KARACHI:
There are some academic moments that refuse to remain confined within university walls. They follow your home, sit with you in silence, and compel you to write. One such moment came my way recently at the University of Karachi, where Kashif defended his PhD thesis.
Ordinarily, such occasions are a matter of routine celebration. But this was different.
Kashif is not just another scholar to me. He belongs to my early batch of students from 1999, a time when both teacher and taught were perhaps learning more from each other than we realised. What distinguishes him, however, is not merely his academic persistence but the quiet dignity with which he has carried a lifelong visual limitation, clinically termed low vision. In simple terms, his retina never fully developed, and to make matters more demanding, there exists a significant disparity in the optical power of his eyes. A physicist might be tempted to call it a problem of “resolving power”, but that would be an incomplete description of a very complete human being.
Sitting through his defence, I was acutely aware of something others might have missed: he could hardly see the slides he was presenting. Yet, there was no hesitation, no faltering. What he lacked in sight, he more than compensated for with clarity of thought, precision of memory, and an enviable command over his subject. One almost felt that in losing ease of vision, he had gained depth of insight.
I must acknowledge his supervisor (my colleague Dr M Khalid) whose guidance brought direction and discipline to Kashif’s long journey. Professionally devoted to college education (particularly in girls’ colleges) Kashif embodies grace, integrity, and a quiet commitment that sets him apart. For me, both as his teacher and as chairman of the department, this achievement is more than a personal milestone; it is a reminder that real success demands sacrifice, that there are no shortcuts, and that perceived limitations can, with resolve, be transformed into strengths. His is not merely a story to be told, but one that has been truly lived.
Dr Intikhab Ulfat
Karachi
