CM Sindh recalls college days at DJ Sc College pedestrian bridge opening

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah disclosed on Friday that he had lost concentration in his studies and enjoyed considerable freedom during his college education days when his father got arrested during the then-martial law regime in the country.

Talking at the inauguration of the newly-built pedestrian bridge that connects two buildings of DJ Sindh Government Science College where he had studied, Sindh CM recalled the days when he used to get Intermediate-level education at his alma mater.

The pedestrian bridge has been built to safeguard movement of students and teachers between two blocks of the college. The metallic pedestrian bridge was named after a deceased faculty-member of the college Prof Iftikhar Azmi.

The CM on the occasion also launched periodical of the college.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that he had spent precious two years of his life at the college. “Has it been allowed to me, I will prefer to leave this seat of chief guest to go and sit with students in the last row (of the programme) to make noise and do fun,” said the CM while passionately reliving his college days.

Murad Ali Shah said that during his college days, the then-democratic government in the country had been overthrown and a martial-law regime was imposed. “My father used to drop me to this college everyday as he also got arrested in those days,” said the CM while recalling about his late father Abdullah Shah who later served as Sindh Chief Minister during mid-90s in a previous PPP’s led-government in the province.

“After arrest of my father, I was assigned the duty to drop my younger sister and brothers to their schools and colleges,” he said. “With arrest of my father, I got freedom as this led to lessening of my concentration on studies. With availability of car, I enjoyed having leisure time with friends as studies at that time were not our preference,” said the CM.

“I used to park my car here at the footpath (outside the DJ College) and later used it to roam around with my friends,” he said.

He said that in the exams of Intermediate education first year (Class 11th) he had obtained 79 per cent marks while this decreased significantly in the exams Intermediate second year.

The CM stated on the occasion that later he started attending BSc degree classes at the college without any formal admission to the class.

“Once our class teacher was taking with him the class attendance register to the principal office to get college students in our class who were not serious in their studies expelled. I was advised by my friends that I should surreptitiously walk up to the class teacher and run away after getting hold of the attendance register from the class teacher’s hands. I acted on their advice and that was how we were saved from getting expelled from the college,” said the CM while sharing a thrilling incident of his days in college.

The CM gave assurance on the occasion that he would take steps on a preferential basis to resolve issues of the college as pointed out by the incumbent principal. “I would rather say it like that resolving problems of my own college will be on the top of my priorities,” he said.

The CM said that he owed much to the DJ Science College since it is an old and great educational institution and its problems should be resolved immediately.

“Being chief minister of the province and also being an old student of DJ College, I doubly feel the obligation to do some service for my alma mater. You will always find me ready to do this service and within a few days, you will see from your own eyes practical demonstration to this effect,” he said.

Earlier, the DJ Science College Principal Prof Saleem Khan Ghouri welcomed the CM at the college with its other teachers.