In 1980 it was felt that an alumni of CSS officers posted in Sindh who had completed their common administrative training, could be formed with the sole objective of providing a common platform for the CSS officers who could meet each other and exchange views on matters of common interest and make the most of their leisure hours through entertainment activities like organizing dinners, musical programmes etc. without wasting any time, officers most of them belonging to the 3rd Common including Mr. Muhammad Yamin Khan, Ms. Nasreen Haq, Mr. Ejaz Pirzada, Mr. Junaid Qureshi, Mr. Irfan Nadeem, Ms. Zareen Ansari and Mr. Saleem Khan decided that an informal meeting might be called in the office of Ms. Nasreen Haq so that the proposed alumni could be formally created. Thus meeting was held in June 1980. In the meeting Mr. Irfan Nadeem was unanimously elected as the first chairman. The post of Vice Chairman was assigned to Ms. Nasreen Haq, Mr. Muhammad Yamin Khan became the Secretary and Zareen Ansari took charge as the treasurer of the Alumni while the remaining became Members of the Executive Council.
The newly created academy Alumni immediately started functioning. The first thing was to count the number of officers belonging to the various service groups posted in Sindh in 1980. It turned out that there were in total 80 officers. Then it was thought that there should be an insignia for the Alumni, which may depict the spirit of serving the people. Ms. Zarreen took this responsibility and went to the renowned artist Mr. Bashir Mirza who then created the insignia. The first inaugural function was held in 1980 at Hotel Metropole Karachi. The then Chief Secretary Sindh Mr. Masood-uz-Zaman was the Chief Guest and almost all the 80 officers attended the function. The photographs taken in the occasion were in black and white as it was not common to have colored photographs at that time.
In order to run the Alumni on democratic lines, it was decided to hold elections and in the beginning of 1981 elections were held. Ms. Rukhsana Jabbar Memon from the 1st Common of Pakistan Audit and Accounts Service was elected unopposed as chairperson. Ms. Rukhsana jabbar also organized a function at Hotel Metropole, which was presided over by Mr. Inayatullah, the then Director General of Civil Services Academy, Lahore. From then on, elections were regularly held and Mr. Irfan Nadeem from the 3rd Common Income Tax Group, Syed Nayyar Hasnain from the 1st Common Police Group and Mr. Muhammad Yamin Khan from the 3rd Common Police Group remained unopposed chairpersons. Mr. Irfan Nadeem also drafted the Constitution of Academy Alumni in the year 1982 when he was elected as Chairman for the second time. In 1987, the Executive Council changed the Academy’s insignia to include the words “Civil Services Academy Alumni” only in lieu “AA”. But in successive years, the incoming Executive Council followed the old insignia which is still in use.
It was 1989 when Mr. Muhammad Yamin Khan became the unopposed Chairman and after holding a number of social functions and welfare projects, handed over the charge of chairmanship to Ms. Nasreen Haq as he had to go to UK for M.Sc. Ms. Nasreen became the Acting Chairperson and was unanimously elected as the chairperson for the year 1990. During her tenure, she, with the consensus of her executive council members, changed the name of Academy Alumni to Civil Services Academy Alumni. Her point was that the word academy does not truly represent the “Civil Services” academy and leaves a vague idea about the nature of the organization, especially for those who do not belong to civil services. Therefore, since 1990, the word academy alumni is not in use and all the successive executive councils are now using the changed name of the Alumni which is “Civil Service Academy Alumni”.
Elections, in those times, went on without much competition, as the entire council was simply formed with the unanimous approval of all the members. However, in 1992, the members of the Alumni were so overwhelmed by the social and welfare activities that elections were held formally at Holiday Inn (now Hotel Marriot) under the supervision of Mr. Irfan Nadeem appointed by the council as the Chief Election Commissioner. Everyone was so intensely involved in the elections that even those who had not paid their annual subscriptions, stood in a queue and paid immediately just to be able to cast their vote. The two main contestants for chairmanship were Mr. Sardar Ameenullah from the 4th Common of Income Tax Group and. Mr. Zafar Ahmad Farooqi from the 3rd Common of Police Group. The timings for the elections were strictly observed and at the time of counting the votes it seemed as if these were the elections for the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan! Finally Mr. Sardar Ameenullah won.
In 1994, Mr. Asrar Rauf from the 4th Common of Income Tax Group became the unopposed elected Chairman and remained on this post till July 2002. The alumni held many social events during this time. In 2002 elections were held, and Muhammad Yamin Khan became the Chairman, Ms. Nasreen Haq Vice Chairperson, Ghufran Memon Secretary General and Shaista Abbas as Treasurer. Almost each executive council held functions, dinners and other social activities and the chief guests on such occasions were the Chief Ministers and Governors of the province of the Sindh, the federal secretaries and chief secretaries.
The executive council under the chairmanship of Mr. Muhammad Yamin Khan held many functions. The most prominent was at the Sindh Governors House on 2nd January 2005 where the Prime Minister of Pakistan was the chief guest. It was during this function that the Prime Minister announced the land for the officers which were subsequently allotted to them in 2007.
Mr. Muhammad Yamin Khan expired on 4th December 2008 and Vice Chairperson Ms. Nasreen Haq took over as the Chairperson of the alumni.
Presently there are more than 800 members of academy alumni who are serving in the geographical limits of Sindh Province.
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