ROSHAN THOMAS, ONE of two Canadians killed on March 20 in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan, will always be remembered for her good heart.
Among the many mourning her untimely death is Iqbal Parekh, a family friend.
“She was a person who was very articulate, very compassionate, and…living within the context of the ethics of the Ismaili faith,” Parekh told the Straight in a phone interview today (March 21).
Parekh had known the Vancouver optometrist for more than 20 years, starting when Thomas was bringing her children to the Parekh family daycare during the late 1980s.
“We used to run a family daycare when we lived in Richmond. They also lived in Richmond at the time. Her kids were very young at that time,” he related from Vancouver Island, where he works at an independent school.
Parekh recalled that Thomas and her husband Rahim had gone to Pakistan to do eye clinics, and from there, went to Afghanistan.
There they saw the need to help in the education of girls. They put up what is now known as the Sparks Academy, which provides free education, according to Parekh.
Ismailimail 