12/07/2020
"I still remember that day when I was in class 3, sitting under trees on moist sand in high school Sukamedan Skardu, Gilgit Baltistan because we didn't have classrooms for primary section. When my teacher asked me what my aim in life is, I answered spontaneously that I want to become a surgeon. Everybody laughed at me, except for my teacher. He said, "If you are hardworking, ambitious and disciplined, nothing is impossible."
The double standards of Pakistan's education system make the path towards achieving goals very difficult for a student like me - someone studying from a government school, especially if you are from a remote area like Gilgit Baltistan. But as my teacher said to me, if you are hardworking, ambitious and disciplined, you can achieve anything. I am now completing my training in general and laparoscopic surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. I have achieved 3 gold medals during my MBBS. As an example of a student from a remote area having accomplished my dream, I want to tell all the students of government schools that nobody can stop you if you are hardworking. You always get the fruit of your hard work one day! Though as a nation, we should seriously reconsider our education system - there is a huge difference between standards of schools and quality of education offered to different classes of our society. If we believe in equality of all human beings as Muslims, then we should change our education system to reflect that thinking so that our country can benefit from the intelligence of its youth."