Dr. Ghalib Khan Lodhi (1930-2012) – A personal memoir by Eric Rahim

Eric Rahim

Former journalist Eric Rahim’s thoughtful obituary of Dr Ghalib Khan Lodhi, one of the founding members of DSF, who passed away in Karachi recently:

“Goodbye, generous friend, earnest and upright, seeker of knowledge”

Solas Educational Trust, supporting schools in Chitral, remains Ghalib’s most important legacy

Dr Ghalib Lodhi, London, 2001. Still from video footage by Beena Sarwar

Ghalib, who has recently died of cancer, was a founding member of the Democratic Students Federation and, along with Mohammad Sarwar, Hashmi, Haroon, Ayub Mirza, Yousaf Ali, SM Naseem and others, a leading activist in the early 1950s student movement in Karachi. I remember him as one of the most serious minded among his cohort. While a medical student, in his early twenties, he was trying to grapple with Das Kapital.

Along with so many others – students, journalists, writers, and trade unionists – he was arrested in the general round-up that took place in West Pakistan in the wake of the triumph of the United Front in East Pakistan elections of 1954 and Pakistan government’s decision to sign military pacts with the United States. Before his arrest he was acting as general manager of the organ of the Democratic Student Federation, the Students’ Herald. Naseem, who was the editor of the Herald, in a recent communication described to me the occasion of the arrest in the following words.

RIP old comrade, Dr Manzoor Ahmed

Veteran progressive intellectual and an active member of Pakistan’s communist movement, Dr. Manzoor Ahmed of Shah Faisal Colony Karachi, died in Islamabad in the afternoon of January 15. He hailed from Allahabad where he attended University before moving to Pakistan. At the time of his passing away, he was about 82 years old, and had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia for several years. He belonged to the group of medical students of Karachi that laid the foundation of progressive students’ politics in the early fifties, and later led the left movement during the times of worst persecution of communist workers, for which he also suffered incarceration. The Communist Party had tasked him with organising labour unions and the association of medical professionals. At one time, he was the vice-president of National Awami Party, and president of Karachi NAP.

(Thanks to Dr A.H. Nayyar for this note)

Reference for Dr Ayub Mirza, Sept 26, Bradford

Received from Parvez Fateh:

South Asian Peoples Forum is holding a Condolence Reference to pay homage to the late Dr. Ayub Mirza, former President Pak-China Friendship Association, former President PMA (Pakistan Medical Association),  prominent Progressive Writer, biographer and Revolutionary Politician

You are cordially invited to please join us and pay glowing tributes to the dear departed.

Date: Sunday, September 26^th 2010
Time: 3.00 to 5.00pm
Venue: Touchstone Center, 23 Merton Road, Bradford BD7 1RE

Speakers/ Contributors:
Rahat Saeed –  Deputy General Secretary Progressive Writers Association Pakistan
Dr Amjad Ayub Mirza –  Progressive activist and son of Dr Ayub Mirza
Prof. Nazir Tabassum –  Progressive Writer, SAPF UK Activist
Mohammad Ajeeb –  Former Lord Mayor Bradford, SAPF UK activist
Coll. Ghazanfer Khaliq -  Former Lord Mayor Bradford, SAPF UK activist

Dr Ayub Mirza passes on

Sad to hear that Dr Ayub Mirza passed away this morning. His daughter Alina Mirza, writes from  Glasgow:

He had another heart attack and collapsed. The doctors tried to resuscitate him but he had gone. He went peacefully and did not suffer. The last few days with him were a bonus for all of us.The love and affection shown by all of you helped him to recover from his initial illness. I used to read all the e-mails that you sent everyday to him and he would smile remembering the old days with his friends.

Mum is staying with Sarmed and their contact no is +44-141-4236534 [h], +44-7859897840 [M].

Dr Ayub Mirza update

Dr Ayub Mirza (right) at a PMA meeting in Pindi

Dr Ayub Mirza, a leading figure of the 1950s’ student movement and DSF, a life long friend of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and author of Faiz’s biography ‘Hum Keh Thehray Ajnabi‘, has been seriously ill in Glasgow where he lives.

Good news from Eric Rahim: “Ayub is feeling much better. Initially he was in intensive care; three days back he was transferred to coronary care. Last night’s report is that he was feeling better, had had a meal and was sitting in chair. I am hoping to see him this evening and will write.”

