Zafar Masud on the Goodness of People
“Those people did not know who they were saving, and whether or not I could benefit them somehow—they only did it in the goodness of their hearts…They did it only for humanity.”
In May 2020, Zafar Masud, president and CEO of Bank of Punjab, survived the crash of flight PK-8303—an accident that claimed 97 lives. Severely injured and trapped under the wreckage, he was pulled out by six strangers. That moment of rescue stayed with him—not only because it saved his life, but because of what it revealed to him about people.
Masud describes how, while still under the debris, he asked his rescuers to check his back, arm, and leg. He wasn’t sure what was broken or burned, only that he was in pain. They responded calmly, trying to reassure him and help however they could. Once at the hospital, he requested a phone to reach his family. A nearby doctor offered hers, and he used it to call his father—wanting to let his parents know he had survived.
What followed left a lasting impression. When he was transferred to another hospital and taken to the ICU, he noticed people standing nearby who had known him professionally. Among them were individuals with whom he had previously had tense or difficult working relationships. Despite those past differences, he says, they were present and concerned.
That experience made Masud realize that many of us judge too quickly, holding others to standards shaped by our own thinking. Since the crash, he has tried to approach others with more space and understanding—recognizing that everyone is working through their own paths, and often, they come through when it matters.
“My perspective of the right path can be different from yours—for me, it is the one my heart believes in, even if it is actually not. I’m only going to look at myself in that perspective, and I’m only going to judge people according to that.”
Zafar Masud’s story is one of survival—but equally, it’s about perspective. In the aftermath of loss and uncertainty, he found clarity in the way people showed up when there was no obligation to do so.
What if we all chose to see the good in people first? How might Pakistan’s future change if empathy guided our actions as much as ambition? Let us know in the comments!
This article was developed with the assistance of AI tools.
