Old Gallians say renaming boys’ hostels ‘trivial, needless’

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Members of the Old Gallians Association of Pakistan (OGAP) Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi and Quetta chapters have condemned the attempt by “a few senior, very retired, (and very respectable) gentlemen” of trying to amuse themselves by maligning the Punjab governor and Lawrence College Board of Governors’ in a press conference. In a press statement, the OGAP also condemned the proposed name change of the Lawrence College boys hostels.
The press release states that Peake, Wright, Walker and Wightwick were former Lawrence College principals who had given their best to the college. It says the attempt to malign academics that had founded the proud tradition of the Lawrence College and replacing their names with Iqbal, Jinnah and Tipu was in disrespect of the 150 year tradition of the Lawrence College.
It condemned the attempt to quote from the history of the British Raj in the said press conference was “a naive attempt to sensitize the matter for an argument that on its own has no legs to stand on”.
It said the “British made this fine institution (Lawrence College) and gave it dedicated principals. These along with the dedicated men that served the college after Independence must be respected and honoured,” it said.
It said “Jinnah, Iqbal and Tipu were great men and they must not be attired in someone else’s clothes.” It said the best way to honour them was to fulfill their dreams of a progressive Pakistan.
It said “expanding or building a new Lawrence College or University built by Pakistanis (and not Britishers) and renaming it after Pakistani heroes was the real tribute that could be paid to them.”
It said the renaming of insignificant boy’s hostels was to trivialize Jinnah and Iqbal shamelessly.
It said if anything the Lawrence College academic blocks could be named after Jinnah or Iqbal, but boys’ hostels were too insignificant to be named after Pakistan’s founding fathers.

8 COMMENTS

  1. This group should desist from washing their
    linen in public. What has Mr Jinnah
    or Tipu sultan coupled with Allamanda
    Iqbal have in common with Lawrence
    College. Was Babar a resident of
    Areas forming Pakistan.
    We have vitiated the tranquil
    atmosphere of GALLIANS enough.
    Let us as true GALLIANS learn yo accept
    the opinion if others in majority with a
    Smiling face. Please don't bring religion and frangee
    element in this debate. Fanaticism and religion have done enough harm to this country and let us not exacerbate it further. Col Moin

  2. …. i don't think the colonialist reverends need more recognition than our staff who shaped our character in the free land of pakistan! if they had not been changed 40 yrs ago it was a different story, now there was no need to go back to the names of british reverends whose dedication deserted them along with their empire soon after 1947!!! LONG LIVE OUR OWN JINNAH TUPU IQBAL AND LIAQAT…..names all Gallians who have studied over 40 yrs can relate to! Hasan Khan- Tipu House

  3. Although the e paper is a great option of the day, but it's strange that it doesn't show the POSTER of this Editorial. Anyway, I do not agree that there had been any meeting what so ever to collect the sentiments on HOUSE NAME ISSUE from the members of the respective Old Gallians Chapters OGAP mentioned in this post. What ever is available at the INTERNET is a POLL underway at the link below which includes a great majority of Gallians belonging some how to these Chapters and have reverted back from their stance that was imposed in a hassle through an informal resolution. May Please check the following links to get the latest status of Majority Gallians, which will prove the Honesty of this Post given above.
    The Poll Status at the following page shows 426 VOTES FOR Jinnah Iqbal etc.as HOUSE NAMES [ 326 +50 by other remarks +50 via email ] and 85 VOTES FOR Walker Wright etc. This tolls up to a larger consensus than the one taken as RESOLUTION at 150th Founders Day in Oct 2010.
    The LINK is,
    Gallians Houses names ……? http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=question&…
    and another link, which is only accessible to Gallians is as under, http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2183754995

  4. by the way just to to updte you with the latest votes: latest Facebook results have show n 75% in favor of bringing back our own names……thankyou- Hasan Khan-Tipu House

  5. Comments By Mr. Anis Satti, Head Boy Lawrence College from 1953 to 1955 & who was selected, after a nation wide competition, to Represent Pakistan at the World Youth Forum in New York in 1956.

    On Monday, May 2nd 2011, Pakistanis were in a state of shock at the humiliation our country suffered as a result of the Abbottabad operation carried out by U.S Navy seals. As if this wasn’t enough, the very next day most Gallians were in for another painful surprise. A profoundly historic decision was taken by the GG Board of Governors without due process, referendum or even taking the views of the current student body and the teaching staff.
    One shudders to imagine the very act, authorized by the board of Governors going around the GG grounds and removing the Names of Jinnah, Iqbal, Tipu and Babar! Look at the violent reaction in Karachi when the leader of one party was insulted by the leader of another party. And here we are insulting, by one act, our heroes’ en-masse. These names have graced our houses for over 38 years, whereas, the previous names have been duly honored for 25 years. Which history do we want to record?
    As for Hameed Hall, how can one even think of erasing the name of our beloved principal, Ch. Abdul Hameed? Here was the first Muslim principal, who had performed an act of courage and defiance in stopping an angry mob which was bent on burning down Lawrence College, after having reduced Murree Brewery to cinders. And this he did after canceling his trip to Jullunder to bring back his family!
    As head boy in 1955, I had the honor of delivering an emotion packed farewell address on September 19, and there was not a dry eye in the hall. After all, here was a man who had devoted 28 years of his life to GG and instead of honouring him, we have now erased his name from the hall ! By passing this order, can we call it our finest hour, or will that day go down as a day of infamy? Each one of you, in good conscience, has to decide. Let me conclude by saying that extremism in the defence of a noble idea is no vice, and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue !

  6. I think we should stop this mud slinging upon each other and try to convene the issue as a GALLIAN matter. Enough of finger pointing. We should all sit together and resolve the issue at the earliest by having point of view of everyone; young, old and very old Gallians and yes not to forget the worthy faculty of present and past. Its high time to get away with this issue.

  7. We can hate them for things they did not favourable Pakistan,like handing over Gurdaspur to india but read the of northern areas . How just two junior British officers of Gilgit Scouts kicked out a regular battalion of Maharajas troops and secured Gilgit and Baltistan for Pakistan after realising the wishes of the majority muslim population. Also read how PMA came into existance and it was again a Britisher who named the initial four companies after the four muslim heros. So please leave them alone and let it be Walker, Peake ,Wright and Wrightwick.

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