'30 seconds between life and death changed my life'
Bank of Punjab president Zafar Masud, who is one of the two survivors of PIA plane crash near Karachi Airport in May 2020, penned down the details of last 30 seconds he experienced before being rescued in a book titled Seat 1C.
Masud's book was launched at National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Karachi. The ceremony was attended by another survivor Zubair Ahmed, relatives of victims and people from different walks of life.
Addressing the ceremony, Zafar Masud said it a matter of fact that the plane crash experience can never be compared with any other ordeal in life. The duration of 30 seconds between the life and death was crucial and he learnt a lot from those 30 seconds and jotted down in the book.
"The events of my childhood, youth and other phases of life flashed into my mind when the game of my life was going to be over," said Masud. "I started talking to myself. In fact, I started talking to Allah that everything came to an end. However, I had a feeling that I would escape. I had a firm belief in Allah and He did not want to inflict this pain to my parents. Allah saved me miraculously," said Masud.
"When I was taken to hospital, I asked for a phone to inform my parents. I learnt a lesson from the incident that I should always keep my feet on the ground while flying in the air. I tried my level best to avoid writing the book in a dramatic style but I tried to inform the readers about the actual details without hurting anyone," he added.
Narrating details, Masud said, "The fire was about to reach the spot where I fell along with seat. Luckily, the rescue workers reached out to me and rescued me."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Pilgrims ascend Mount Arafat for Hajj climax
Faithful pray on Mount Arafat during the climax of Hajj pilgrimage outside the holy city of Makkah. Photo: Reuters Listen to article Muslim worshippers prayed on Mount Arafat during the high point of the Hajj pilgrimage on Thursday, as authorities urged them to avoid the hottest hours of the day after tragedy struck last year. Thousands of white-robed pilgrims recited verses from the holy Quran from dawn on the 70-metre (230 feet) rocky rise near Makkah, where the Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) gave his last sermon. But numbers thinned by midday following official warnings for pilgrims to stay inside between 10:00am and 4:00pm, a year after 1,301 people died in temperatures that hit 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit). Delivering the annual Hajj sermon at Masjid-e-Nimrah in Arafat, the Imam and Khateeb of the Grand Mosque, Sheikh Dr Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid, emphasised the profound spiritual and unifying significance of the Day of Arafah, urging Muslims around the world to uphold the true essence of Islam through faith, humility, and sincere devotion to Allah. Addressing the pilgrims, Sheikh Dr Humaid highlighted Islam's core principles, underscoring the importance of monotheism, compassion, moral conduct, and social justice. He called on believers to strengthen their connection with Allah through constant remembrance, heartfelt prayers, and righteous deeds, especially on this sacred day known for divine mercy and the acceptance of supplications. "The Day of Arafah is not only a symbol of unity for the Ummah but also a reminder of our collective submission to the Creator. On this day, Allah's mercy descends abundantly, and prayers are answered. Let us fill our hearts with gratitude and our tongues with His praise," he said. "I came here early to (avoid) the sun and later I will pray inside my tent," said 54-year-old Adel Ismail, from Syria. Saudi authorities have taken several steps to reduce the risk from heat at the Hajj, which has drawn more than 1.6 million pilgrims to one of the world's hottest regions, according to fresh figures published on Thursday. Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands more medics are on standby and more than 400 cooling units have been deployed, the hajj minister told AFP last week. The Saudis have also cracked down on unregistered, non-fee paying pilgrims, who lack access to the full amenities and made up more than 80 percent of last year's deaths. On Thursday, icepacks were handed to people walking towards Mount Arafat, with some placing the small bags on their heads. With temperatures reaching 42C (107.6F), officials ushered people away if they spent too long in one place near the bouldered hill, which had fans spraying mist and cool air at its foot. Late Thursday afternoon, pilgrims began making their way to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and the sprawling tent city of Mina, where they will gather pebbles for Friday's symbolic "stoning of the devil". Despite the heat, they were generally delighted to be performing the Hajj. "I don't think about the sun or the temperature or anything like that," said Ahmed, a 44-year-old from Egypt. "Because standing in Arafat is a great thing and a beautiful day, and as you can see, all the pilgrims" are doing it. Ali, 33, from Pakistan, said he felt "blessed" to take part. "This is something that I used to see every year on the TV screen during Hajj and I always thought: "I wish I could be here'," he said. Through tears of joy, Iman Abdel Khaleq said she had wanted to perform the Hajj for 10 years and was overwhelmed with emotion as she arrived at Arafat. "It's a big dream for me that I had almost given up hope of realising," the Egyptian woman in her 50s told AFP from the foot of the mount. Saudi officials said the heat-mitigation measures implemented this Hajj had largely been successful in preventing a repeat of last year. "We are encountering a limited number of heat related illnesses cases this year and this is evidence of the effectiveness of all the organisation measures as well as preventive measures," said Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aali, Saudi Arabia's assistant minister of health. Along with the anti-heat measures and thousands of extra personnel, Saudi Arabia is also using an arsenal of high-tech tools to help better manage crowds. More than 15,000 cameras run through artificial intelligence software are monitoring the holy sites and walkways during an event that has a history of deadly stampedes. This year, officials have also clamped down hard on unregistered pilgrims looking to sneak into Makkah, using raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
Key infrastructure projects face delays
Two major signal-free road infrastructure projects in Rawalpindi, worth over Rs6.5 billion, have missed their completion deadlines, causing significant inconvenience to residents. These include the Nawaz Sharif Flyover at Khawaja Corporation Chowk on Adiala Road and underpasses on Mall Road at KTM Chowk, Mall Plaza, and the pedestrian underpass at Medicine Market. While the flyover at Khawaja Corporation Chowk has been completed, carpeting and beautification work remains pending. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had set a deadline of May 31 for its completion, but the project remains unfinished. This project alone costs Rs2.3 billion. Similarly, the Rs4.38 billion underpasses and pedestrian underpass project on Mall Road, originally set for completion in 45 days, remains incomplete even after 100 days. As a result, access to key locations including hospitals, the Mega Medicine Market, PIA, State Life, and Cantonment offices has been disrupted. Zahid Bakhtawari, President of Anjuman Shehriyan Rawalpindi, criticised the delay, sayinag the situation has become unbearable for patients and businesses. Promises made to complete the work in 45 days have not been fulfilled. PML-N MNA from Cantt, Malik Abrar Ahmed, stated efforts are ongoing to prevent further delays. He emphasized that in high-level meetings, authorities have been directed to speed up the work. If both projects are completed within the next 15 days, a joint inauguration could be held, pending the Chief Minister's schedule. While C\&W Department officials had earlier confirmed the May 31 deadline, they are now unwilling to comment on the delay.
