KARACHI: A prominent member of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and an excellent debater Dost Muhammad Faizi, who passed away on June 15 of coronavirus complications in Karachi, was one of those rare politicians who’re known for their cultured and non-confrontational approach to politics. He leaves behind his wife, two daughters and a son.

Mr Faizi was born in Karachi on Dec 24, 1950. He did his bachelors from Islamia Arts College and obtained a masters degree in political science from the University of Karachi (KU).

Talking to Dawn, his wife Khalida Dost Muhammad Faizi said, “He was an extremely kind (naik) man. I haven’t seen anyone like him in this day and age. He was a religious person and wanted to serve humanity to the best of his ability. He was a humanist to the core. He loved to help people. And as a father, he was very loving to his children.”

Eminent scholar Dr Jaffar Ahmed said, “When I was in school, I had heard a lot about Dost Muhammad Faizi. The reason was that he was one of Karachi’s prominent debaters, along with Khushbakht Aalia (who later became Khushbakht Shujaat) and Anis Haroon. Their names used to regularly get published in the newspapers. By the time I reached college, he had entered politics, and because he was friends with Zahoorul Hasan Bhopali, he joined the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam. He even got a ticket to run for a seat to the provincial assembly.

“When Gen Zia imposed martial law, the general picked several politicians from different parties, which included Bhopali and Faizi. And then when the Sindh cabinet (of Gen Abbasi) was made, Faizi became a provincial minister. Subsequently, he joined the Pakistan Muslim League. We would often run into each other at social gatherings. However, the period that he was really talked about the most was the late 1960s and early 1970s,” said Dr Ahmed.

Former federal information minister Javed Jabbar said, “Dost Muhammad Faizi was junior to me in my years at the University of Karachi in the mid-1960s. We shared the fact that we represented our college and our university in debate competitions — he in Urdu, self in English — so we never competed person-to-person but got to know each other as fellow debaters, senior and junior. He was an outstanding, top-prize-winning Urdu speaker: articulate, forceful, able to hold the audience’s attention.

“He had a boyish exuberance, a kind of child-like innocence retained into adulthood, expressed in a distinctive smile, while always courteous and respectful. In Karachi’s complex, volatile politics marked by ethnicity, violence, extremism, Faizi practised moderation, restraint and balance. May his soul be forever serene,” said Mr Jabbar.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2020