An interview with Deputy Commissioner Bahawalpur Rana Muhammad Saleem Afzal

A Report of an interview with Deputy Commissioner Bahawalpur.

City of Bahawalpur has been fortunate enough to be blessed with epic making personnel, who showed affection to the people of this area and served conscientiously in the institutes of Bahawalpur. These epic making personalities from beginning till date, were appointed periodically. If the pages of history are explored, many such renowned personnel may be found and major among them are Mukhtar Masood, Syed Shaukat Ali Shah, Murtaza Barlas, Syed Masood Ahmad Shah and Mian Mushtaq Bharwana who deserve respect and honor from us.

Distinctive among them is one of the most dynamic and gracious personnel who is non other than Mr. Rana Muhammad Saleem Afzal, the Deputy Commissioner of Bahawalpur, who is an enthusiast, well disciplined, civilized and courteous, enriched with visionary thoughts and managerial wisdom. He is adorned with internationally well recognized exposures; as he has got multiple souvenirs in the convocation from well known Australian university, he holds prominence in debates, extra-ordinary curricular results that showed him a multifacet person and enhances his honor not only for Sadiq Public School (SPS), from where he got his early education, but also for those cities where he served as an official. Today, we have an opportunity to discuss variegated personality. It is an honor to meet such a dynamic person and explore his success in a Panel interview.

An interview and opportunity provided by respected Professor of Islamia University, Dr. Rana Shahzad who chiefly engaged the honorable interviewee, Deputy Commissioner, Bahawalpur. The honourable Deputy Commissioner gave his brief introduction consisting of his family details, kinsmen, curricular and co-curricular involvements, career, hobbies educational sublimation, and shared his patriotic feelings of love with his beloved country Pakistan and above all, his romance with Bahawalpur. He exclaimed with pleasure about his tenure spent in Bahawalpur. He reminiscently revised his presence in Bahawalpur that is majorly his educational tenure from Sadiq Public School.

While talking about his family kinsmen, he introduced him as a father of three daughters, a brother of four siblings, moreover, he veneered about his student life, in which, he expressed that he was a brilliant student of all institutes from school up to university level. It was his strong curriculum vitae which helped him to attain present status.

His career as an official spreads up almost all the Pakistani cities such as; Mingora Sawat, Nowshehra, Islamabad, Liaqatpur, Jhang, Gujranwala Toba Tek Singh and then Bahawalpur successively as a district collector, EDO Health, DCO and as a Deputy Commissioner and other similar posts.

He claimed Bahawalpur as his 2nd home town, although he belonged to Nowshehra city of Sindh province, he regarded Bahawalpur, one of the most neat and clean, safe, highly civilized and culturally enriched land where multiple and colorful cultures of the country seemed to mingle. He called Sadiq Public School Bahawalpur as one of the best school of the country, and equally compared it with Aitchison College, and called S.P.S the bestowed gift of Nawabs for Bahawalpur, he appreciated the S.P.S and the way of teaching that is being introduced there, He exclaimed it as unprecedented.

He also encouraged the economical cooperation of educational institutes of Bahawalpur including I.U.B by giving a similar example of a university as a useful and efficient machine that gets certain raw material and delivers more beneficial output. He also appreciated the role of Islamia University for the curricular, ethical, literary and economic entrepreneur of a country. He also appreciated Nawabs for providing a beautiful and amazing library like a palace that is not seen in other cities of Pakistan. While giving the answers of the questions, he suggested the students to study books instead of wasting the time on social media, advised the nation to get united under one patriotic umbrella, to think about the betterment for beloved homeland, to create religious harmony, not to hate other religions, and to support and rescue, to protect the nature and atmosphere, not to quarrel over linguistic or any communal differences.

While presenting his futuristic visions he assorted developmental plans that he would focus on sanitation, plantation, a deployment of beautiful monumental statue on one unit chowk, Hasilpur road near the market area within 15 days, he also invited the students of Islamia University for painting walls and let them to express their hidden artistic approach.

While revealing the ridiculous and unforgettable glimpses of his school life in a happy mood, he also discussed his never forgetting mischief with a boisterous laugh of making unsuccessful bunk from school in which he was caught and ridiculously advised to bunk again with more professional manner but not to be caught ever.

This panel interview was conducted in collaboration and supervision under the worthy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Qaisar Mushtaq and respected Dean of Faculty of Arts, Dr. Memuna Ghani, the interview team thanked the respected Deputy Commissioner for offering his precious time, and captured couple of group photos with the D.C with the students belonging to different departments of university along with the media team. This interview was successful due to the co-work and joint efforts of print and electronic media team members of I.UB including students, skilled and learned cameramen.

It was the part of practical training of the students so that they would get more professional experience and practical training, in this activity, respected professor Dr. Rana Shahzad was leading the team, students from different departments consisted of Arfa Shahzad(D.V.M), Aqsa Muhammad Ali, Faiz Rasool Hashmi and Hafiz Shehzad Ali(Media Studies), Sawera Nawaz(English), cinematographer, Waseem Iqbal and Kashif Naseer.
Reported by: Hafiz Shehzad Ali, The Islamia University Bahawalpur.