KARACHI:
Dr Rashid Malik, a well-accomplished dental surgeon who won the hearts of thousands, silently departed on his eternal journey last month in Islamabad. He relentlessly served the dental profession for more than 50 years for which he was decorated with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr Malik was a role model not only for his kith and kin, dear and near but also for many others who considered and respected him as a healer. For his wife he was a dedicated Messiah; for his children and family he was an epitome of love, affection and wisdom; for his patients, a caring craftsman with a heart of gold; and for those who met him randomly, his personality and warmth touched them equally. A life that touches other hearts always lives on forever. His patients were not just elder individuals, instead they belonged to all generations. Those he treated as children grew up with his practice and their children’s children were more of a fan than his patients. Strangely enough, his hands would often shake but they became steady as soon as he began working on a patient. His work took him across different parts of Pakistan. Even while constantly moving, his patients kept consulting with him.
Dr Malik was equally popular with the notables and head of states, particularly President Ghulam Ishaq Khan who used to frequent his clinic. Interestingly he was officially sent to the jail cell of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who had refused government help in dental treatment but then agreed only after meeting with him. For all his loved ones his absence is silent grief — his life a beautiful memory.
Ghazala Malik
USA
Published in The Express Tribune, August 27th, 2021.
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