KARACHI: “Honest and humble to the core, Prof Mutahir was an institution unto himself. His level of tolerance was unmatched. Once a student activist, infuriated over his refusal to be part of a class boycott, slapped him. However Prof Mutahir not only saved him from students, who were angry over the student’s excess, but also stopped the university administration from rusticating him.”

This was how a friend spoke of late Prof Mutahir Ahmed, a senior Karachi University teacher, whose funeral was held on Friday on the university campus where he was buried amid hundreds of mourners, including a large number of his students.

Born into a family with modest means in 1962, Prof Shaikh Mutahir Ahmed started his struggle early in life as he lost his father when he was only seven years old. Getting education and working side by side, he managed to do his Masters from Karachi University. Later, he joined the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs for some years before joining the KU in 1995 as lecturer.

His hard work and dedication did pay off; he soon became one of the most popular teachers on campus. He was also elected twice as the president of the Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS). He did his doctorate from KU and post-doctorate from Malaysia.

“He was a people’s man; always available and ready to help, whether it’s a colleague or a canteen-wala. This was also one reason he preferred to live outside the campus, in a rented flat. Once forced by financial constraints he had to sell his car. But, he had no problem in commuting in public transport,” said Dr Ramzan Bamari, a senior KU teacher at the Persian department and friend of Prof Ahmed.

“He had a big heart for people like us who hailed from rural areas. He was liberal and never afraid of speaking his mind, whether it’s the unrest in Balochistan or any hot regional issue,” he recalled.

Dr Naeem Ahmed, a teacher who was among the first batch of students taught by Prof Ahmed at KU when he joined the university’s International Relations Department, said that Prof Ahmed was among the sane voices of KU.

“He always had a logical approach and never [got] carried away with emotions no matter how serious the matter. Despite his illness, he completed his full term of three years as the department chairperson from 2013 to 2016,” he said.

About his illness, he said that he had been complaining of pain in the lower limbs since 2015 off and on and had physiotherapy sessions for a few months. “But, they were of no help and then he got admitted to a hospital and had detailed tests that showed that there was a tumour in his backbone. He had an operation soon after but a biopsy showed that he got multiple myeloma (a cancer formed by malignant plasma cells).

He underwent long chemotherapy sessions after which he also developed heart and lung problems.

“While he was bedridden, Prof Ahmed often talked about his past and said that he spent his whole life struggling,” Dr Ahmed said.

Speaking about the loss of his long-time friend and colleague, Prof S.M. Taha, the incumbent chairperson of the General History Department, said he was a very sociable and light-hearted person.

“He was always smiling and one of the few who avoid head-on collision,” he said.

In a press release, KU Vice Chancellor Professor Mohammed Ajmal Khan and dean faculty of social sciences Prof Mohammed Ahmed Qadri expressed deep sorrow over the passing away of Prof Ahmed.

His funeral prayers were attended by former KU vice chancellors Prof Mohammed Qaiser and Prof Zafar Saeed Saifi, MPA Pakistan Peoples Party Saeed Ghani, Senator Nehal Hashmi, Prof Akhtar Baloch, president of KUTS Shakeel Farooqui and president of the Arts Council Ahmed Shah.

He was laid to rest in the KU graveyard.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2017