Professor of Physics (1966-1973)

Raja Khadim Sb graduated in Physics and went on to get his M.Sc. degree from the University of Punjab in 1965. His first job was at Cadet College Petaro which he joined in 1966 as a teacher of Physics. I distinctly remember the slim, young man who joined Petaro that year when I was in my Matric. He had a strong Punjabi accent when he spoke English, which continues to be the hallmark of his speech to this day.

Raja Khadim Sb was very popular amongst the cadets for his very special style of dealing with them. He was a friend of friends for the cadets since we were less than 10 years apart in age. And he would take their pranks in stride. We are like friends even now.

The very next year after joining Petaro, he was appointed the first Associate House Master of Qasim House under Toor Sahib. The Qasim House boys therefore had a lot more interaction with him.

He was always into sports, and was appointed the Officer In Charge of the College Football Team and the College Sports Officer. He played a great role in grooming the college football team to victory during the ICCST tournaments in the late 1960s.

In 1971, he got an opportunity to apply to join the Pakistan Navy. However, he finally left Petaro in 1973 when he got the commission. He was chosen to join the Computer Branch of the Navy in the rank of a lieutenant.

He remained in the navy for 20 years, and took his retirement in 1993 (while he was a Commander) to go and pursue his career as a civilian. During his naval career, he was also posted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with the Royal Saudi Navy for a period of 3 years on deputation. His final six years in the Navy were in the position of Director Data Processing at the Naval Headquarters.

After leaving the navy, he pursued his career in software development. He worked for Coopers & Lybrand during 1994-1995, and then joined IBM Pakistan in Islamabad from 1995-1999. This gave him the opportunity to move on to the position of a Senior IT Consultant on the World Bank funded National Drainage Program of WAPDA at Lahore from 1999 to 2005.

He now leads a semi-retired life in Islamabad, but keeps himself active by taking on private consulting work time and again.

Raja Khadim Sb was one of the guests of honour at the CCP Golden Jubilee celebrations at Petaro in February 2007. His nostalgic speech at one of the sessions of his days at Petaro can be viewed in the following movie:

• Speech by Prof. Raja Khadim Hussain at CCP Golden Jubilee

Cdr.(R) Raja Khadim Hussain - 1998

An Autobiography

by Cdr.(R) Raja Khadim Hussain

I started my career as Master in Physics at Cadet College Petaro. Frankly speaking I never thought of following a teaching career. However, I found Petaro as totally different place than ordinary colleges.

At the time of joining Petaro, I was under 23 and had a passion for sports. I found right kind of stuff and facilities were available over there. Although I was not a cadet but being a staff member I had the privilege of utilizing all the available facilities like riding, swimming pool, squash & tennis courts besides shooting and billiards. With the passage of time I got myself so much involved in Petaro that I preferred to stay on there for seven long years. This experience also gave me kind of grooming which proved extremely useful in my future career.

I knew very little about Petaro before joining the college. Upon reaching Hyderabad to join Petaro, I mistakenly boarded a wagon heading towards Pithoro. Upon finding my mistake, a kind gentleman guided me to the place from where I could get a bus for Petaro. When I reached Petaro, the lush green football ground impressed me most.

Besides teaching Physics, I was entrusted with other duties too. I was appointed the Associate House Master of Qasim House, Officer In Charge of the College Football Team and College Sports Officer. At one stage I had a choice to become House Master but I preferred the post of Sports Officer instead. I played a pivotal role in organizing Inter Cadet Colleges Sports Tournaments.

I must also admit that I was a bit rough in the class room but it was all out of sincerity. I was harsher with the cadets who were close to me since my objective was to help them improve further.

I also arranged the first ever foreign tour of cadets to Afghanistan and Iran. The group consisted of 18 cadets and started the tour from Peshawar. We visited Kabul, Ghazni, Qandahar, Herat in Afghanistan and Mashhad, Tehran, Caspian Sea, Isfahan, Yazd, Kirman, Zahedan in Iran. The trip lasted for 21 days and ended at Quetta. Total per head expenditure inclusive of transportation, living and meals was only Rs 750. It was a wonderful trip and everybody enjoyed it.

With a very heavy heart, I finally left Petaro in July 1973 to join Computer Branch of Pakistan Navy in the rank of Lieut. My departure was heart rending. However, I realized that in the process I had built up a priceless treasure in the form of hundreds of sincere friends spread throughout the country and abroad. If I think retrospectively, probably the atmosphere and sincere relationship with the cadets at Petaro was the main reason to stay on; and I am proud of this association even today. It was a wonderful period at Petaro and I value it so much. To be a teacher at Petaro is a great thing and this feeling is demonstrated each time I come across the ex cadets.

During my Naval career I was lucky to have so many Petarians all around me. Whenever I went to any Naval establishment/ship, I was always greeted by the ex cadets. This was a matter of great consolation and pride.

I was stationed at Karachi during most of my tenure in the Navy. During the penultimate six years I worked as Director Data Processing at Naval Headquarters, Islamabad. I also had 3 year deputation with Saudi Navy in Riyadh. It was a pleasant surprise to meet a few ex Petarians in Riyadh as well. The Naval career also gave me an opportunity to visit UK, France and USA for official business. I was awarded TI(M) for my hard work to improve & develop computerization in Pakistan Navy. Finally I got release from Navy in the rank of Commander.

After leaving Pakistan Navy, I gained a lot of experience in the field of software development and management. By the grace of GOD, I was lucky to have very good jobs even after my retirement. This included 2 years with Coopers & Lybrand USA project at OGDC Islamabad, four years with IBM Pakistan at Islamabad, and 5 years as senior IT consultant with National Drainage Program at Lahore (WAPDA Water Wing), a project funded by World Bank.

Presently I am living in Islamabad along with my wife. I have one son and three daughters, all married. My son is a doctor and presently is doing fellowship in cardiology, after completion of residency in USA.