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Omar: I wish I had hugged him: OBITUARY OMAR ASGHAR was one of those characters whom one finds difficult to criticize. Now when I look back at my association with him extending over two decades, I notice that he was an extremely mild-mannered and soft person. I first met him when he visited the office of Dr Parvez Hassan to file a writ petition against his illegal dismissal by the Punjab University for participating in a labour rally against martial law regulations. He was cool and cheerful at that traumatic juncture in his life when he had just lost his job and I saw him in this ‘nirvana’ state throughout the next 20 years. He worked as a consultant and proved to be a thorough professional. When it came to forming the Sungi Development Foundation in 1989, he asked us to contribute Rs 1,000 each. Within a span of 12 years, Sungi became one of the largest non-governmental organizations of the country. It has made a mark in the Hazara region and people from all denominations regardless of their political affiliations admired Sungi’s work. In recognition of this endeavour, Sungi was awarded an Escap award in 1996. Omar and his wife devotedly worked for Sungi. From half a desk and one employee, the organization has grown to nine offices and a staff of more than 150 persons. Despite such a large setup, few could complain of Omar ever dealing with anybody in a harsh manner. Some opposed him but it was always on ideological and political grounds, never for personal reasons. The maulvis and the timber mafia were never fond of him but I doubt if they ever had anything personal against him. Ironically, 16 years after dismissing him from service, the military decided to take him as cabinet minister in 1999. Omar remained confused about this until his resignation and kept asking me to join hands with him which was nice of him. While being a minister, he did not bring about a revolution but proved to be one of the most active ministers I have so far seen. He was socially mobile and attending functions arranged by the civil society. He, felt that the NGO community was his constituency and would prove to be a political force if he ever decided to initiate a political party. As a labour minister, he did a lot to improve on the child labour situation and kept trying to announce a labour policy during his tenure but could not. He worked tirelessly to get some of the major labour laws consolidated and delayed his resignation to announce it but could not accomplish this ambition and the matter remains pending till now. He managed to announce a historic Wage Award for the journalists. His policies in the environmental field would go a long way in protecting our environment. He formed a political party and kept asking me till the end to join him. I could not because I felt that it would not go anywhere. Unfortunately, it proved to be correct. The folks surrounding him while he was minister were nowhere to be seen when he was simply a political worker. Even the Abid Hassan Minto’s party and his father’s Tehrik-i-Istiqlal refused to merge with his Qaumi Jamhoori Party and this isolation probably started to get to him. In a meeting on May 24, he remained quiet most of the time, which was unlike him. I met him on the Swiss National Day reception and his wife Samina told me that he did not want to leave home but she dragged him out. They then went for a three- day vacation to Nathiagali. I last met him just 48 hours before his death. He tried to hug me which I found strange because he had never done that before. I wish I had not resisted it. He was having dinner at the Club with Samina and his children, Yasmeen, Abdullah and Mustafa. He wanted us to join them for dinner but we left. That was the last I saw of him until the night of June 25 at the Islamabad Airport when Samina faint-heartedly opened the top of the box to peep at her Omar one last time in the privacy of the ambulance before it went on his last journey towards Abbottabad. —Anees Jillani In remembrance OMAR’S sudden departure is an utterly devastating blow; it is so hard to believe that this energetic, dynamic man is gone forever. It does not matter how he died-whether it was he, or someone else, who took away his precious life. What matters is how he lived, for what he lived, and what he did for others. Omar’s commitment to progressive social change, to uplifting the poor and downtrodden, and to a better society remained unchanged in the 20 years that I first met him. He, and the organization he founded, Sungi, stood up resolutely to hostile maulvis opposed to education for girls and against the timber mafia in Hazara. As a member of Pervez Musharraf’s cabinet, he was a voice for the poor and disenfranchised. Omar’s achievements were extraordinary in a society so hostile to change and forward movement. He succeeded far better than most, with his unique mix of idealism and pragmatism. Many of us have our own reasons for being grateful to Omar. He was an open, caring, and courteous person who I had never seen being rude to anyone. I am deeply grateful to Omar that he encouraged me to speak and write about General Zia’s fraudulent Islamic science at the peak of that repressive dictatorship. Months, sometimes years, would go by between the times that I would see him but he would always meet with the same genuine warmth and friendliness. Pakistan is poorer today for having lost one of its best. He leaves behind many who grieve for him. In deep sorrow. —Pervez Hoodbhoy Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)
