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Waraich: a restless soul

Dr Inayatullah Faizi[/caption] By Dr. Inayatullah Faizi According to Shakespeare, this mortal world is a theatre, men and women are characters, their roles are predetermined and everyone is shown entrance and exit according to the script. Osama Ahmad Waraich, his wife and five-month-old daughter had their exit from this theatre along with 39 passengers and six crew on board PK-661 near Havellian just a few minutes before the plane landed at Benazir International Airport Islamabad. Waraich was 31. He would explain his first name to his new friends and liked to say this has nothing to do with Bin Laden, it is a reflection of my parents’ love and respect for Osama bin Zaid (RA), the youngest commander-in-chief of Muslim troops seen off by the holy Prophet Muhammad, a few days before his demise. We know that in 1975, Bin Laden was not known even in CIA circles. Waraich was born in the family of Dr. Faiz Muhammad Waraich, a renowned professor of Mathematics associated with the Quaid-i-Azam University and NUST Islamabad. The family hails from Vehari District of Punjab. Retired Justice Iftikhar Cheema and ex-IGP Zulfiqar Cheema were his maternal uncles. Osama Ahmad Waraich was an engineer by profession, however, he was inclined to the Pakistan Administrative Service due to family trait and toeing the footsteps of his elder brother. After passing out from Walton Academy, Lahore, he was posted to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He served in three subdivisions as assistant commissioner and two districts as additional deputy commissioner and the deputy commissioner. His posting in Chitral proved to be the last. He landed in Chitral on 16th October, 2015, just 10 days before the 26th October earthquake and his plane took off from Chitral on Dec 7,2016, just 37 minutes before the disaster of air crash in Havellian. Though this was the end of the story, but Shelley says, this is not the end. In an elegy for his friend John Keats, Shelley says: He lives, he wakes, its death is dead not he: Mourn not Adonis, Though younger dawn, Turn all the dew to splendors for from thee. Like Shelley and Keats, our Waraich wanted to do great things in a short span of time. All the three knew perhaps they had a short time to live, so they were in a hurry. Keats died at 26, Shelley at 32 and Waraich at 31. During his 14-month tenure in Chitral, he initiated three major campaigns. His administration launched an operation against encroachments in the local bazaar and demolished 60-year-old illegal structures to clear the roads and streets. He replicated the Chitral Scouts park on Booni road and carved out a park on the riverbed. An academy for coaching students of entry tests was yet another initiative which he undertook beyond the call of his duty. Some friends suggested to postpone some of his interventions till next spring but he wanted to get it completed before the end of this fall. His intuition would most probably tell him that your life span is shrinking. He was a man of upright character. In the Civil Service Academy, many young officers from sober and respected backgrounds get spoiled due to the disorientation they get during the training. They come out with a despotic approach and corrupt outlook. However, Waraich was a different man who was not disoriented against the people even in his training at the Civil Service Academy. No doubt, he was a restless soul well described as dead honest, hardworking and energetic civil service officer by one of his colleagues, Abdul Akram , in his tweet on the sad incident of the December 7. The fate of Waraich and his fellow passengers aboard the unfortunate plane reminds me the poem of Tennyson on Ulysses. The Poet says: My mariners!  Souls That have toild and wrought, and thought with me: That ever with a forlic welcome took; The Thunder and the sunshine; and opposed; Free hearts, free foreheads; You and I are old. Today we mourn the death of our friends and lovely fellows on the cabin and cockpit of the flying Titanic popularly called ATR-42, we are mistaken because everyone on board the plane has turned into a living soul.  As Shelley Says “the death is dead”.]]>

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10 Comments
  1. Tanzil khan says

    Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.(George Bernard Shaw). Mr.Osma Ahmad created himself in his profession, work, duty , patriotism, heart of people, and in the brilliant writing of Dr Faizi.

  2. Huma hayat says

    Well written column. In his loaded prose, Dr faizi has rightly pointed out that Civil Service Academy Walton has negative approach towards Pakistan, Pakistani people, Pakistani languages and Pakistani culture. We shall remember Waraich because he did not bow to the despotic approach of the Walton Academy. He came out as a true Pakistani. This is why we salute to his contributions.

  3. Shah Ahmad says

    Dr. sahab you justice with DC Warriach by ur excellent writing skills. we proud on you.

  4. Arif khan says

    Agreed.. unique comparison usamma was revolutionary whereever he served. Abattabbad , sawbi, and Peshawar will always remember him. May God forgive him…

  5. Abdul haleem khan says

    Agreed with Shah politicians have given nothing to the country…. USAMA shaheed was revolutionery like Shelley in the beginning of his dc ship and later followed great romantic port keats started construction and beautification in the district keats searched beauty in Autumn and our USAMA searched in the desert of lanic and showed it to the people. Dr sab has made a fantastic comparison. The death made USAMA permenent and always be in the history of chitral and kpk

  6. Muslih shah says

    Pakistan developes and today is a prosperous country because of officers like ussama. It is bureaucracy which means for the service of people and not the poluticians. Pakistan may not be in such a strong position if berucrates were not there and usama services in district chitral are the glaring example in a short span of 14 months.. so this institution needs to be made strong for a better tomorrow. Every officer in pakistan will perform like usama or better than him if political interference removed from civil service…USAMA chitral will remember u forever……

  7. Eid Hussain says

    An excellent analysis of the contributions made by Waraich sb…May Allah rest his soul in eternal peace..Dr. Sb has identified great lessons for those who are holding public office and using it for personal use and presumed that as granted…As we know that life is so unpredictable and it must be used to create everlasting legacy in life.

  8. Abdul wadood says

    An excellent write up among the essays so for written on shaheed USAMA. USAMA was an excellent civil servent extremely devoted to serve the backward district chitral. He left a remarkable foot print on the land of chitral which will be remembered forever. May God keep his soul in janatul firdaus..

  9. Shah khan qureshi says

    Waraich was very sincere person.You rightly commented that honest prople are corrupted and spoiled due to wrong training at Walton Academy Lahore.Waraich was the only man who passed out in his original posistion.

  10. Sharifullah khan says

    Sir !This is a fantastic and thought provoking write up.No doubt Waraich deserved such an attempt.

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