Made a quick trip to Abbottabad – very military like, soldiers never fade and live like a big family. Military culture is unique and the bond is forever. Our veterans are our assets and still many make a point to come, some could hardly walk! This was my first visit to Frontier Force Regimental Centre for an installation ceremony where an honorary rank was given, and this time to my friend from Burn Hall days.
Motorway is a blessing, sometime it gets your timing wrong and I reached an hour before schedule at Abbottabad interchange – the moment I came off Hazara Highway my childhood memories awoke and how I could notice and relate everything! Population has increased manifold and so have the cars. As I passed by Salhad I prayed for Qari Shafi Faizi a learned scholar who was selected as Islamiat teacher when it became compulsory, imagine, from a totally ignorant guy I scored 50 out of 50 in Islamiat like maths Except for the rush, which made me very uncomfortable, Abbottabad was in a happy mood.
Today was passing out parade and installation ceremony of Colonel Commandant Frontier Force. I wore my badges and medals again for the first time since I retired and honestly felt very proud. Particularly when you get respect from serving young officers and feel so happy to see seniors in uniform.
I am from the Corps of Guides and we learnt that a young cadet has been selected to go to Guides Infantry so myself along with 6–7 officers present decided to call the new entrant and his family to our beautiful Frontier Force mess in Abbottabad. I could make a happy and worried face of the mother as the boy was being passed out and worried as my unit is on frontline on Pak – Afghan border in Balochistan. While proudly we were telling the young lieutenant our glorious history I could not help saying to the mother don’t worry, he will be looked after and found that calm on her face. More on military culture sometime later as less is written on it.
Abbottabad as we know was peaceful, clean, green, with lovely bazaars, beautiful cottages, military training institutions inherited from British times, quality education institutions! I don’t see all this today and only the name remains, thank God no one has changed it after Mr Abbott first Deputy Commissioner of Abbottabad. My mind wandered as I thought of Kaghan Cafe, Kala Tikka, Monte Carlos of Monalisa, utility shops of Bohra community, beautiful churches, lovely houses of some relatives and rich & famous, very tall Kashmir Maple trees, pine hills, variety book stall – these were some every time visit places and how I knew Abbottabad – all almost vanished or safe what military had preserved. I remember that time when only two buses used to go to Manshera from Abbottabad; in some of our hiking trips up north we could not afford to miss those timings. I also recall from city to senior Burn Hall Chevrolet taxis used to ply, if you get one such big car in Abbottabad now you will choke the complete road. I always thought motorway will make some good to Abbottabad but I don’t think so. Second prominent thing I noticed was wall chalking almost in complete city for demand of Hazara province! Looking at the condition of Abbottabad I could make out why this wall chalking but my personal opinion is we must legislate to finish all wall chalking.
Passing by Junior Burn Hall it reminded me of Mill Hill fathers like Coproy, Zondivel, Davider, Ms Daniel and so many but school had so many names now Girls/ Boys and I don’t know what, I am glad lately when I was told by one of my class-fellows Tufail Khan from Charsadda that he is writing history and those who know him no one can do better than him, looking forward to it.
Anyway I passed by Lady Garden I don’t know why we have to name it Cantonment Park as it was always under cantonment – I will request to let it be called Lady Garden. I remember my mother RIP bringing nice lunch basket of all my likings and we used to sit under shady trees and only used to buy Coke from a local kiosk which used to be very clean. After an elegant function held for short duration in sports area with big Maple trees and nice golf course on its fringes, for those who don’t know Abbottabad was a great sporting city and had many facilities and clubs. I really don’t know the status now. I remember the Pakistan hockey team used to have summer camp in my school and happened to play with big names Mohib, Rashid Jr, Samiullah and others!!!
Free from our military commitment I decided to visit Uncle Zia who has his summer house here and always nice to sit in his company to have a peep into history. As I turned to his house leaving busy main road found place with tall pine trees along alley the Abbottabad I knew, the houses mostly built in 60/70s when Abbottabad was like a hill station and almost all aristocratic families had summer houses. We had good talk with him over a cup of coffee. I took a book for him Fire into Afghanistan 1919 to 1929, thinking it is still on fire. While presenting I did tell him how much foreigners write and research on Afghanistan and we hardly write. The book was written painstakingly by a lady.
After a nice cup of coffee I decided to beg leave so I can reach my village on time! As I moved out on main Mandian road my eye caught a glimpse of Quetta Café with a picture of LG Sarfaraz Shaheed. It gave me goosebumps, a wonderful person and a colleague, his son still serves the Army may he have long life.
It was dusk time, the traffic was mad, suddenly a thought came to my mind, never been to Abbottabad Museum why not to touch it hurriedly. It was a jigsaw puzzle, a maze, hardly 10 minutes distance we covered in 35 minutes to reach Museum. In Bazar we had to ask where is museum, suddenly we entered a street with Landa old clothes all around us, hundreds of shops if not less.
We reached almost a dead end, it was past Maghreb in dim lights I could see a classic building with Town Hall written on it. My driver and my guard who are my old buddies over 15 years have become wanderers like me he made a classic remark that Sahib انگریز بناتا رہا ہے اور ہم تباہ کر رہے ہیں (Englishmen have been making and we are destroying). Sad enough on inquiry we were told museum closes at 4 though we checked online it was written open 24/7. My guard told me wait light is on let me check and he got the security guy agree to see us. Housed in a beautiful building but I noticed strangely the hall is not one but portioned from inside, the guard told me that lately half of the hall has been taken by TMA.
Hazara has rich archaeological history and once Dr Samad DG Archaeology told me that we will be shifting some things related to Hazara to Abbottabad. I think Peshawar Museum has a grandeur and may be not wise before the problem is fixed. I did find some rare pieces of Kushan period, coins and stone sculptures but place needs attention.
As I moved out I saw a small park with lights on and lot of noise of birds. I asked what is this place, was told its Company Bagh! A concept of green place by Britishers again glad it is surviving in jungle of concrete.
I have started realising our issue is not that what we have but the surrounding are so ugly around our treasures. We went again through that traffic ordeal to make it for dinner in my village.
MD Green Tourism
Hassan
