HAVING been born in Vancouver (Canada) in 1952, my aunt narrated about the occasion being interestingly happy and as per the traditions my father sent for one of his cousin's son to go and buy sweets for distribution amongst the neighbors who instead bought a lot of Arabian dates saying that somebody told him that they were more sweet than the otherwise cookies and sweets! Father bringing a mullah for singing Azan in my ear was advised that this is seemingly lucky son you got and bringing him to his own environment in Pakistan. So my family  all agreed to this and after some time my parents took me to Peshawar so I may grow up within own people!  The distinct childhood memory with me is that of trains. Actually, after my birth my uncle was given my custody as my parents returned back to Vancouver and uncle who had moved into Peshawar, the provincial capital situated 40 miles west of our ancestral village. There my Uncle was working as govt servant in the northwestern Frontier Province and our official residence that I remember was in Civil Quarters just a stone's throw from the Peshawar Railway Station. My My Uncle had to work around the clock from dawn to dusk and had hardly any time to attend to me save on Sundays. And on one such Sunday he led me to the local railway station to watch the arrival of a new railroad engine. Operated by diesel fuel, this new engine was a gift from the US government to help Pakistan replace its traditional steam engines with the modern ones. 

It was my happy days of childhood  knowing not if I was living with my parents or cousins so we were all 4 brothers that I can remember by finding myself sitting high on the back of my second brother Johar Iqbal bringing me all the times to various places of interests in the city and cantonment bazaars particularly to the Railway station every week end while on Eid they used to take me and my younger brother to celebration centers. He was four years elder to me and was always loving and caring