JANUARY 17 was the birth anniversary of Ghulam Murtaza Shah, known as G.M. Syed.

He was born in Sann village in Dadu district, now Jamshoro, in 1904. He was a great politician and literary scholar.

G.M. Syed started his career at the early age of 14. In 1929 he became the president of the Karachi District Local Board. He was elected member in the Sindh Legislative Council in 1937, and in 1938 joined All-India Muslim League and was made education minister for Sindh in 1940.

He became president of the Muslim League in Sindh in 1943.

He got a resolution passed in favour of Pakistan from the Sindh Assembly in 1944, which was the first resolution of its kind in India.

G.M. Syed rendered great services to Sindh and has written more than 65 books on religion, politics, literature and culture of Sindh. Ironically, he became the first political prisoner of Pakistan because of his differences with the country's leadership.

He was kept in jail and under house arrest for more than 30 years. He was detained without trial till his death on April 25, 1995.

G. M. Syed's services to the nation should not be forgotten.

KHADIM SOOMRO

Johi, Dadu