Express Tribune
29-05-2025
- Express Tribune
The problem of evil
Listen to article If God is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent and omnibenevolent, how does He allow the existence of 'evil', such as suffering, natural disaster, sin or immorality. This question has challenged theologians and philosophers through the ages. A classic example is of a baby deer burning in a forest fire, and the question why God did not save it. This is like putting God in man's shoes. The question is, are the life and working of a creator-engineer and the washing machine he creates same? Can a constructed robot designed to follow a code of conduct demand the same code from the scientists who made it. Certainly, God is capable of creating many worlds free from all evil, corruption, hurt; His own abode and the Heavens He has promised the good-doers are such worlds. But this present world, of the Earthly life and the Universe that bounds it, is specially designed as a 'test' for humanity. Though it may seem to be boundless in time and space, it is really a speck in God creative space. And it is evident that this design has elements of construction and destruction, of life and death, of systems within systems within systems. And inevitably it has elements of good and evil so that humans may choose between them with their freewill. The Quran says, "We will surely test you with things of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient" Al-Baqarah (2:155). So, for those who have goodness in their hearts, hardships, pain and loss will push them towards the better choices like of patience, perseverance, sacrifice, altruism, and trust in the greater good. Therefore, man is not in a position to question the morality of God, because He is in a fundamentally different and unknowable matrix: "Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives the visions; and He is the Intricate-Knower" Al-Anaam (6:106). Therefore, regarding the baby deer burning in a forest fire, only Allah knows what matter belies between Him and the fawn and how He saves it from undue pain; we are not in a position to ask. On the other hand, whatever immorality is committed by humans resonates in his/her own life, in his/her community and their generations. Every human act has repercussions. So, the Quran says, "Whatever affliction befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed. And He pardons much" Ash-Shura (42:30). An-Nisa (4:79) further clarifies this by saying, "Whatever good befalls you is from Allah, and whatever evil befalls you is from yourself." Human perception is finite and prone to misjudgment in the face of Divine Wisdom, Who does not deny justice but has deferred ultimate justice for the final day of judgment. In Asrar-e-Khudi, poem 5, titled 'Dar Biyan Aynke Asal Nizam-e-Alam Az Khudi Ast', Iqbal elaborates that God is the beholder of the ultimate and absolute khudi (ego), and the material world is the remains of the secret doings of the ultimate khudi. Khudi creates the 'other' or 'evil', to realise itself and its goodness. Evil emerges from His creative power only so that He can crush it down. As in Al-Anfal (8:8), "that He may make-true Truth and falsify Falsehood, distasteful though it be to the criminals." Iqbal says that the design of the universe is extravagant and so much goes through the stages of destruction for the creation of new beginnings and new meanings. And only with the duality of opposing realities is created the copious mural of being and becoming; of self-realisation and self-actualisation; of challenge, agency and action. The Quran also gives a hint of evil as being part of the grand design of God's creative power, when it talks of the Tree of Zaqqum, "For We have truly made it a trial for the wrong-doers. Lo! it is a tree that springs in the heart of hell" As-Saaffat (37:63, 64). And is it possible that it is the same tree that was given an opening in the garden where Adam and Eve were stationed and of which God had ordained Adam not to come close to nor taste of it, yet if Adam would not have tasted from the evil tree, the story of mankind would not have begun. The purpose of life on Earth would not have commenced, there would be no test, no trial, no tribulation. And mankind would not have been shifted through the sieve that would separate the vain from the humble; the self-loving desirous from the oft-giving altruist; the gluttonous genocide-approvers from the planet-friendly saviors of humanity; the lovers of corruption and malice from the lovers of goodness and piety. Nor would humanity be able to actualise its love or hate for the Creator and source of all goodness, God! Therefore, instead of judging God, upon the seemingly present physical evil, for which there may be justification hidden to us for reasons, humanity should concentrate upon moral evil of which it may itself be guilty of. And if humanity would indeed believe truly upon God and tread the good path He has identified for us, perhaps then He would defer the present 'evil' and ordain for the present world only copious growth and prosperity, like He promised the people through Noah and said, "I ask you to seek forgiveness from your Lord, He is the oft-forgiving. He will send rain to you in abundance. And will aid you with wealth and sons, and will make for you gardens and make for you rivers" Noah (71;12). And even though Noah remained among his people for 'a thousand less fifty years' Al-Ankabut (29: 14) before the flood came, they ridiculed him, scolded him and plotted against him, and in place of the love of God, they said " forsake not Wadd, nor Suwa', nor Yaghuth and Ya'uq and Nasr" (71:23). So, evil is not in the heart of God, it is in the heart of hell; only the hearts of humanity do not shudder of its very thought, rather humanity embraces it in its hearts, in place of the love of God. "He will not be questioned as to that which He doeth, but they will be questioned" Al-Anbiya (21:23).
