NOVANEWS
Collector Customs Appeals Asif Jah’s new
book hailed, acknowledged
Reported by: `M Hayat March 26, 2015
LAHORE: Hira, Hijrat and Khidmat, the newly launched book, written by the known social
worker, collector of customs appeals Dr Asif Mehmood Jah has been widely hailed and
acknowledged.
The book has been written on the plight of Internally Displace Peoples (IDPs) of North
Waziristan and the challenges faced by Customs Healthcare Society in rehabilitation and
restoration work in Bannu and surrounding areas.
“Hira, Hijrat and Khidmat, newly launched book of Dr Asif Mehmood Jah reflects
demonstration of extreme level of tolerance and bravery of IDPs for the restoration of peace and
harmony in Pakistan,” central region chief collector of customs Rozi Khan Burki saud.
He admitted that Dr Asif Jah and his team made no mistake in rehabilitation and restoration work
for the IDPs in Bannu.
“Being an inhabitant of South Waziristan, Jah provided me an opportunity to express my feelings
about the people of Waziristan and I am thankful to him”, Burki stated.
Orya Maqbool Jan is a columnist; writer, poet and civil servant said that besides Jah has great
feelings for the predicaments of the suppressed, he is also a writer and pen down the stories of
the state of emotions of the people in difficult times.
“The title picture of Dr Jah with the innocent Hira in one of the affectees camp exhibits that Dr
Jah has attained the happiness of the whole world embracing the little Hira”,columnist Asadullah
Ghalib stated, while Attaul Haq Qasmi expressed his gratitude for Jah for writing the simple and
eloquent Hira, Hijrat and Khidmat.
In his book, Dr Jah besides writing the account of his welfare work for the IDPs, he also
expressed his gratitude for the philonthrops who enabled him to execute the rehabilitation and
restoration of work for the iDPs successfully.
Jah thanked Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Tariq Bajwa, Chief collector of Customs Rozi
Khan Burki, collectors of customs Fazal Yazdani, Muhammad Zahid Khokhar who donated for
medicines for the IDPs. He was also grateful to the other customs officers including Sadia
Munib, Iram Sohail, Mohasin Rafique and others for the donation and support in the
rehabilitation work for the IDPs of Northen Wazirastan.
Furthermore, Jah expressed his resolved to serve the mankind for the rest of his life.
Web
Provision of immediate medical and relief supplies to the IDPs of North Waziristan was the main
objective of the care and welfare team of Customs Health Care Society (CHCS). Seeing this
emergent need, Customs Health Care Society first of all established a medical clinic in Miryan,
Bannu which is located only one kilometer away from border of North Waziristan. This clinic
has been provided medical facilities to the IDPs as well as the local population since 1st June,
2014. Besides this, the medical team of (CHCS) was immediately rushed to Bannu with
ambulance, mobile hospital and relief goods to help the IDPs.
The details of medical and relief work so far undertaken by the teams of the Customs Health
Care Society (CHCS) in Bannu for the IDPs of North Waziristan is given as under:-
Do change
It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that the care and welfare teams of Customs Health
Care Society (CHCS) under the supervision of the undersigned have once again taken the lead to
reach the earthquake affected areas of Awaran, Baluchistan immediately after 24 September
earthquake and at present are fully engaged in the relief and rehabilitation work for the
earthquake affectees there.
BANNU: A book on the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from North Waziristan was
launched here on Monday.
A noted social worker and Chairman of the Custom Healthcare Society, Dr Asif Mehmood Jah,
wrote a book titled ‘Hira, Hijrat Aor Khidmat’ in which he elaborately described the problems
and hardships faced by the IDPs during their displacement. A seven-year-old Hira was the chief
guest on the launching ceremony took place at the auditorium in the Fazal Qadir Park.
Additional Commissioner Bannu Damsaz Khan Marwat, Prof Faridullah Khan, Khun-i-Jigar
Foundation chairman Aslam Marwat, Maulana Habibullah Haqqani, Mufti Abdul Ghani,
educationist Basheer Ahmed and others were present.
Dr Asif Jah said, “I wanted to launch the book in Bannu as mostly I have covered the miseries of
the Waziristan operation affectees.”He said that his society examined and provided free
medicines to more than 100,000 IDP patients and relief items worth Rs50 million had been given
to them so far.
Tag Archives: Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs) of North Waziristan Agency
Customs society distributes relief goods to IDPs
M Hayat September 10, 2014
LAHORE: Customs Healthcare Society (CHS) has distributed relief goods worth Rs 5 million
among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of North Waziristan Agency in district Bannu.
The items included edibles, children’s garments and cooking pots. This was stated by Customs
Healthcare Society President Dr Asif Mehmood Jah.
He said that the CHS team visited Bannu for seventh time as the figure of IDPs crossed 700,000
mark and they had spread in various parts of the district adding that it was quite difficult to
provide them relief goods and medical facilities. He said that the society provided free medical
facilities to 10,000 persons including elderly, women and children.
Moreover a free medical dispensary had been set up in Bannu as well, he added. He said that the
society would continue providing free medical facilities to IDPs till their return to homes.
Some R The Nation August 2014
PESHAWAR – Custom Health Care Society of Pakistan distributed relief goods and food packages of
Rs500 million among internally displaced families of North Waziristan Agency.
