Daily Times

SHIKARPUR: Quami Awami Tehreek (QAT) on Sunday held a condolence reference at Shikarpur Press Club, to pay rich tribute to a renowned scholar, lawyer, writer and the founder of Awami Tahreek, Rasool Bakhsh Palijo, who died recently at the age of 88 after a protracted illness.

A number of speakers including Zafar Ghaloo, Zafar Channa, Dr Amir Abbas Soomro, Zubair Soomor, Zahid Bhambhro, Humair Chandio and others were present on the occasion.

“Palijo introduced new trends in politics during the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) when a large number of women and children appeared and presented themselves before the police officers for their arrest,” the speakers remarked while adding that he earned everlasting fame in the struggle for 70 years against feudalism, martial laws, colonialism and imperialism.

The speakers further asserted that his extraordinary and multifaceted career includes being a revolutionary Marxist leader, prolific writer, social scientist, political thinker and a leading human rights lawyer.

A progressive and leftist party’s leader was a man of courage, who based on his views of social equality, struggled and created space for women in politics so that they could resolve their outstanding issues.

He was a tireless campaigner for the poor, women, children, peasants, labourers and minorities. He never compromised on his principles and stood against oppression and dictatorial regimes in the country.

Rasool Bakhsh Palijo was born on February 21 in 1930 at Mungar Khan Palijo Village in the district of Thatta in Sindh province. On June 8, 2018, he was laid to rest in his native village.

The participants observed a moment of silence in his honour.

Furthermore, they vowed to convene more gatherings to honour him and extract guidance from his teachings and life as a role model.

A number of political activists, journalists including Abdul Haleem Mahar, Asadullah Soomro, Ali Asghar Pahore, Zahid Pahore, Ali Ahmed Buriro, Mumtaz Mangi, Shewal Das, Arshad Kagzi, Mian Zafar Alvi, Fazaullah Noorani and notables attended the condolence reference.

Published in Daily Times, June 25^th 2018.