I hope this letter finds you in the highest level of Heaven, resting in the eternal peace promised by Allah (SWT) and His Messenger (PBUH) to those who guide and inspire others in their quest for knowledge.

Some know you as Dr Shaukat Mahmood, the respected HEC professor, historian and environmental and architectural conservationist. Others remember you by your pen name, Maxim, the cartoonist whose sharp wit and perceptive drawings captured the social and political mood of the times.

You have been involved in the noblest of professions - teaching, mentoring and enlightening the paths of countless students. Spending 64 years on the front line of education is a testament to your unwavering devotion, patience and profound intellect. You have often graciously written my reference letters as my PhD supervisor. You would begin, "I know of Ms. Kamran as …". But today, I look back and wonder what I truly knew of you.

What began as a formal academic relationship with a Professor of the History of Islamic Architecture........

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