KARACHI, Nov 21: Friends and relatives of the late A.B.S. Jafri paid tribute to his professionalism as a journalist, courage and humanism during a condolence meeting at the Karachi Press Club on Friday.
Senior journalist Hasan Abidi recalled that he had met Mr Jafri for the first time in the 1950s. “We always found him equipped with all the tools of a competent journalist — remarkable command over the language in which he wrote his columns, thorough knowledge of history and current affairs and unyielding will to work,” he said.
Mr Abidi said Mr Jafri had been a prolific writer and columnist. He added that Mr Jafri had authored no fewer than 10 books and used to write two columns for as many newspapers on a weekly basis.
Well-known musicologist S.M. Shahid shared some of his personal and fond memories of Mr Jafri with the audience. He said: “Of late death has been laying her icy hands upon some of my very close friends. First, we lost Latif Kapadia and Ali Imam in quick succession. And now A.B.S.
“When our mutual friend Saleem Asmi called me the other night, I instantly realized that it could be about Mr Jafri’s death. We had met him the previous evening at the hospital. We saw him from a distance.
“Our eyes met briefly. We saw Mr Jafri, who was an untiring fighter, grapple with death. He passed away the following day.”
Columnist M.H. Askari recalled that he had met Mr Jafri for the first time in New Delhi. “Mr Jafri was then working for the Orient Press of India. When Mr Jafri learnt that Mohammad Ali Chhagla had set the national anthem to music, he asked me to obtain the score. In those days, Mr Jafri was learning to play the violin.
“Our friend, Tufail Jamali, who was good at the art of repartee, used to remark that Mr Jafri’s violin could be employed as Aala-i-inkhala-i-mehman,” he said.
Senior journalist Saleem Asmi said one aspect of Mr Jafri’s personality which he personally liked was his willingness to impart training to junior journalists and encourage them to do well in their fields. He said: “Mr Jafri used to come to my humble abode on a regular basis. He used to invite others to join us. I feel extremely sad about the fact that such gatherings no longer take place.”
Mr Jafri’s niece, Urooj Jafri, his brother, Azfar bin Shahid Jafri, columnist Abdul Hameed Chhapra, journalist Anil Dutta, and the Karachi Press Club President, Sabihuddin Ghousi, also spoke on the occasion.