Profile of a Learned Man and a Humanist
By C. Naseer Ahmad
Poet Khalil Gibran reportedly said: “March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life's path.” Lucky are those who heed such words of wisdom.
One such lucky person is Ghulam Hussain Qamar Baloch. His friends at times tease him by calling him GHQ as these three letters symbolize power and mystique that is associated with the General Head Quarters of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi. Mr Baloch is an affable person with a good sense of humor and is not pretentious.
According to his autobiography, Mr Baloch “was born in village Muhammad Ali Bozdar in TalukoKhipro, district Sanghar of Sindh, Pakistan. He is a professional writer/publicist. His writing experience began as he has been publicizing policies and plans of Government of Pakistan within the country and abroad since 1973.”
Mr Baloch’s autobiography provides a detailed record of his accomplishments and activities. He is meticulous in narrating his educational, professional as well as personal experiences. With Mr. Baloch what you see is what you get both from his book as well as when you meet him in person.
In the Foreword to the autobiography, Abdul MajeedVeesir, a broadcast journalist and former aide to the late Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo, wrote: “Mr Baloch is a learned man, a Sufi, a humanist and has served in Pakistan in various important positions and thus is witness to many important events. It is a welcome step that he decided to share his memoirs and inform about certain events that are not known publicly. This also throws light on the functioning of Government Departments and organizations, how they work and are handled by various functionaries working in different important positions.”
From his autobiography as well as through social interactions at community gatherings, one learns that Mr Baloch is a man of many talents with a distinguished record of public service and as a communicator for federal ministers and elected officials at the provincial level. He has worked with the civilian governments as well as with military officials during the Martial Law imposed by General Zia-ul-Haq in 1977.
Mr Baloch’s autobiography makes interesting revelations that many people might not have known. For instance, there is a startling disclosure that late Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was beaten up on orders of a senior military officer and in the scuffle Mr Bhutto died. This could be hearsay that needs further verification. His autobiography provides more interesting tidbits such as: “Retired Lt. General Jillani used to put his initials in green ink on the notes for the Defense Minister whereas a Junior Officer has to put his full Signature in blue ink as per rules.”
In his book, Mr Baloch also shared his memories about how he handled delicate affairs and helped a relative of a senior official who was awarded lash punishment by military officials, how he helped Hakim Ali Zardari and Sultan Ahmed Chandio (prominent political figures).
Commenting on his book, MrVeesir correctly noted that “memoirs of Mr Ghulam Hussain Qamar Baloch are interesting and worth reading in which he made startling and informative revelations and thrown light on the working of civil bureaucracy and Martial Law regimes.“
The reader of Mr Baloch’s autobiography will learn about his personal life and about his career after passing the civil service examination in 1973.
After migrating to the United States following the visa lottery win, Mr Baloch has remained active in the workforce. He has worked on some important projects for the US Department of State and other organizations. Mr Baloch has received a number of awards for his distinguished work.
When asked about what are the lessons to be learned from his life, Mr Baloch said: “My life always was and will remain full of struggle until I die.”
And, when asked what message does he have for the younger generation, he replied: “My message for the younger generation is that if they want to be successful in their lives, then they should work hard with their utmost dedication to their goal(s) until they accomplish their goal (s).”
Mentioning his work in Pakistan, Mr Baloch said: “I worked with full dedication to my work. I was always considered by my colleagues and seniors to be a role model of CSS Public Relations Officer - committed to his work and problem(s) solver of the public.”
Mr Baloch went on to say: “I have the same perception of my life even in the America. Wherever, I work with full devotion to pour my heart and soul in the job to deliver results and accomplish the organization’s goals in a timely manner.”
He marches on every day with panache and is impeccably dressed when he comes for the Friday prayers to the Mubarak Mosque in Virginia.
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