Former Deputy Prime Minister of India is one of the 81 people who have traversed the hollowed corridor of St. Patrick's High School Karachi. This Patrician is facing a murder charge against the father of the nation Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Also among the list is the name of General Pervez Musharraf, ex-president of Pakistan, followed by Mr. Mohammad Khan Junejo, prime minister of Pakistan, followed immediately by the name of another prime minister Mr. Shaukat Aziz and number 10 is Mr. LK Advani followed by Mr. Justice Ajmal Mian, former chief justice of Pakistan, followed by Mr. Wajihuddin Ahmad, former chief justice of Sindh. These names are followed by Mr. Shahnawaz Bhutto and Mr. Illahi Bakhsh Somro described as senior politicians of Pakistan, Mr. Mahmood Haroon senior politician and former governor of Sindh, Air marshal Azeem Daudpotta, Mr. Yousuf Haroon, Mr. Iqbal Akram of World Bank, Mr. Jam Sadiq Ali, former chief minister of Sindh, Jam Yousuf Ali, former chief minister of Balochistan, Mr. Meer Hazaar Khan Bijrani, former federal minister and General Jahangir Kramat of the Pakistan Army, air chief Farooq Feroze Khan of the PAF, Admiral Khalid Meer of the Pakistan Navy. These are among the notable people who have been to same Patricks. After 150 years of service it was natural for the school that leads so many highups. As the advertisement 'supplement education for all since 1861' Saint Patrick High School says in its report.

“The history of St. Patrick's High School mirrors to a great extent the history of the city that gave it birth and which it is privileged to serve”.

“When the school opened its doors to its first handful of students on May 6, 1861, a mere 18 years had passed since the annexation of Sindh into the British Empire, when Karachi had been made the regional capital.”

It is but natural for a school to follow the life of city in which it was instituted and taken all types of people within its fold regarding caste, creed ethnic and economic distinction. The list of honour I have quoted from represents this basic truth. If we have people who nurtured democracy there are people who trampled it underfoot. The basic teaching of the school just nurtured the basic qualities of a man. Thus if LK Advani was a bigoted Hindu, he remains one despite all the good things St. Patrick must have taught him. Again if Mr. Pervez Musharraf was destined to treat democracy like nothing a man could not do without all the good things St. Patrick must have taught him, could dissuade him from taking the writers path. We can go like this on and on with the same result. There is nothing a school can do to change you. This is 150 years of St. Patrick and this will be another year for St. Anthony's. That school has not such a distinguished alumni, the list it will produce will be the same. This is perhaps what a school can do and must do. After all producing 1001 LK Advani will do no good to St. Patrick. So schools must continue to produce different boys in different colours. That is where the essence of life will continue as decided by God. I for one a student of Government Central Model School, Lahore as I am grateful that I am one of my class.