Zaigham Mahmood - Connected Vehicles in the Internet of Things: Concepts, Technologies and Frameworks for the IoV

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Zaigham Mahmood

Connected Vehicles in the Internet of Things

Concepts, Technologies and Frameworks for the IoV

My 10th and 20th publications were dedicated to my parents. This 30th book is also in memory of my late parents, Ghazi Ghulam Hussain Bahadur and Mukhtar Begum, who spent the prime of their life in fighting for the freedom and independence of their motherland. At a very young age, my father joined a para military organization, as a freedom fighter, with the mission to engage in peaceful struggle to free the country from foreign occupation. Although, the struggle for independence started many decades before and various political parties participated in many diverse ways towards it; there is one event that stands out, that took place on 19 March 1940.

On this day, the organization, that my father belonged to, decided to stage a much more decisive countrywide peaceful protest. The government at the time, fearing the shut-down of the country, had already banned the gatherings but, on this day, supporters and general pubic were out in such huge numbers that the army personnel patrolling the streets received orders to shoot to kill. Live bullets were fired; many thousands were killed or injured and many more taken as political prisoners. That day, my father was leading a group of 313 mentotally unarmedmarching on the streets to oppose the ban on political activities. According to newspaper reports, more than 200 of this group were killed and many dozens injured; majority of the remaining were captured and tried in the courts. There were thirteen freedom fighters who were sentenced to political imprisonment for lifemy father was one of the 13. His organization honoured these brave men with the titles of Ghazi (survivor in the fight between the right and the wrong) and Bahadur (valiant).

This brutality by foreign occupiers and the massacre of unarmed public on 19 March 1940 proved such a turning point in the struggle for independence that only four days later, on 23 March 1940, an all-party confederation passed a unanimous resolution demanding the formation of an independent state. Soon after, a declaration was signed to transfer power to the leading political organisations of the land. The process took another seven years, and eventually the country achieved independence on 14 August 1947. On this day, all freedom fighters were released; my father also returned home ghazi and victorious. My mother, a young girl at the time, was no less courageous in her struggles: she fully supported her husbands mission and raised a young daughter totally independently while my father was away.

Now that the independence was gained and the mission accomplished, my father devoted his time to engage in the study of oriental languages and theology, bringing up his family, and serving the community as a social activist. Achieve excellence be bold side always with the truth make a difference: my parents would constantly remind us.

Looking back now at the life and struggles of my parents, I am proud to say that they were certainly most excellent and bold to side with the truth; and undoubtedly made a huge difference for the entire nation to remember. They are my heroes and inspiration in my life.

Zaigham Mahmood

October 2019