare. He did something that even other, very respected, teachers don’t: he actually mentored students. Throw in the fact that all this was despite the fact that he held political views that, especially in the last decade or two, were not popular in our milieu, and the treasure that has been taken from us is made even more invaluable.

It bears mention here that Nauman Saahab was not just faculty, he was an NEDian himself—and as you will see from the tributes below, his prominence and engagement was not limited either to NED or engineering. He was a national figure. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

Ghufran Ashraf Batch ‘83-84; ISB Marriott Casualty

Posted by admin on September 22, 2008

One of casualties in the Islamabad Marriott blast was Ghufran Ashraf of Batch ‘83-84. (Electrical, I think.)

Inna Lilla Wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’oon

An operating systems expert, Ghufran worked with HP and was in Islamabad on a day trip for business. Khalid Raza, a batchmate of his now based in Silicon Valley, remembered him yesterday as “a very decent guy; and very intelligent–the kind of person who would not really attend classes much, but still score in the 90s in his exams”. Ghufran spent five or six years in the US and then moved back to Pakistan. He is survived by his wife and five children, from sixteen to two and a half years.

Ghufran’s janazah was scheduled for this morning (September 22). Please pray for him and keep his family, too in your prayers. You can leave any further information you may have in the comments section, including how fellow NEDians and friends can reach out and support his family. We will try to do follow-up posts if we can.