Obituary: That boisterous laughter…
Former ambassador Shahbaz died in Copenhagen on June 30 after a brief bout with cancer. Perhaps it was his innate goodness that his agony was not prolonged. I never imagined that I would be writing in memoriam of a lost friend but in Shahbaz’s case it has become difficult not to.
While it is standard practice in Pakistan to praise the departed but Shahbaz, in my view, genuinely deserves to be praised for his many qualities of head and heart. We became acquainted as colleagues in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in the early seventies and remained friends till the end.
Shahbaz was an exceptional person in many ways but his greatest trait was his spontaneity and unpretentiousness. He made friends easily and could mingle with the elderly and the children with equal ease. His boisterous laughter was one of a kind and exuded wit and humour.
He was a man of much splendour, both professionally and at the interpersonal level. I got to know him intimately when he was posted to reopen our embassy in Hungary as the Charge’de affairs in the mid eighties; I was posted in Vienna.
Because of his natural ability to become part of any crowd he soon became the favourite of the family and my four children would wait eagerly for his monthly visits from Budapest. We still cherish the joy and humour from those visits. His last affectionate act was on January 1, 2011 when my third daughter and last child had her wedding.
Professionally Shahbaz was a high-flyer and represented his country in the most distinguished manner, particularly as our embassy head in Vienna.
In his postings in Geneva, The Hague and Vienna he acquired great expertise in the field of disarmament and chemical weapons. He was a most respected colleague and had made a reputation for himself as a spokesperson of the G-77 in his places of postings. During my entire association with him, I never heard him say an unkind word for any person or colleague. This would sound remarkable to those who are familiar with his unfortunate detention by a sensitive agency for a couple of years. He criticised no one including his superiors in the MoFA, who had readily handed him over when a trumped-up charge was brought up against him as a punitive measure for the supposed sins of his politician brother.
He suffered the incarceration with dignity and exceptional steadfastness. On release from detention he resumed his professional duties with his usual aplomb and without any expression of rancour against any of his colleagues who were responsible for his unceremonious handing over.
Shahbaz remained committed to work for the good of the country and his contribution came in the form of an extremely useful proposal which he made in Vienna for the purchase of the ambassador’s house. His proposal was duly considered by the MoFA and an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC). I lead the committee in my capacity as Special Secretary to Vienna in 2006 for the purpose. This timely recommendation which moved the IMC to finalize the deal will always remain Shahbaz’s contribution towards acquiring valuable government property and resulting in long term savings for the government. During this visit to Vienna, which was in Ramazan, I also got to know Shahbaz’s religious side. While taking care of his guests he was religiously observing fasts.
He was an extremely considerate and loving husband and father, I saw this when I had the pleasure of visiting Shahbaz and Fauzia (his wife) in Geneva and The Hague. His doting on his daughters Shandana and Ayeshajan was palpable. He would be gravely missed by his family and I hope and pray that Fauzia and his two girls would face this sudden void that his death has created in their lives with equanimity and composure.
Shahbaz, my friend, may you rest in eternal peace. I have no doubt that you would be enlivening the spirits of your mates in your new abode.
*The writer is a former ambassador and special secretary
Published in The Express Tribune, July 6th, 2011.
COMMENTS (7)
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The very sad and sudden demise of Ambassador Shahbaz has shocked all of us. I still cannot believe that a man who made us all smile, who was full of life could just be gone like this. But then we all have to return to the All Mighty. I can only pray to Allah to grant him a permanent abode in Jannah and grant his family the courage to bear this irreparable loss (Ameen).
The news of Ambassador Shahbaz leaving us was so abrupt and sudden when it came first through Ambassador Tariq Osman Hayder; so totally unexpected, this dreadful news. He has gone, unbelievably quickly, but his affable character and congenial personality, his jovial and cheerful deportments will always remain with us as precious memories. He was such a dear, jolly and good natured colleague, portrayed so accurately by Ambassador Sher Afghan, that one never thought of him as a senior; he was always a friend – indeed a friend to all and foe to none. We have had such a long association. When we entered the Foreign Office Probationers’ Hostel in 1983, he was one of the first officers who welcomed us. I was particularly fortunate to have the opportunity of spending a few very good days with him during my posting at Seoul when he went there on a CWC meeting. He really liked to explore the local bazars, “just as in Lahore”, he told me. We had such a great time in Seoul’s traditional markets. And yes, we all knew him as Shahbaz. A charming mystery surrounded his name comprising a single word of two syllables in a world where use of long names is often the norm to prove one’s claim to majesty and grandeur. We discovered soon; he did not need any plurality of names to prove his magnificence. His departure would leave a great void in many hearts and deprive the world of one of the nicest, complex-free and down-to-earth human being and Pakistan, of a great patriot. May God bless his noble soul with eternal peace and give the fortitude to Madam Fauzia and their children, whom we see are coming up so brightly, and other near and dear ones.
Saleem, he was my father, and he went by only one name, Shahbaz. That is the only name anyone has ever known him by. It is his first and last name. The author was a dear friend of my father. I don't think he would have made a mistake like that.