KARACHI: Mukhtar Rana, a die-hard PPP activist who was convicted by his own party colleagues but never betrayed the Bhuttos because of his strong political convictions, will be visiting Garhi Khuda Bukhsh next week to pay homage to his political idol, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, as he has been doing every year on ZAB’s anniversary.

Ironically, he had to serve a five year term, handed down by a special military court in 1972, for which he blames Ghulam Mustafa Khar. The imprisonment was followed by his forced exile to Sweden in 1977 and Rana says it was the then national security adviser Haji Habibur Rehman who had given such — advice to Bhutto when he opposed Mr Bhutto’s decision to impose a martial law in Karachi.

Born in Malot, Ferozepur (India) on April 8, 1928, Rana has spent much of his life in spearheading what he describes as “crusade for the rights of the oppressed.”

He was FA student at the Islamia College, Jalandhar, and had come to seek his uncle in Kasur when Pakistan became independent on Aug 14, 1947. Later, he came to Karachi and took active part in the struggle for workers’ rights at a textile mill. He was very much impressed by Hasan Nasir, who was later arrested and sent to Shahi Qila in Lahore.

Rana went to Saudi Arabia to join a multinational oil company but was sacked for his role in the “labour unrest” that had led to a strike at the company.

After coming back to Pakistan, Rana became a lecturer at the Municipal College, Faisalabad, and was forced to resign for supporting a strike by the college students. He then established his own educational institution.

When Z.A. Bhutto was on a visit to Faisalabad, Mukhtar Rana was asked to organise a rally to muster support for the PPP. He organised the rally and, later, was selected as city chief of PPP Faisalabad. He also succeeded in securing an assembly seat.

In 2003, Rana founded his organisation, Peace and Human Rights, and led it from London. About the achievements, he says that some 30,000 bonded labours in Pakistan have won freedom from the private jails of feudal lords through the efforts of his organisation since it was established.

Rana is quite optimistic about the future of democracy in Pakistan now that the PPP has staged a promising comeback. “The days of military dictatorships are over,” he believes. He intends to call on PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari on the ZAB’s anniversary to offer his condolences on the tragic demise of Benazir Bhutto.