LAHORE: Speakers at a condolence reference on Friday paid glowing tributes to communist leader Jam Saqi for his struggle for the cause of the oppressed sections of the society despite suffering a lot all his life, urging the need for once again uniting the Left in Pakistan for advancing his mission.
The reference was organized by SAFMA at its Shadman offices. The former Communist Party of Pakistan General Secretary had passed away on March 5 after protracted illness.
Mr I A Rehman said Mr Saqi was the priceless jewel of the Pakistani political movement, braving worst kind of oppression for his commitment to the Left. He remained imprisoned for long at the cost of his personal life but he remained a communist when it was difficult to bear the blame of the title.
He said the communist party had faced difficulties before it was re-created in Pakistan in 1947. The Indian government would convey the Pakistani government which type of communist was migrating to the latter (to take care of him.) While leaving India, the British had left behind their stooges in Pakistan to protect their interests. Among them were two bureaucrats. Faiz Ahmad Faiz published a report on them but they remained unaffected, he said.
Mr I A Rehman said despite heavy odds, these were the communist leaders who laid the foundations of enlightenment in Pakistan.
He said he found Mr Saqi a dogged and righteous person. “I saw him from another angle when he joined the HRCP. He fought our case and wanted to extend our movement to people. He included in the movement those who were not communists. Ms Benazir Bhutto’s stature rose when she recorded her witness in favour of Mr Saqi.”Mr Hussain Naqi said Mr Saqi started politics from the platform of Hyderabad Students Federation , leading a procession in March 1966 to press for making Sindhi the medium of instruction and other facilities for students. The then administration unleashed a worst kind of torture on the protesting students on the Jamshoro bridge.
He narrated how Mr Saqi’s wife, Sukhan, died after she jumped into a well upon hearing that he had been arrested. She did so as the law enforcement agencies had already told her that Mr Saqi would be eliminated as soon he was arrested. Dr Lal Khan said the reference had been held not to mourn the departure of Mr Saqi. Its aim was to pledge to carry forward his mission with a renewed vigour. There was a need to give an ideological base to the Left. The time was hard but it was not the first hard time.
Mr Imtiaz Alam said he and his contemporaries like Mr Jam Saqi defied the system and the society because they were not getting right answers to their questions. The worldwide revolutions also supported their ideas. They faced hard times but those ahead of them countered more hardships.
Mr Farooq Tariq also urged the need for the Left people to get united. Mr Amir Riaz and Mr Zain Mirza also spoke on the occasion while Baba Najmi recited his poetry.
Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2018