HYDERABAD: The Golden Jubilee of the March 4, 1967 student movement was celebrated at a well-attended programme in Khanabadosh Writers Cafe here on Saturday evening with prominent student activists of the time expressing their resolve to help their present day counterparts in relaunching the movement.

They underscored the need for reviving the movement with a view to rid Sindh of its woes considering that the province was passing through a difficult phase these days.

The programme was organised by the ‘4 March Action Committee’. Speaking to the audience, former advocate-general Yousuf Leghari observed that historical dishonesty had increased these days. “It’s, in fact, struggles against injustices and for rights of Sindh that are acknowledged and praised,” he said.

The celebration, he said, was a tribute to those who lost their lives in the March 4 struggle and those who put an end to despondency in Sindh. He recalled that at that time, the Sindhi language was done away with and taking the name of Sindh had become a crime.

“Zulfikar Ali Bhutto [who later formed Pakistan Peoples Party] had also realised the importance of the March 4 movement and named the day as ‘Yaum-i-Jamhoor’. Mr Bhutto was approached by me and [leftist leader Comrade] Jam Saqi. The day had been observed as a holiday for the next three years,” said Mr Leghari.

He regretted that “today we do not eulogise our national heroes who rendered sacrifices and have forgotten them”. Universities of Peshawar, Dhaka and Quetta had remained closed as a mark of tribute to the struggle, he said. He said that the Mr Bhutto had submitted his papers to represent arrested students in a military court.

Mr Leghari proposed formation of a council comprising intellectuals, writers, students, poets which could work for the cause of Sindh and its survival.

He recalled that during the struggle against ‘One Unit’, five persons were declared traitors [by movement leaders] and the same spirit should be shown today. A declaration should be signed to boycott traitors of Sindh politically and economically, he added.Veteran leftist leader Comrade Jam Saqi observed that different cultures and nations were coming close to each other globally because the world had become a global village with increased love and affection among people. “Sindh holds a special place in the world,” he said.

He reminded the audience that a few women were also part of the March 4 struggle and they became a source of inspiration for other women in Sindh.

Qazi Khizar Hayat said that he earned plenty of respect because of the slogans he used to paint. He said that March 4 symbolised a movement against dictatorship which later became a voice against One Unit. He observed that March 4 was sadly not mentioned as a historic event of Pakistan.

Aijaz Qureshi said that March 4 signified a vigorous movement and recalled that how thousands of students used to take to the streets. As a result of this agitation, [President General Mohammad] Ayub Khan had to abolish One Unit, he said. Yousuf Laghari and Masood Noorani survived torture while Jam Saqi faced imprisonment, he added.

Mr Qureshi observed that political, social and economic conditions in Sindh were not good. “Unity evades Sindh today. Therefore, people of Sindh will have to think about their better future instead of getting complacent,” he said, and called for launching a March 4-like struggle again by all Sindhis.

Shamsuddin Memon said that March 4 was a historic day against Ayub Khan’s martial law which produced various movements. He recalled that when a rally was taken out, it was stopped near filter plant where Yousuf Laghari was beaten up and arrested. A total of 207 students were rounded up, he added. He said that it was the period when Shaikh Ayaz’s poetry used to inject new vigour in students.

Mahesh Kumar, Hidayat Hussain, Ali Akbar Brohi and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2017