KARACHI, May 19: Tributes were paid to the late Mirza Abid Abbas, a leading educationist of Hyderabad, here at a meeting on Sunday.

Speakers said he was a teacher in the true meaning of the word.

At the condolence meeting for the late Mirza abid Abbas, who died on Jan 17, organized in Manzar Akber Hall at the Arts Council of Pakistan, they said Mirza Abid not only taught but he paid special attention to building the moral character of students. Manzar Akber was one of the students of Mirza Abid’s.

They said in view of the economic problems the people in general and his students in particular faced soon after partition, he with his long-time friend S. K. Raheem came up with the idea of evening classes, which were introduced at City College, Hyderabad. This enabled poor students, who worked in daytime to make ends meet, to pursue education in the evening. He helped his students in many ways, and would also provide financial assistance to deserving students.

The speakers said when Mirza Abid, equipped with a master’s degree from St John’s College, Agra, came over to Hyderabad, Pakistan, soon after partition, he could have got lucrative government service as there were few qualified people available then, but he made educating the young nation his life’s mission so he took up the teaching profession and started his career from a school in Kotri and eventually became the principal of City College.

They said during his tenure the college won many laurels and it was also an excellent centre of extra-curricular activities.

State Bank Governor Dr Ishrat Husain said for the evening classes the fees were kept very low, but the standard of instruction was high. It was a private college, but it did not work on the lines of the private schools and colleges that had mushroomed now. He said besides the college, the late Mirza Abid also played a central role in the cultural life of Hyderabad.

MQM leader Aftab Ahmad Shaikh, who was a neighbour and a student of Mirza Abid, said in the present situation one felt the need for people like the late teacher who preached love and harmony in society.

Being a neighbour, he said, he had seen that besides being a good teacher Mirza Abid had also been a very good father, as he took very good care of his children and groomed them well, both before after the death of his wife.

Former Karachi mayor Dr Farooq Sattar urged the audience to take the message of love, peace and tolerance that Mirza Abid preached and taught all his life from this meeting in order to reestablish a sane society.

Film artiste Mustafa Qureshi suggested that the plays and songs written by Mirza Abid be staged at the Arts Council so that his message could be spread through the performing arts.

Mr Qureshi, who knew Mirza Abid from his Radio Pakistan days in Hyderabad during the mid-1950s, said Mirza Abid loved Sindhi language. He also loved to listen to Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai’s poetry.

The founder and first principal of City College, S. K. Raheem, said the college library had been named after Mirza Abid Abbas.

Prof Syed Qavi Ahmed, Shafiq-ur-Rahman Paracha, Prof Afaq Ahmed, Taj Haider, Tahir Rizvi, Saifur Rahman Grami, Khadim Husain, Surgeon Faiz, Javed Siddiqui, Ahmed Shah, and daughter-in-law of Mirza Abid, Tasneem Ahmar, and others also spoke.