It was in late 1948 when my father Brig ® Mohammad Alimuddin, moved from the huts on Peshawar road which are now housing the Feroze lane on Peshawar road to our present location on market road Saddar Rawalpindi.
My father coming from a humble background got the house 123/A, Market Road, Saddar allotted in his name and had it renovated and named it BANAHI after the name of the railway station near my ancestral village RANI SAGAR district Bhojpur in India from where he migrated in 1947 at the time of independence.
At that time the exodus of refugees from India was coming in trickle by trickle and most of my relatives came to BANAHI from the Rawalpindi railway station for transit facilities for their onward placement in various parts of Pakistan.
My mother being a humble homely house wife remained busy from morning till evening in looking after the guests as by the time breakfast was finished it was time for lunch. My mother looked after all the relatives living with us single handedly cooking food over wooden logs and at the same time looking after our daily routine and schooling.
As per the narration from my grandfather most of the relatives were accommodated in WAH Ordinance Factory as it opened it arms to receive them and still if you visit WAH you will find most of the settlers / workers there have migrated from India.
My father at that time was a Captain in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps and was busy in laying the foundations of the Army Medical Corps and at the same time establishment of the Military Hospital Rawalpindi.
With the passage of time my father made progress and I was born in 1953 and the family grew and prospered.
By 1980 my father purchased the house 123, Market Road adjacent to 123/A, and had the house demolished and built the present structure in which my son Zeeshan was born and brought up.
My father having great foresight had the two houses gifted to his grand children as a result of which one portion came in the possession of my Sons and the other portion came in the possession of my nephew HASSAN RAZA ALIM & HINA RAZA ALIM.
In this house we saw many events taking place like the marriages of my sisters, the birth of my nieces and nephews and the subsequent marriages of my nieces my sons and the funeral of my parents.
My brother was settled in Karachi so I was given the responsibility of looking after the property some portion of which was on rent and in one portion downstairs my family was living. I used to collect the rent from the tenants and also paid the property taxes and looked after the up keep of the premises.
This arrangement worked very well till a few months ago when all of a sudden on 27th July my brother Salahuddin sold his portion of the house without informing me or giving me any reason for this impromptu sale.
This deal was done so surreptitiously and clandestinely that my cunning and conniving nephew Hassan Raza brought in the new purchasers in the garb of tenants in the upper portion of the house. We welcomed the tenants with open arms and tried to help and cooperate with them in whatever way we could, little realizing what lay in store for us.
The so called fictitious tenants started making massive structural changes in the house thus causing great mental stress and strain on my family who were subjected to the din of hammering, seepage of water persistent dust and debris and blockage of passages. This took a toll on my family’s mental faculties and their peace of mind. Finally the family had to be shifted to another house in a Peaceful location in Rawalpindi.
The suspicious and massive structural changes under taken by the so called pseudo tenant made me apprehensive of their activities and after investigation it was revealed that they had purchased the house from my brother and my nephew had signed the deed in a very cunning and sly manner.
In these modern times of stress and strain the family values of love, sincerity, bonding, brotherhood and respect have all gone down the drain.
The primary importance these days is money and monetary benefit which outweighs all family ties love and respect for each other.
The sentimental and emotional attachment which one has to his ancestral and birthplace is no longer there as pecuniary and monetary benefits have over taken these values.
The question now arises if my brother whom I respected like a fatherly figure and looked up to him for inspiration and guidance was in dire need of money or was so hard pressed for the same why he did not ask me first for the purchase of the house which I would have done so, for I had great memories and sentimental attachment with this house and would have willingly purchased it from my brother.
For the past four months I have been under great mental stress and strain and have had sleepless nights which took a toll on my health………… and I have lost weight and I have been unable to concentrate on my professional work.
Let this be a lesson for all my friends, family members’ acquaintance and relatives who ever read this letter that these days there are no blood relations, no brotherhood, no sincerity, no sentimental or emotional values.
Let this episode be an eye opener for all those who hold family values and blood relations in high esteem that the only relation these days is MONEY MONEY and MONEY.
THIS ALL HAS HAPPENED BECAUSE MY REAL BROTHER HAS STABBED ME IN MY BACK.
Dr. Babur Zahiruddin
POST SCRIPT:
All those who read this are requested to verify the authenticity of this mail by calling my brother and nephew on the numbers given below and asking them why they stabbed me (brother) in the back.
Mr. Salahuddin 021 – 35884797, 0300 – 2354847
Hassan 0300 – 2354849
I will be very happy to receive your input and comments after you talked to my brother.
In need of your support and prayers.
Dr. Babur Zahiruddin