MITHI: A large number of people from various walks of life gathered at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Complex in this town on Monday evening to pay homage to the late Muqeem Kumbhar, a renowned civil society activist of Tharparkar, for his services to the people of the desert region, Badin and several other parts of Sindh.

The gathering was organised to mark his fourth death anniversary.

Speaking to the audience Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ameer Bukhsh Bhutto said the late Kumbhar’s services to the people of Badin could never be forgotten. He said that Kumbhar remained associated with his [Mr Bhuttho’s] father, Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, through thick and thin in the entire life and never deviated even an inch from his bold stance on various issues of Sindh, particularly Thar.

Mr Bhutto said civil society activists to emulate the dedication and vigour demonstrated by Kumbhar in his life-long struggle, especially when Thar had been passing through some of the worst-ever droughts and the provincial government remained indifferent to people’s woes.

He said Kumbhar was among those few natives who struggled hard for relief to Tharis in the time when they did not have access to the restricted media and communication.

Playwright and poet Hafeez Kumbhar said popularly known as Fakeer Kumbhar, the late activist was a real Sufi from Thar who loved nature and desert and taught others to love and care for the environment of Thar.

The late Kumbhar was among a few who waged a campaign for water reservoirs small dams near Karoonjhar Hills and other such places within Thar to help mitigate sufferings of Tharis during a drought or such a situation, he said.

“Had the governments listened to Fakeer Kumbhar and his fellow activists at that time, the situation in Thar today would certainly have been much better.”

The poet expressed his concerns and apprehensions over increasing communal disharmony and termed this the result of unchecked activities of certain banned religious outfits operating in Thar for many years.

Nationalist leader Nawaz Khan Zaunr said the late Kumbhar strived during his whole life to steer Tharis out of the political slavery.

Comrade Ayub Shar, writer and poet Taj Joyo, Khalid Jogi, Khalil Kumbhar, Juman Darbadar, Dodo Chandio, Mir Hassan Arisar, Bharo Mal Amrani and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2016