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Exactly one year ago, Pakistan did not just lose an icon but also lost one of the most learned and beautiful human beings of the country. It has been exactly 365 days since Junaid Jamshed left us for the hereafter.
On December 7, 2016, PIA Flight PK661 crashed near Havelian, taking the lives of Junaid Jamshed and 40 other people while returning from Abbottabad. It was the day when the whole country mourned and felt the pain of his family because JJ wasn’t just an ordinary Pakistan, he was the perfect example.
One year on, Junaid Jamshed’s eldest son, Taimur Junaid, on his social media profile, paid a tribute to his late father and explained his feelings. Here’s what he had to say:
“All year I’ve been dreading this day, I have been trying to escape but wherever I’ve gone people have been asking me, it’s been a year how do I feel? Nothing has changed. How can it, it’s not something that can heal with time if anything it’s become worse. Every day I have to wake up and just try to move on because there’s always something that reminds me of u.
Recently I found out this one incident I hadn’t heard before quoted by one of dad’s friend’s, Maulana Imran Baseer, One time a driver came to pick dad up for his show (Ary). Dad saw the driver had sleep in his eyes. Dad asked him, “lagta hai neend Puri nahee huwi”. He said, Jee, Woh dosra driver available nahee tha. Double shift karni pari. Right after that dad asked him, nashta kiya hai? Dad understood from his silence that he hadn’t.
Dad took him inside the house. Brought him breakfast himself and then drove the car himself. Right before they reached he stopped the car on the side. And told the driver to take it or else if someone saw dad driving, the driver’s job would come in jeopardy. Nobody knew about this till the driver told Maulana Imran.
Even from back in the day, I met one of the organizers of his show, he said he had organized many shows. He said right before dad went on stage I asked him, Junaid bhai aglay show ki lights ka Kya karna hai? Dad replied “I know someone who u can give this job to”. He asked, “who?” Dad pointed at this student who was standing far away backstage. The organizer described the student’s appearance and said, “Junaid bhai he kahaan say karay ga?” Dad replied “Hum har waqt logoon ko khush karnay Kay liye cheezain kartay hain. Kabhi Allah ko khush karnay Kay liye bhi karna chaye aur agar tum Ye kaam is student say loh ge toh tum iska bhulla toh karo ge Kya pata iss baat say Allah bhi khush hojain”.
He was all about pleasing people and that’s what we need to bring in our life. That’s what I’ve been trying to do for the past year. While writing I just got a call from this person in the UK, telling me that he met dad once and that he misses him so much because of the way dad met him and made him feel loved.
I’ve said it many times, for me, he was just my dad but he was connected to literally millions of people around the world. This past year has made me realize that all this respect and love he got was because he sacrificed something he loved for Allah, which is a lesson for me and everyone who followed him and loved him!
We want Taimur Junaid and the rest of his family to know that Junaid Jamshed was loved and adored, and one year later, we too, feel the same pain of losing him. We pray and wish that he earns the highest makaam in Jannah, and his family always stay happy, knowing that Junaid Jamshed is looking over them from above.
