Pakistan Movement worker, Punjab University’s former vice-chancellor and Nazaria-i-Pakistan Trust Vice-Chairman Dr Rafique Ahmed passed away on Wednesday.

The funeral prayers of Dr Rafique will be offered at 5pm at Nazaria-i-Pakistan Trust located adjacent to Pearl Continental Hotel, Sharha-e-Qaud-e-Azam, today (Wednesday).

He breathed his last at 8am Wednesday morning and left behind a son to mourn his death.

Dr Rafique Ahmed is the former vice-chancellor of the Punjab University and Islamia University Bahawalpur. He was the student of bachelors in Islamia College Lahore at the time of partition of Sub-Continent and worked as a worker of Pakistan Movement.

In a recent interview with this scribe, he told that he was in ninth class when he along with his friend chanted slogans “Lay Kay Rahay Ge Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad”.

He was the ardent follower of Quad-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In the interview, he had shared the incident of Islamia College Lahore that was one of the prestigious institutions in Lahore at the time of partition.

“It was in 1946 when the college administration decided to arrange a price distribution ceremony at Islamia College ground. The ceremony was held in a large tent. Founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam was sitting on the stage and students had to climb up through stairs in order to get certificates. I tell you, with Quaid-e-Azam’s charismatic personality students admired him as their ideal. Even few of them slipped from stairs during the ceremony looking towards their leader. And I was one of them. When I slipped from the wooden-stairs then Quaid-e-Azam said to me: “You have to get up yourself, nobody is going to pick you up. I considered it as a message to me and to the nation. I received two books from my leader,” he said.

PU statement

Punjab University in a statement issued said former Vice Chancellor of Punjab University and renowned activist of Pakistan movement Prof Dr Rafique Ahmed has died.

PU Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad and Academic Staff Association President Prof Dr Mumtaz Anwar Chaudhry have expressed their deep sense of sorrow on his sad demise.

In his condolence message, PU VC Prof Niaz Ahmad said that the country had deprived of a veteran spokesperson of ideology of Pakistan. He said that Dr Rafique was a great teacher and administrator and his services at various academic institutions would be remembered forever in golden words. He said that the gap left by the sad demise of Dr Rafique Ahmad could not be fulfilled.He was appointed PU Vice Chancellor in 1984.

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