Dr. Tariq Hassan, My Younger Brother

DR DR. TARIQ HASSAN, MY YOUNGER BROTHER By Dr. Parvez Hassan, Senior Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan and Senior Partner, Hassan and Hassan (Advocates) Dr. Tariq Hassan passed away on 2 May 2024 in his house in suburban Washington D.C. where he stayed on his visits to the U.S. He was buried in Falls Church, Virginia, on 4 May 2024, in the presence of all his immediate family members. Having Tariq as my younger brother was one of the more precious blessings of my life, coming close after the blessing of parenthood; brothers are normally bonded by the connectivity that comes with being a member of the same family but Tariq and I had the extra bonding that comes with sharing the same educational institutions, interests, value system and profession, to some extent, friendships, and much much more. Tariq's indestructible integrity, reliability, honesty, love, caring and respect for each member of the family, and friends, best describe his legacy; I was always in awe of his dedication to "others first" as a regular flow in his life. My first memory related to Liaquat, as Tariq was first named when born, was the news of his birth when I, then about 10, and my elder sister, Parveen, were hostel students in St. Mary's Convent, Multan; I had somehow received the news, I do not remember how, before Parveen, and I rushed to her class, in full session, and jumped up and down outside her class window signaling the arrival of a baby brother. I also remember that, a few months later, I saw Tariq's enlarged baby photograph in a framed display in the shop of a photographer in the Bahawalpur bazaar; of course, we bought the photograph and I see that photograph present in the display of family photographs. Tariq and I shared the same schools and colleges in Pakistan and I was delighted that, like me, he chose Harvard Law School for his Doctorate in Law (as well as for his Masters in Law while I did my Masters at Yale); I recall that a few decades ago, Syed Babar Ali, a friend and mentor, called to reveal his research that in the 350 years history of Harvard University, Tariq and I were the only two brothers that had Doctorates of Law from there; this led to the photograph of the two brothers with our proud parents commemorating the only parents ever to have two sons with Doctorates of Law from Harvard; this photograph is in prominent display at my house as it is in Tariq's. Tariq rounded his brilliant academic performance at Harvard by working for the coveted Brahmin U.S. law firm, Shearman and Sterling, in New York; my visits with him there showed the high professional respect given him by the New York high street legal establishment. In Pakistan, on return, he became a partner of Hassan and Hassan and led it to be one of the most respected and professional law firms in the country. He did much more: he commuted regularly to Lahore to teach law at the LUMS law school which developed to the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law; Tariq also joined the family to launch the Razia Hassan School of Architecture at the Beaconhouse National University; I mention these two events as Tariq was immeasurably delighted that our parents were so honoured in two leading educational institutions in Pakistan. I add that it was at the ground breaking ceremony of the Law School (SAHSOL) that Tariq had arrived late because of some problems with his stomach during the drive from Islamabad; he did not get a chance to change and arrived in a green polo shirt; his giving a memento from the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan family to the Vice Chancellor LUMS remains my favourite photograph of that event in my book, Stories of Gratitude; it was in the next 2 days that I accompanied him for medical tests in Lahore that it was first discovered that he may have cancer; soon thereafter, I accompanied him to New York for his first visit to Sloane Kettering; that was a challenging time but it showed me first hand Tariq's courage, resilience, personal bravery and his total submission to the will of Allah! When the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) awarded me the Living Legend Award 2023 in Islamabad at the end of November 2023, I was devastated that Tariq with whom I intimately shared all my failures and successes in life could not attend the event because his health had deteriorated and I suspect the cancer which had been remarkably controlled and steadied for 8-9 years had gone rogue; I always stayed with Tariq in Islamabad and he made it a point each time I stayed with him to inform me that I should treat his house as mine and stay there whether he is himself in Islamabad or not; this time, he was so unwell that Omar, my son, his wife, Fatima, daughter, Natasha and I decided to stay with Mona Khalil, my niece-in-law, her husband then out of town; but while Omar and family drove straight to Khalil's house, I headed straight to Tariq for his blessings before the award; on my request, we sat out in the garden, with the flowers in bloom and the amazing diversity of birds in sight; he looked very weak, likely having lost over 30 lbs since I last met him, and most effusively regretted that much as he would want, he will not be able to attend the award; the meeting was, otherwise, warm and special in the love, affection and respect that he held out and when I left for Khalil's house about an hour later, I was overwhelmed with emotions to a break-down. Four hours later, as I sat on the SDPI ceremony stage surrounded by the over dozen speakers in support of my award, I saw some one who looked like Tariq in the first row of the audience; I could not believe what I saw and those who were watching the entire event in person or on line next witnessed me get up on the stage and walk down the long distance to greet, hug and kiss Tariq; I am sure that he, encouraged by his wife and my