Personal Diary © Burhan Rasool

It was during those days when emergency was imposed in the country and the pro Chief Justice people  were being arrested on the pretext of violating rules for the maintenance of public order and instigating anti-state feelings; when public discussions, debates, lectures and seminars were banned in Universities and Colleges; and when the Director of FAST-NU, Lahore Campus was threatened by the all-powerful country’s Military Intelligence of his Campus being closed down; I was shocked to receive an invitation of an Inter-Colleges Debating Contest (between Students of FAST-NU Lahore campus, Lahore School of Fashion Design and Foreman Christian College) being organized inside the same premises of  FAST-NU where the pro Imran Khan (which was basically pro Chief Justice)  point of view was banned from being propagated. [... check out The MI Threat ]

It was like a breathe of fresh air.

Even-though I was too occupied on that day but the respect of the invitee forced me to join the show. Surprisingly for me, my Invitee was not only the organizer of the event but also the anchor and the Judge of the Contest. More surprisingly, all the arrangements like shields for winners, mics for speakers n sound system etc. were made available n functional by the Academic Office of Lahore Campus.

It was so relieving to hear the pro Democracy, anti-Dictatorship truth that I cannot express in words. But when the event was about to finish, the Anchor/Judge/Organizer reminded the audience of his boldness and uprightness even during the emergency period and (…with a smile on his face …) even after the fact that FAST-NU Lahore Campus was “Threatened by the Military Intelligence” (… gesturing @ me…. in a way reminding me of something I had forgotten…) 

There n then I recalled; “OMG… this guy was there… in the same room…. just before the Director came to address us-The Alumni… he was chatting with us on current affairs, particularly the (then) recent ban on GEO…” …. at once I linked all this with something very mysterious the Director said on that day, which I had completed ignored, “You never know who could be on the MI Payroll. It may be me or anyone from the Staff or Faculty. So we better take care.”

With all my honest quest for knowledge and truth, I went straight to the Anchor/Judge/Organizer at the end of the function and asked him innocently, “… Sir! are you on MI’s payroll?”