RAWALPINDI:
Al-Shifa Trust President Lt-Gen (Retd) Jahandad Khan passed away in Islamabad on Sunday.
General Khan, 81, was the architect and founder of the trust, which is now running four state-of-the-art hospitals at Rawalpindi, Sukkur, Kohat and Muzaffarabad (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) providing free-of-charge quality eye care services to millions of deserving people. The trust is financed through donations.
Born at Malhoo village in Attock District in 1929, he led an illustrious career in Pakistan Army spanning over 33 years.
He retired as lieutenant general in 1984 and served as Governor of Sindh for four years. He established Al-Shifa Trust in 1985 and remained its president till his death.
He has left behind a son and a daughter to mourn his death and was a recipient of Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military), Sitara-a-Basalat and Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Civil) awards.
He was also conferred with many international awards in recognition of his outstanding contribution in the field of prevention of blindness at national and international level.
He also served as chairman of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society and founded Attock Education Trust.
His funeral was held at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Jhelum Road, Rawalpindi,
at 4:45 pm.
A large number of people including political personalities, military and civilian officers attended the funeral. He was laid to rest on the hospital premises.
The Qul of the deceased will be held at the hospital’s mosque at 3.30 pm on Tuesday.
Lt-Gen (Retd) Hamid Javaid, already nominated by the Al-Shifa Board of Trustees as General Khan’s successor, has taken over as the president of the trust.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2011.
His services for the peoles of Pakistan are remamber able,as an Aramy officer,as Governor of Sind and as chairman of Eye trust Rawalpindi May rest his soul…. Zafar Iqbal Multan.
god may bless his soul,a great countryman,great soldir,and above all a great muslim
He exemplified that life in the service of others can be dignified and glorious. Who says this land is hopeless and we don’t have heroes. It proves those wrong who say that generals and politicians are there to attack the treasury and to fatten their swiss accounts.
It is lives like him that we are still surviving and are hopeful that someday we will thrive. It will be the day when chains of slavery are lifted and Pakistanis can be free to get good education not only for the kids for the rich but also for the poor. Currently we have a sea of illiterate humanity coming out of villages and cities, who have no jobs, no skill and no education. Only men of his caliber could get out of that incoming tsunami and comparatively Egypt would look like a child ‘s play unless that issue resolved now.
Role model for posterity to come lived a silent but graceful life.May Allah rest his soul in peace(Ameen) and allow us to follow his vestige (Ameen)
r.i.p grandad
May allah grant u a place in heaven u will be missed
r.i.p grandad
U will neva be forgoten
Ur name nd work will remain in da hearts of many people
May allah grant u a place in heaven
After a brave, illustrious and stainless carrier in the Pak Army spanning over 3 decades, General Jahandad Khan performed duties as the Governor of Sindh for more than 3 years. Life could have been very easy for him if he could just have sat thereafter and enjoyed his life. However, he was not a man whose heart could ever be contented with what he was doing for the people. It is for this reason that his life is not only a source of inspiration for the present generation but would rekindle the flame of serving the nation and its people in the generations to come. In his late 50’s he established the internationally renowned Al-Shifa Eye Trust Hospital. Now, the hospital has branches in Sukkar, Kohat and Muzafarabad in addition to the one in Rawalpindi. As a matter of fact, his curiosity for the welfare of his people led him to establish a school for girls which is now a college, a school for boys and a Vocational Technical Training Institute (VTTI) in his village Malloo, Attock. I am praising this man not because he was my grandfather but because people like him are rarely born. It is true that there are almost 18 million hearts beating in Pakistan, but there are few which beat for others. Jahandad khan’s heart unquestionably beat for others. His last words that we have to take forward his work and give it all we have will keep echoing. I hope, wish and pray that God gives us courage to carry on his work. Nations seldom rise if the ignore the services of the heroes. Though I have lost a loving grandfather but the people of my nation has lost much more. They have lost a mentor, a leader, an advisor, a sympathizer, a philanthropist, and a human being to say the least. In the end I would like to mention that my grandfather gave the instructions that he must be buried in the premises of the Trust. What I feel from this is that his want to serve his people is still not satiated. Rest in eternal peace my dada!
After a brave, illustrious and stainless carrier in the Pak Army spanning over 3 decades, General Jahandad Khan performed duties as the Governor of Sindh for more than 3 years. Life could have been very easy for him if he could just have sat thereafter and enjoyed his life. However, he was not a man whose heart could ever be contented with what he was doing for the people. It is for this reason that his life is not only a source of inspiration for the present generation but would rekindle the flame of serving the nation and its people in the generations to come. In his late 50’s he established the internationally renowned Al-Shifa Eye Trust Hospital. Now, the hospital has branches in Sukkar, Kohat and Muzafarabad in addition to the one in Rawalpindi. As a matter of fact, his curiosity for the welfare of his people led him to establish a school for girls which is now a college, a school for boys and a Vocational Technical Training Institute (VTTI) in his village Malloo, Attock. I am praising this man not because he was my grandfather but because people like him are rarely born. It is true that there are almost 18 million hearts beating in Pakistan, but there are few which beat for others. Jahandad khan’s heart unquestionably beat for others. His last words that we have to take forward his work and give it all we have will keep echoing. I hope, wish and pray that God gives us courage to carry on his work. Nations seldom rise if the ignore the services of the heroes. Though I have lost a loving grandfather but the people of my nation has lost much more. They have lost a mentor, a leader, an advisor, a sympathizer, a philanthropist, and a human being to say the least. In the end I would like to mention that my grandfather gave the instructions that he must be buried in the premises of the Trust. What I feel from this is that his want to serve his people is still not satiated. Rest in eternal peace my dada!