PESHAWAR: A prominent social activist and an expert of international repute on restorative justice and jirga system, Syed Ali Gohar, breathed his last after protractive illness in Bradford, United Kingdom, on Thursday.

Family sources said that his funeral was held at a local mosque in Bradford on Friday and was laid to rest at a graveyard there.

Belonging to Kala village of Swabi, Ali Gohar served as additional commissioner, Social Welfare Cell for Afghan refugees, a project of the UNHCR.

Fateha khwani for the departed soul will be also held for three days at Jamalabad, Swabi, from Sept 27 to 29.

The deceased was father of Dr Syed Owais Gohar, brother of Farrukh Siyar, Engineer Iltaf Gohar (Canada) and Engineer Ishfaq Gohar (Canada) and cousin of PPP, district Swabi’s general secretary Jahangir Afsar Khan.

The deceased held a masters degree in conflict transformation from Eastern Mennonite University’s Centre for Justice and Peace.

He was founder of Just Peace Initiative, an organisation working for peace and justice through conflict transformation practices.

The deceased had authored several research papers on jirga system in Pakistan in general and northern Pakistan in particular and on restorative justice system. He had also co-authored a book “Towards understanding Pukhtoon Jirga”, with another scholar Hassan M Yousafzai.

He had also written two Pushto plays for Pakistan Television Corporation on HIV/AIDS, drugs awareness and domestic violence issues.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2024