PESHAWAR: Awami National Party and family of late veteran nationalist politician Haji Mohammad Adeel will commemorate his death anniversary on Thursday. He died on Nov 18, 2016.

During his political career Haji Adeel was elected to the provincial assembly for three consecutive terms and served as finance minister and deputy speaker in the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He was also elected senator and represented Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the National Finance Commission of Pakistan and 7th NFC Award of 2010 besides playing a major role in the 18th Constitutional Amendment. He always remained in the forefront of the struggle for rights of small federating units and provincial autonomy.

During his stint as senator, Haji Adeel remained member of the standing committees on interior, defence and defence production, textile industry, information and broadcasting and functional committee on problems of less-developed areas.

A Hindko speaker, he was from a family of anti-imperialists, the son of Hakeem Abdul Jalil, and an active member of the non-violence Khudai Khidmatgar movement against British empire in the subcontinent. He also remained the president of All-India National Congress Committee, Peshawar district, and was a close colleague of Bacha Khan and Mahatama Gandhi.

Late Adeel was a believer of Pakistan-India friendship and led the caucus of parliamentarians for New South Asia. He supported Pakistani civil society organisations and various initiatives for sustainable development in Pakistan.

His son Mohammad Adnan Jalil has urged the people to remember late Haji Sahib on his fifth death anniversary and offer fateha for him.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2021