KARACHI: At a condolence meeting held for famous writer, journalist and social activist Abdullah Malik, the speakers at the Irteqa Literary Forum termed his death a great loss to the Progressive Writers Association and the liberal thought.

Author of several books on political movements in the country, especially the Punjab, the late Malik’s own autobiography spoke a lot about the social conditions in this part of the country. Abdullah Malik was a trade unionist, an active participant in the struggle for the Press freedom and a man of commitment who was awarded jail term during Yahya regime for speaking against army action in the former East Pakistan.

The meeting started with a brief paper from Jamal Naqvi based on his literary contribution. Other speakers included Arif Ali, Muslim Shamim, Hasan Abid, Wahid Bashir, Iqbal Alvi and Ghayurul Islam.

One-minute silence was also observed for Yunus Ahmar who died a couple of days before. It was decided to hold another meeting and assess his valuable contribution to Urdu literature. — H.A