bhabi, Riffat, had made the herculean effort to see his brother receive the award in a ceremony and speeches that lasted well over 3 hours; his presence really mattered more than the award I received that night; I was dehydrated and rushed briefly to a hospital that night and fatigued and exhausted as he surely was, Tariq stayed with me holding me and my hand till I walked out of the hospital. And, I asked for more the next day; I called him from Khalil's and invited myself to lunch with him before my departure for Lahore; again, I asked Faraz, Tariq's house-keeper, to get the chairs out in the garden to my favourite eating place surrounded by the flowers, greenery and bird life; Tariq had his menu for lunch but I had Faraz make me my favourite sandwiches; the lunch and this meeting in the garden, always relished by both of us, lasted my last 90 minutes with Tariq; in spite of his physical condition, Tariq walked me down to my car and although he spoke bravely about returning, fully mended, after his upcoming visit with Riffat to New York and Sloane Kettering, I had begun to think of this as my last meeting with my beloved brother; the totally silent 4 hours journey to Lahore with Sher Zaman, my driver, was full of my fond memories with Tariq and the immeasurable ways in which he had touched, guided, gladdened and inspired my life. The quality of Tariq's life was such that it has shone much on his passing; he has been widely mourned by friends, colleagues, and admirers from all over the world; as his law partner, I received numerous messages of condolences with unique and generous recognitions of his virtues: students mention his dedication and mentorship; his colleagues in the professional bodies that he worked with mention his vision, integrity and ready ability to stand up to wrong-doing; his friends mention his cheer and wit; his adversaries comment on his fairness; his siblings treasured his devotion and caring and his being there for each of us when we needed him; he organised a cousin online chat group and was each cousin's "favourite", confidante and the first port of call for the happy and not so happy events of their lives. Tariq is no more but his remarkable legacy will continue to shine, inspiring and touching lives for a long long time. Particularly effusive tributes to Tariq have appeared in the national press from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the Pakistan Microfinance Investment Company Limited. The Audit Oversight Board held a memorial reference for him on 6 May 2024 when its past and current leadership acknowledged Tariq's pioneering contributions as its first Chairman and his profound influence on the AOB trajectory. The tribute of AOB which he chaired, 2016-2019, well sums up a life well-lived: Dr. Tariq Hassan's enduring legacy will be remembered and cherished by all who knew him. Dr. Tariq Hassan was well known for his unwavering integrity, and set a standard of excellence in everything he did .Beyond his professional accomplishments, Dr. Tariq Hassan leaves behind a legacy of warmth and fellowship. His presence in our midst was a source of inspiration and comfort to all who had the privilege of working alongside him. We will fondly remember the moments we shared, cherishing the memories of his wisdom, and his absence leaves a void in the hearts of many, but his legacy will continue to inspire generations to come. The SECP that Tariq chaired, 2003-2006, adds: A true visionary, he was determined to establish a robust enabling environment and promote effective supervision of regulated entities. This endeavour proved to be pivotal in the enhancement of the long-term competitiveness and growth of Pakistan's Capital Markets, especially the Nonbanking Financial Sector. We, at SECP, shall remain indebted to Dr. Hassan for his service, for it will continue to inspire us and strengthen our resolve of working towards a prosperous and vibrant financial sector for Pakistan. Tariq's other associations with the Government of Pakistan as the Advisor to the Finance Minister and prolonged terms as the Director of the State Bank of Pakistan were equally stellar and appreciated. His international career experiences included the International Fund for Agricultural Development ("IFAD") in Rome, and as Counsel in the Legal Department of the World Bank in Washington D.C. for several years. These accounted for the voluminous flow of condolatory messages from all over the world. Any one close to Tariq readily noticed his closeness and love for his family, and his children; I think a father par excellence and I was overwhelmed with personal admiration for his so nobly handling their personal lives; a man, truly, for all seasons; I will inshallah be there, during my life, for any support and guidance needed by Riffat and the children, Ali, Zain and Sara. Each of them provided unbounded love, affection and respect during his life time and a 24/7 caring dedication to him as he struggled, courageously and with divine faith and inspiration, with cancer. Tariq's friends from all over Pakistan joined in a well-attended, particularly including lawyers, judges and the corporate sector, duaa for him in Lahore on 5 May 2024. All prayed for divine benefaction and for his soul to rest in eternal peace, Ameen. Thank you, Tariq, for your love, respect, loyalty, and friendship and above, all, for the joy and cheer you brought in my life. One of the great regrets of my life will always be that I did not pay my respects to him in his final days at his house on Pine Street (in suburban D.C.) in Virginia (where, incidentally, my daughter, Yasmeen, was married) but I did make many many efforts for this and even booked seats to D.C. but Tariq, always considerate of the inconvenience of others, came back, through Riffat, with a very firm NO to my request; I will always wonder whether Fatima's advice to me to go, notwithstanding the NO, was better.