PESHAWAR, Nov 12: `He never knew what hit him, and that would have comforted me, except . . . just for one second, he would have had to know, wouldn`t he? There must have been a blur, a sense of the world exploding, a flashpoint of receiving more damage than a human body could endure.

What went through Sahibzada Mohammad Anis` mind when his body was hit by an inferno on October 26 that would eventually take his life is not known. But surely, if he would have read those lines from Lisa Kleypas` Sugar Daddy, he would have paused and thought for a moment, was this about him?What caused the explosion at apartment No.17 that would cause severe burn injuries to the commissioner of Peshawar remains a matter of controversy. Police in Islamabad attribute it to a gas leak.

But his friends insist it was an incendiary device thrown from outside.

If gas leakage was not the cause of the fire, why would anyone throw a Molotov to kill the commissioner? His friends and colleagues insist he had been receiving threats from unknown quarters, angry over his judgment in the case of Dr Shakil Afridi, the man linked to the CIA`s fake polio vaccination operation to track downOsama bin Laden in Abbottabad.He was not known to have smoked, so what triggered the fire? Was it caused by a spark from an electric switch, if gas leakage indeed was to be blamed, as police claim? We may not know, unless forensic evidence substantiates this or other factors that led to his ultimate death.Be that as it may, the fire abrupt-lybroughttoanend thecareerofaman, who had served on some of the choicest posts in his public service. He served in four of the seven tribal regions and a few districts, collecting distinction certificates along the way.

Born in 1958, S a h i b z a d a Mohammad Anis had begun his career as extra as-sistant commissioner, Abbottabadand then went on to serve in Kurram, Mohmand, Bajaur and Khyber tribal regions as assistant political agent and political agent.

And it meant that his name would invariably be on panel of officers, sent to a particular area more for trouble shooting.

He also served as commissioner of Afghan Refugees and commissioner of Kohat, Hazara and lastly Peshawar. As an officer, who would stay miles away from courting a dispute, Anis` career remained un-bumpy and safe. And on the way, he learnt his lessons too. One, never to ruffle feathers and two, to cultivate friends on the way.In a bureaucratic system riven with rivalries and groupings, it is vital to have friends to protect and promote -godfathers so to speak.

And as he grew in his career, he too, gathered a close net of friends and colleagues, who could look up to him for solace.

No surprise, the number of people turning up to pay their last homage to Anis in Abbottabad, showed just how many friends he had made over the years. In a world, where power and authority means everything, friends abound, but it is after one`s death, that you find just how many friends he has left behind to mourn the loss. May he rest in peace!