Farewell, M.B. Naqvi, Prof. Nauman…

The cause of progressive politics in Pakistan suffered two major losses over the past week, with the passing away of veteran Pakistani journalist M.B. Naqvi, 81, on November 7th, and Prof. M. Nauman, 58, on Nov 15th. I know they would both have been present at the event planned for Jan 9-10 to honour and take forward the legacy of the 1950′s student movement – and they remain with us in spirit and through their ideas, work and commitment

The last time I saw Naqvi Sahib was at a peace seminar in Karachi, held to honour Nirmala Didi. He played an active role in the Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) and the Pakistan Peace Coalition. He contributed regularly to The News opinion pages while I was Op-Ed editor there and I felt sad when his column stopped being published. The South Asia Citizens Wire contains a collection of his columns, which reflect his commitment to the cause of peace and rational thought (thanks Harsh Kapoor). Please visit the website maintained by his daughter Aaliya Naqvi-Hai in California and scroll down to leave comments about M.B. Naqvi (thanks Shaheryar Azhar, moderator, The Forum for this information)

Prof. M. Nauman, an associate professor at the NED University of Engineering and Technology, was a social activist and well-known Marxist. He was a prominent student leader associated with the National Students’ Federation during the late 1960s and the early 1970s. He actively participated in the upsurge against military dictator General Ayub Khan in 1969. See Riaz Haq’s note on Chowk and the condolence page for Prof. Nauman he has set up

Shahid Husain’s obituary ‘Prof Nauman bows out’

Article on the Kalabagh controversy by M. Nauman and A. Ercelawn, ‘ Damming Kalabagh: State versus Community, Center versus Territory, Nation versus Federation’, The News, June 21, 1998

Jab Tujhe Yaad Kar Liya – documentary on Faiz, 2008

Jab Tujhe Yaad Kar Liya – a short documentary tribute to Faiz Ahmad Faiz on his death anniversary last year, directed by Sharjil Baloch for the BBC, Nov 20, 2008 – featuring interviews with Dr M. Sarwar, Dr Haroon Ahmed, and Saleem Asmi, memories and music by S.M. Shahid, and recitals by actor Khalid Ahmed. View it here - Part I and Part 2

Street Fighting Years – series on student politics by Saram Bokhari, DawnNews TV, 2009

This post contains links to a recent five-part series on the history of student politics in Pakistan, produced by Saram Bokhari on Dawn News TV. While the entire series is worth watching for the wealth of information and insights it contains, Episodes 4 and 5 (links below) are based on a discussion with Dr Sarwar and others at his residence in April 2009 (the producer was unable to get hold of Dr Sarwar before starting the series). This was Dr Sarwar’s last interview. He was hospitalised a few days later. He passed away peacefully at home on May 26, 2009 with his characteristic grace, courage and dignity.

Episode 1 – The ’50′s and the ’60′s, featuring interviews with Meraj M. Khan, Fatyab Ali Khan and Munawwar Hasan.
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SENB3KWeHUo
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSWKGQZBSd4
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOUyGDid_bM

Chronology: 1950s’ student movement (DSF, ICB, APSO)

Jan 8, 1953: Thousands of students gather at DJ College for 'Martyrs Day', to protest the Jan 7 police firing and tear gas shelling. Photo courtesy Sartaj Alam, a student and amateur photographer, Student Herald.

1948 – Sarwar joins Dow Medical College

1949 - Students hold small meetings to organise themselves (Sarwar, Hashmi, Zain Alavi and others).

1950 – Dow students form Democratic Students’ Federation

1951 – Students from Karachi colleges get together to form the Inter-Collegiate Body (ICB)

October 16, 1951: Liaquat Ali Khan assassinated in Rawalpindi; Governor General Khawaja Nazimuddin takes over as second Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ghulam Muhammad becomes Governor General.

Oct 17 1952 – ICB letter to Education Minister Fazlur Rahman requesting audience so they could place student demands before him (fee reductions, monthly fee structure rather than six month deposit, library and hostel facilities – and security of employment).

Barkat Alam – an old comrade passes on

Barkat Alam. Photo courtesy Barkat Alam's family via Eric Rahim

From Eric Rahim in Glasgow:

Dear Friends,

I bring you the sad news of the death of Barkat Alam in the early hours of this morning (Saturday, the 10th of October). Barkat had been seriously ill for some months now and the end was not unexpected. I was with him last night, but he was unconscious and the doctor told me that he would probably go during the night. Najma, his wife, and daughter Sabaa were with him when he passed away peacefully.

Barkat joined the Karachi student movement of the early 50s (and the Party), along with Mohammad Shafi and Saghir Ahmad, while still at school. All three of them played an active role in the movement. Many friends from that time will remember him with affection, a quiet, unassuming, serious-minded young man.