KARACHI: Friends, colleagues and members of the family shared their views and memories of politician and intellectual Taj Haider, who passed away on April 8, at a meeting held to celebrate his life at the Arts Council of Pakistan on Monday evening.

PPP leader and Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, who moderated the event, said his party wanted to organise a programme to remember the late politician and the Arts Council, too, wanted to do it. Therefore, both decided to jointly host the event.

Commenting on Mr Haider’s life, he said he wasn’t just a politician, he was also an intellectual and writer, the likes of which could not be find in the PPP, leave alone any other party.

Mr Haider’s wife, Naheed Wasi, delivered a moving speech. She said compared to some individuals who were sitting in the council’s auditorium on Monday she had spent less time with Mr Haider, it was exemplary time.

The way people loved and respected him when he was amongst them, they showed the same love and respect for him at the time of his passing. “It is easy to talk about the life that he led, but it is difficult to lead a life like that,” she said.

Family, friends and admirers remember late politician

She told the audience, which comprised a big number of workers from the PPP, that Mr Haider used to make breakfast for her when she was employed at a university.

Mr Haider’s sister, Sadiqa Salahuddin, said he led his life on his own terms, which is a difficult thing to do. They were eight siblings. Among them, Mr Haider passed matriculation exams and obtained a master’s degree at the youngest age. “There was a period in his life when he was under tremendous pressure to leave the country. But he didn’t compromise. It was non-negotiable for him.”

Arts Council President Ahmed Shah said Mr Haider was the founding worker of the PPP. “He was a leftist. All his life he dreamt of a society which had equal rights for every human being. He believed in equality.”

Journalist Ghazi Salahuddin said he’s been married to Mr Haider’s sister (Sadiqa) for the past 53 years. But he knew Mr Haider even before that. “Mr Haider’s personality indicates that there’s still room in politics for decency and intellectual contribution.”

Journalist Mazhar Abbas, veteran politician Raza Rabbani and PPP-Sindh general secretary Waqar Mehdi also spoke.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2025