LAHORE: The family and friends on Tuesday paid rich tributes to the human rights champion, the late I.A Rehman, on his first death anniversary.

A number of friends and family members of I.A Rehman gathered at Dorab Patel Auditorium at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) to remember his services for society.

Artist and educationist Saleema Hashmi said it was a long year they had to spend without Rehman Sb. She said the current situation of the country heightened the need for the presence of Rehman Sb and whenever they would have to face this type of situation, they would approach Rehman Sb to discuss and sort out any problem. Her father Faiz Ahmed Faiz also would consult Rehman Sb, she said.

She said Rehman Sb would always guide them not to lose hope and also direct all of his friends to play their part on any issue.

Muhammad Tehseen said he was very proud to have spent time with Rehman Sb and also shared some cherished memories with him. Narrating an incident, he said Rehman Sb had spoken at a ceremony in Lahore to honour Nobel Laureate Dr Salam in his presence and told the participants about his work. When Mr Salam addressed the ceremony, he told the participants that he could not narrate his achievements the way Rehman Sb had done.

Mr Tehseen said Rehman Sb’s life should be celebrated. “I learnt a lesson of forgiving others after spending more than 50 years with him,” he said.

Educationist Nazish Attaullah said Rehman Sb’s death was a big loss. He was very caring and she would feel lucky to grow under his guidance. Remembering a discussion over Imran Khan’s first rally at Minar-i-Pakistan in 2011, she said Rehman Sb had talked about the situation of the country at that time.

Khawar Mumtaz said Rehman Sb was their mentor and she always got tips on writing when she was assistant editor at Viewpoint. She also worked on various fronts with him and would read his column to understand any issue.

Peter Jacob said Rehman Sb always worked for minorities’ rights and his legacy should continue and the younger generation should be apprised of the efforts he put in.

Tanvir Jahan said it was very challenging to follow Rehman Sb’s values and they should communicate his struggle to the youth.

Family members including Asha’ar Rehman, Ahmer Rehman, Ambreen Rehman and Rabia Asha’ar Rehman also shared their memories. A committee room in the HRCP office was named after him.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2022