A sitting with Faraz Inam Siddiqui - A.B.C fame

On Nov 28, 2009, I was in office, it was almost 6pm, time to close work and leave for home when I found my cellphone buzzing. I picked the phone up and had to experience a strange voice. This conversation went like this:

Faisal: Hello!
Anonymous: Assalam O Aalikum. This is Faraz.
Faisal: WAS. Faraz….Faraz… Who Faraz?
Anonymous: Faraz Inam. Faisal the one who worked in ABC. Now you may know.
Faisal says: Faraz… is it is really you? I can’t believe it (Shouts with pleasure)
Faraz Inam: haha… (smiles)

Well this was the initial conversation I had on phone with Faraz Inam Siddiqui when he came to Pakistan this November. Later, he invited me to his home for a meet up but we couldn’t see each other as he was extremely busy with his father at hospital. On 2nd December, we decided to catch-up at CMH where his father was being treated. It was 8 o clock when I called him after reaching CMH and told that I was waiting outside ward.


After few moments, he popped up, walking in the ward, wearing spectacles with blue jeans and black upper. I was surprised to see him live for the first time ever in my life albeit I saw him several times on TV screen. The guy is 6 feet 3 inches – quite tall. He asked me to come on in. We settled around a table and started talking. After formal hello hi, our discussion went to Alpha Bravo Charlie. He told me that the actual plot of the drama was changed due to him as he was doing MBA from LUMS those days and was in final semesters. Shoaib Mansoor wanted him to take a break but he couldn’t do so.

The actual plot of the drama was to promote Faraz in Army Aviation camp in Lahore to be a pilot and to rescue Captain Kashif (Abdullah) from Siachen glaciers. Due to non-availability of time with Faraz, we had to see Kashif getting disabled otherwise there could have been a pleasant ending of the drama. We discussed Sunehray Din, Shahnaz Khan and Gulsher (Lt. col. Qasim Khan ) too.

Upon sensing my involvement with the characters of the drama, he got me Qasim and Abdullah over phone. It was great to talk to them. I found Qasim’s personality very hospitable. Abdullah was as good as he used to be in the drama. We could have talked to Shahnaz Khan (now Shahnaz Khawaja) but left the idea out due to different time zones between Pakistan and USA. Later, he offered me a cup of tea and got me introduced with his mother. I found Faraz a real gem of a person, loaded with kindness, down to earth and a guy feeling himself very ordinary all the time. Next day, he left for UAE where he works with a bank now. This was the summary of my meeting with Mr. Alpha with heart of gold.