Flashback: A doctor and a soldier

My father, late Col. Prof. Mohammad Ziaullah, belonged to Rawalpindi. He earned his Diploma of Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (MRCP) in London in 1940, amidst blackouts and bombardments during World War II.

He joined the Indian Army Medical Corps as a Major-Senior Medical Specialist and became a colonel in 1945 on account of meritorious services. In those days, it was a rarity for an Indian - more so a Muslim - to have this rank. At the time of Independence, he migrated to Lahore and became a professor at King Edward Medical College. This photograph was taken in 1945 and it is the only one I have of him during his military days. He passed away on June 21, 1976 at the age of 63. He wasn’t just a doctor and a soldier – he was a linguist, an educationist, a literary man; a man sparkling with wit, but at the same time, a pious one.

PHOTO & TEXT: DR PROF KHALIDA ADEEB KHANUM AKHTAR

CONCEPT: SANAM MAHER

DESIGN: SAMRA AMIR

This August, The Express Tribune will feature photographs from contributions to an open call for images from the struggle for independence and Pakistan’s formative years.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2014.