A figure of his stature cannot escape the social web of D.I. Khan. He is frequently invited to baraats (weddings). These are not quick affairs but multi-hour commitments, the primary entertainment being the dhol (drum), the attan dance (performed by younger men, he mostly taps his foot), and the lavish meal. He also attends milads (religious gatherings) and jirgas (councils) when his academic opinion is sought. These events blur the line between duty, lifestyle, and entertainment; they are the social glue of his existence.
Professor Rashid of Gomal University is not a celebrity academic nor a lifestyle influencer. He is a pillar of his community, living a life of quiet dignity in a corner of Pakistan that the mainstream often overlooks. His entertainment is found in the rustle of a book page, the spirited debate over tea, the laughter of a grandchild, and the respectful nod of a former student who has become a civil servant. His lifestyle is a testament to the idea that a rich life does not require a rich environment—it requires a rich mind and a rooted heart. In the measured cadence of his days, from the Fajr prayer to the evening mujlis , Professor Rashid has found not just a routine, but a philosophy. And that, perhaps, is the most profound entertainment of all. professor rashid scandal gomal university d i khan
By 8:00 AM, dressed in a clean, pressed shalwar kameez —usually in sober tones of off-white or light blue, paired with a well-worn blazer for winter months—he departs for the university. The commute is short, a ten-minute drive through the quiet streets of the university town. Unlike his counterparts in large cities, Professor Rashid does not battle traffic; he battles the dust and the occasional herd of goats crossing the road. His car, a reliable if aging Toyota Corolla, is less a status symbol than a practical necessity. A figure of his stature cannot escape the social web of D
The concept of "entertainment" for Professor Rashid is far removed from multiplex cinemas, nightclubs, or even modern shopping malls—all absent from D.I. Khan. Instead, his leisure activities fall into three distinct spheres: intellectual, domestic, and community-based. These are not quick affairs but multi-hour commitments,
Professor Rashid is a family man. His evenings, after the Asr prayer, are often spent in the company of his grandchildren. Here, entertainment is simple: a board game of Ludo , a storytelling session from the Puran Bhagat folktales of the region, or simply watching a cricket match on a modest LED television. Pakistan Super League (PSL) season is a genuine event; he and his sons will crowd around the screen, analyzing a Shaheen Afridi yorker with the same intensity they would a scholarly footnote. On rare weekends, he takes his family to the Gomal Zam Dam, a short drive away. The still blue water against the brown mountains provides a serene picnic spot—a place for quiet reflection and a flask of qehwa .
Lunch is a ritual. He avoids the faculty canteen’s fried fare. Instead, he brings a tiffin prepared by his wife: a simple portion of roti , a sabzi like karela or bhindi , and perhaps a slice of mango in season. He often shares this with younger, unmarried faculty members, offering not just food but mentorship. These lunchtime discussions, held under the shade of a beri tree, range from departmental politics to the quality of the latest Pakistani drama serial (a guilty pleasure he rarely admits to) to the geopolitical implications of the Afghan border situation.
In the rugged terrain of Dera Ismail Khan, where the ancient Suleman Mountains kiss the sky and the Indus River carves its persistent path, life moves at a rhythm distinct from the metropolitan hum of Karachi or the frantic pace of Lahore. To be an academic at Gomal University—the region’s premier institution, born from the optimism of the 1970s—is to embrace a vocation that is as much about social stewardship as it is about intellectual pursuit. Professor Rashid, a senior figure in the faculty, embodies this unique synthesis. His lifestyle and entertainment are not defined by extravagance or urban recreation but by a deliberate, measured cadence of discipline, community integration, and intellectual nourishment.