Collector Customs and President Custom Health Care Society of Pakistan Dr Asif Mahmood Jah said they
would not let IDPs alone in this critical hour. The packages included food items, 1600 solar fans, new
cloths, shoes, mates and mosquito nets and medicines.
The organisation also set up three medical centres permanently in FR Bannu, Bannu City and Lakki
Marwat. A mobile ambulance was also sent to remote areas where more than five thousands patients
were diagnosed and given medicines free of cost.
Dr Asif said that like participation in various functions of Independence Day, they would also celebrate
Defence Day with these IDPs. He reiterated that on Defence Day, declamation contest would be
organised to entertain the war-affected families.
Dr Asif promised that Custom Health Care Society would also reconstruct the damaged houses of the
IDPs after their repatriation. The spokesman said the philanthropists belonging to Punjab are also
cooperating in this regard.
The society also set up relief medical camps in various temples and churches of Christian community.
They also arranged medicines and maternity care goods for the IDPs.
Swat, Exodus and Service the News September 21, 2009
Dr Asif Mahmood Jah has composed his unique experiences in his book, “Swat-Exodus
and Service”, where he travelled miles to serve the devastated inhabitants of Swat,
Malakand, Buner and Dir.
In the past too, whenever calamities befell on our Pakistani brethren as a result of earthquakes in
NWFP, Azad Kashmir and Balochistan killing thousands of people, Dr Asif Mahmood Jah rose
to the occasion with strong determination, collected his team of sincere workers and set out on a
journey to serve the suffering humanity in the difficult terrain of these areas.
The team led by Asif Jah served with unparalleled and unmatched zeal and enthusiasm.
This time, a new sort of calamity befell the inhabitants of Swat, Malakand and Buner caused by
the atrocities of the so-called Taliban on our Muslim brothers of these regions in the name of
Islam and Sunnah.
These Taliban militants massacred innocent Pakistani men and women and forced more than
three million people to leave their homes and to take shelter in the tented villages prepared by the
government.
The author, endowed with compassion and sympathy by Allah Almighty, inspired his colleagues
to come out of their complacency and help the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with money,
commodities, medicines and daily use articles.
As narrated by Dr Asif Mahmood Jah that with the advent of Swat operation, “I was feeling
restless with a queer condition of my mind.” I wanted to organise a team of selfless workers at
once, so that we could reach Mardan Camp in order to serve the IDPs affected by the Taliban
insurgents. However, all were ready to go. Kavish Welfare Trust agreed to join us and we
reached Mardan on May 13 with a caravan of doctors and members of Customs Health Care
Society along with those of the Kavish Welfare Trust.
While describing his personal experiences and services for the needy, the author is indebted to a
number of persons who participated and helped him during this operation.
He is indebted to Dr Arshad who sent two trucks loaded with edibles and other necessities of
life.
Mr Aftab of Blatroon also sent two trucks full of necessary articles and he himself reached
Mardan along with his friends including his son, Asif Aftab.
Besides, most respectful Ejaz Sikka, his friends Haroon Iftikhar and Shahid travelled with us
twice and distributed millions of rupees in cash, sending trucks loaded with edibles and other
basic commodities of life, worth thousands of rupees.
The author points out that from Karachi to Khyber, officers and colleagues of Customs
department cooperated with us wholeheartedly. DGO Khawaja Shaukat Ali and Deputy
Commissioner Ali Adnan helped us in collecting funds. Ghulam Ahmad Bimbal from Karachi
and Khawaja Zakauddin from Sialkot also cooperated with us in this venture. Insha Allah, the
journey that started from May 13, 2009, would continue till the affectees of Swat return to their
homes and are rehabilitated satisfactorily.
Dr Asif Mahmood Jah is extremely obliged to the renowned writers, columnists and intellectuals
of Pakistan including Hasan Nisar, Mustansar Hussain Tarar, Oria Maqbool Jan, Afzaal Shahid,
Dr Ajmal Niazi and Nasir Ali Khan for their guidance and advice in preparing the contents of the
book.
He is particularly grateful to Furqan Danish for his sincere cooperation in preparing this book.
It was owing to the adventurous spirit of the author that he succeeded in his noble mission to
help the deprived people, even without bothering for human limitations.
It was the same spirit which during every trip, he also kept alive in his visiting team and
members of the Customs Health Care Society Lahore where he also performs his duties as a
doctor, treating maximum patients free of cost 0 provision of medicines.
Besides, he also serves as a high official in a government department. In wake of his multiple
official and non-official engagements, immediate decision of the author to set out on the journey
to help the needy in the affected areas as described in the book surprise every intellectual and the
non-intellectual equally.
Dr Asif Mahmood Jah is well known for his social services and as a sympathetic medical
practitioner.
His book has become a historical record of how the suffering millions of Swat, Malakand and
Buner faced the calamity perpetrated by the militants who pay lip service to Islam and Sunnah,
but otherwise are heartless and callous diehards who have no sympathy and compassion for any
human being.
The author deserves our encouragement for rendering unmatched services for the IDPs and
narrating his experiences of Swat episode into a readable material that inspires the readers to
follow his steps about serving the suffering humanity wherever it exists in the world.
In this regard, the book will remain an endless lesson for all people, belonging to all the
communities and religions. —Reviewed by Sajjad Shaukat
