Good Old Times: Caretaker chief minister remembers his time at PACC

Caretaker Chief Minster (Retd) Zahid Kurban Alavi served as the organisation’s president in the late 80s and 90s.

KARACHI:

Former and current members of the board of Pak-American Cultural Centre (PACC) came together at a talk, ‘PACC - A Bridge between Language and Society’, held at the centre on Saturday.

Caretaker Chief Minster (Retd) Zahid Kurban Alavi, who served as the organisation’s president in the late 80s and 90s, was the chief guest. “Back in those days, there was tremendous demand because it was one of the few institutions that taught English.” He pointed out that in addition to English classes, PACC also offered specialised courses for accountants, waiters and airhostesses. “Those courses were our hot favourites.”

The chief minister also remembered the time when PACC opened a branch in Quetta. “My days as a caretaker are limited but I will try and do something to help PACC,” he added.

He also advised members of the organisation to spread out and open offices in places such as Larkana and Nawabshah. “Some of you may feel that it is not safe to be working in parts of rural Sindh but trust me when I say that it’s safer than Karachi.” Two other members, including PACC president, Rafiq Tabani, also spoke.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2013.