LAHORE: Literary circles are of the view that Perveen Shakir has impressed the young lot through her thematic variety and realistic poetry. However, the Customs Department to which she belonged considers her a living legend and seems even more overwhelmed by her larger-than-life personality.
Born on November 24, 1952 in Karachi, she was highly educated and joined the Civil Service and worked in the Customs Department. In 1986, she was appointed the second secretary, CBR in Islamabad.
“Late Perveen and Rauf khalid were our batchmats in the 10th Common Training Programme. Late Turab Ali was our principal at NICE, Karachi. He had a great sense of humor and would always start his class with some joke,” Central Region Collector Customs, Rozi Khan Burki, who has a great sense of poetry, told Customs Today on the occasion of 20th death anniversary of Parveen.
He shared with this scribe, “One day my friend Rauf Khalid started the day with a comment. Sir do you know that Burki has also turned poet. Before Turab Ali would respond, I simply responded with nouzo-billah.” With this not only the whole class turned silent but Parveen felt offended and gave Burki an evident look of dislike and felt embarrassed besides she stopped talking to him,” the Chief Collector of Customs informed.
“After a few years some of our batchmats were posted at Karachi and had a training at DOT on the pattern of present MCMC. On an incidentally dinner, Perveen Shakir shared our table along with Nazim, Rauf and me. I was talking with Nazim on some subject relating to linguistics.
“When I was commenting on some aspect of Pashto phonemes, I did not know that Perveen was listening to me. Suddenly I heard her addressing to me ‘Mr Burki! Is that you talking literature?’ I told her ‘no ma’m’ I am not talking literature but I am discussing Pashto linguistics with Rauf and Nazim,” the chief collector said. According to Burki, once he had a chance to talk about linguistics and literature all the way from Islamabad Club to his destination when he was dropped by her.
“After a few months I heard the bad news of her death. I didn’t know that that was our last discussion on linguistics/literature. May God Almighty bless her soul,” he finished with heavy heart.
Collector of Customs Valuation Saqib Mehboob said that she was talented Customs officer. “ The Customs service feels proud to have her as the member of the service. He added that her death was not only the loss for the Customs service but a loss for the whole nation. May Almighty Allah bless her,” he prayed.
Collector of Customs Appeal Asif Mehmood Jah and Collector of Customs Appraisemnet Muhammad Zahid Khokhar said that Perveen Shakir was a living legend and they felt proud in saying that she belonged to prestigious Pakistan Customs services. “At personal level I remembered meeting her in FBR upon my posting there in 1991-93. I have also learnt by heart many of her ghazals,” Khokhar shared.
