A Window into Bhera’s Past: The Story of a Christian Family
In 1995, while serving at the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate, I came across Mr. Sarfraz Alexander, who was then working in the Press Information Department in Islamabad (he also served with PTV). During our conversations, I learned that he belonged to Bhera. He mentioned his elder brother, Mr. Iven Anwar, who had spent a longer period in Bhera and was now settled in Rawalpindi. My curiosity was instantly piqued—keen to explore Bhera’s past and its people. I sought a meeting with Mr. Iven.
Mr. Iven Anwar, a retired engineer from the Agriculture Department, welcomed me warmly and graciously shared his family’s story, offering a window into Bhera’s Christian community.
His father, Alexander Hussain Bux, was the son of parents who converted to Christianity in 1884, around the time when the American United Presbyterian Mission established a presence in Bhera. Tragically, during the epidemic of 1903, young Alexander lost both his parents. His paternal uncle allegedly attempted to take his life to gain the family property. It was then that the wife of Pastor Sundar Das Jessue—fondly known in Bhera as “Papa Jee”—took him in. A close friend of Alexander’s mother, she and her husband raised and educated the orphaned boy.
Papa Jee’s wife was a qualified midwife and widely respected in the 1930s for assisting with deliveries for elite families of Bhera. After completing his middle school education in Bhera, Hussain Bux moved to Lahore, where he continued his studies and joined the railways. Eventually, he was posted back to Bhera.
He married Raj Alexander, and together, they raised a family of four sons and three daughters—all born and raised in Bhera. Of the siblings, Iven Anwar remained most deeply connected to the town. The others, having moved to Lahore at a younger age, retained only faint memories of their early years in Bhera.
One of Iven’s aunts, Miss Katharine, was a teacher and later principal at the Arya Girls School in Mohalla Sahniawala. Their family home was located north of the old Bhera Police Station (established in 1870) and the Boys’ Hostel of the Government High School (GHS), Bhera. They were caretakers of the Civil Dispensary adjacent to their residence, a place that served people of all castes and creeds. A small chapel stood between the dispensary and their house, along with a one-room library nearby. The Christian community also maintained its graveyard in Bhera.
Iven shared that he studied till Class IV at the Kirpa Ram Arya Primary School in Mian da Mohalla, near Mohalla Sahniawala. He completed Classes V to VIII at Arya High School, and finally, Class IX and X at Government High School, Bhera—matriculating in 1950. He recalled Headmaster Choudhry Sahib and his successor, Qazi Saddique. Among the teachers, he remembered Farman Ali Shah, Sheikh Muhammad Mumtaz, and Malik Fazal Elahi. His close friends included Ghaffar Piracha, Ata-ur-Rehman, Khawaja Asmat, Jamil and Jalil of Mohalla Khawjagan, and his best friend, Iqbal Khari.
The exact year when the family permanently moved out of Bhera is unclear. In the 1970s, Alexander Hussain Bux was transferred to Lahore, retired there, and settled in Gulberg. His sister, Mrs. Katharine Zafar, left her teaching post in Bhera and moved to Lahore with him. Alexander passed away on 18 September 1979.
.Notes :
1 . According to the 1905 Gazetteer of Shahpur District, the American United Presbyterian Mission began its work in Bhera in 1884.
2 . Mr. Iven Anwar was the elder brother of film actress Neelo (born Cynthia Alexander Fernandus on 30 June 1940 in Bhera), later known as Mrs. Abida Riaz, mother of actor Shaan Shahid. Their father, Alexander Hussain Bux, passed away in 1979. Iven Anwar passed away on 24 July 2011, and Sarfraz Alexander in 2014—both dear friends of mine.
3 . Kirpa Ram Arya Primary School (Grades I–IV) was located in Mian da Mohalla, near Mohalla Sahniawala. Iven studied here until Class IV.
4 . Girls Middle School (Putri Patshalla): Before Partition, a girls’ middle school operated near Ganj Mandi and Mohalla Sahniawala. It became Government Girls Middle School in 1950 and was upgraded to Government Girls High School in 1952. The original primary school run by the Municipal Committee was also nearby.
5 . Girls in Senior Classes: Before a dedicated Girls High School was established, many girls from Bhera enrolled in senior classes (IX & X) at Arya High School or Government Boys High School.
6 . Kirpa Ram Anglo–Sanskrit High School: An unaided high school founded in the early 20th century by Kirpa Ram Sahin’s family, also referred to as Arya School. After 1947, junior classes of GHS Bhera were shifted here temporarily.
7 . Government High School, Bhera: As per the Shahpur Gazetteer (1905), Bhera housed two high schools, a rarity in the district. The Anglo-Vernacular High School (founded c. 1864) was jointly maintained by the Education Department and the Bhera Municipality. It went through various phases—becoming District Board High School (1918), King George’s High School (1923), and finally relocating to a new building in 1927 near the railway station (established in 1881). The original premises became the Boys’ Hostel. Iven graduated from this school in 1950.
8 . Mr. Iven Anwar’s son-in-law, Noel Israel Khokhar, is a retired Major General of the Pakistan Army. After retirement, he served as an ambassador to Ukraine.
9 . Prof. Allama Nazir Ahmed, a long-time associate of the family and a resident of Bhera, possesses deeper insights into the family’s life and legacy. It would be worthwhile to document his recollections well in time
To be continued…
Zahid Mumtaz
For the attention of
Mr Zahid Mumtaz
Sir I came across this website by chance as I was reading of Neelo ji’s death.
Then with deep sadness learning Sarfraz had also died in 2014. Please if you could share more details about him as we were at Cathedral high school Lahore 1960/64. And penfriends for a while when I left Pakistan for UK. Your reply much awaited
OK . I will give you some contact numbers on your Email address.