Dow Medical College Elections 1983. NSF Victory.
The Student’s Union election in the year 1983 was the last Union in Dow Medical College.
Union activity in Colleges and Universities was banned after that.
The Students Union of 1982 consisted of: (please correct if this information is in error)
President: Raheel Rasheed Khan
General Secretary Nasir Suleman.
The class of 1990 that started classes in 1984 never saw any Union elections.
(Above information kindly provided by Dr. Masroor A.Q. Khan, Dowite 1990 and Dr. Syed Fahim Hassan, Dowite 1983)
Read more about these times on an excellent article by Nadeem Paracha published in DAWN in July 2013. Here is the link.
http://www.dawn.com/news/
Amin H. Karim MD
” Ziaul Haq dictatorship banned student unions and parties in 1984, this did not really mean that student parties stopped operating on campuses or student union elections came to a halt.What the ban meant was that the dictatorship scrapped the 1974 Ordinance and thus rendered student union elections as unofficial, localised events not recognised or funded anymore by the government.For example, before the Ordinance, the dates and dynamics of student union elections were decided by the administrations of the colleges and the universities. After the Ordinance these were decided by the government.The Ordinance decreed that the annual event of student union elections be held on a single date/month of each year across all state-owned universities and colleges.So when Zia scraped the Ordinance in 1984, the elections once again became the sole prerogative of college and university administrations.The reason that fewer student union elections were held after 1984 was not as much due to Zia’s ban. It had more to do with the incidents of violence on campuses that had grown two-fold after Zia’s military coup in July 1977 and his regime’s crackdown on anti-Zia student groups” Nadeem Paracha
My name is SYED KHALID ANWER. I am the President of the Students union at Dow. Yes you read it right, ” AM'”
DMCSU 1983 is the last union at Dow, after which the students unions were banned. So technically I am still the incumbent President.
I am an Ophthalmologist and am based in UK for the past 20 years. I did my basic training at Karachi, mainly at CHK. Then came over, did further post graduation training here, passed my Fellowship and now working in the NHS.
I am a poet as well, writing in Urdu, Punjabi and English.My main forte is though English language. I have written many poems about the wonderful stay at Dow and would like to share with you all, as we all can relate to the profound influence this great alma matter of ours has on us. I have a good deal of collection of photos as well and would love to share these as well. It transports us to that magical time, the carefree, fun filled, joyous time. when the heart was young, friends were plenty, an eclectic place, incomparable place, a venerable place, the days were filled with laughter…
The yam tree is an integral memory of Dow. I have written a poem about it. Enjoy!
UNDER THE YUM YUM TREE
Khalid Anwer
Under the Yum Yum tree
Who loves to stand with me
And welcome the buses in
And wave the points go
It is like Good Morning Dow!
Every face tells a thousand stories
Bright gleaming faces of new entrants
An eclectic mixture of naiveté,
excitement, adventure
Then there are old hands
Well settled into the rhythms,
intricacies, idiosyncracies
Of life at Dow
For some the day brings
the opportunity to resolve issues
Tie loose ends, of things, said, unsaid
Quick hand shakes and few hugs
There is a swift dispersal
Students heading towards Moeen and Arag
And some heading to the wards
Afternoon time is relaxing time
The platform is heaving
Many gathered under
the cool shade of Yam tree
Events of the day recounted
Jokes being told
Legs being pulled
As the events unfold
Sighs of unrequited love
Dreams of romances to unfold
Trees are uniquely wonderful
Witnesses of the present
Caretakers of the past
Silently, discreetly, insidiously,
recording, absorbing,
the pictures, sounds
And events manifold
Like their rings,
the precious memories ,
are buried deep
Remember the tree huggers!
And if we were to gently shake the trunk,
the leaves would shake
It is like Juke box
Reflecting, replaying,
revealing the patterns,
pictures, events of the past
Of the generations gone!
Each generation is its own
Though witnessing events
through their generational eyes
The anxieties, the joys
The successes, the failures
The wishes, the desires
The love, the romances
Are all the same
Under the Yum Yum Tree!
Khalid Anwer
NOSTALGIA! YUM!
Khalid Anwer
I look at the tree and weep
Invoking memories, so precious, so deep
The leaves are so fresh, so green
Invigorating sweet memories, evergreen.
I want to give the tree a gentle shake
And then listen to the music, it brings in its wake
And then listen to the music……………