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In loving memory: NSF leader Rasheed Hassan Khan no more

Veteran activist spearheaded NSF after Meraj Mohammad left

Our Correspondent May 01, 2016

PHOTO: JAVED BAIG, NSF

KARACHI: Former president of the progressive students' political organisation, National Students Federation (NSF), Rasheed Hassan Khan passed away on Saturday.

He was the president of NSF from 1968 till 1970. According to his comrade, Azhar Jamil, Khan had suffered heart attacks in the past two years owing to a chronic cardiac condition. He added that Khan passed away during his sleep at his residence.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Jamil expressed grief over the death of the "stalwart of students' movement in the 1960s and 1970s during the dictatorship of General Ayub Khan." Khan had also been active during the military regime of General Yahya Khan. Rasheed, who was a doctor by profession, was quite vocal while heading the NSF when it started a movement against Ayub's dictatorial regime.

Khan was a communist student leader in the 1970s and had spearheaded the NSF after his comrade, Meraj Mohammad Khan, joined Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to form the Pakistan Peoples Party.

"Meraj Mohammad and I are aggrieved by the death of our comrade who fought against tyranny and dictatorial regimes in a country where not many come out on the streets against injustice," said Jamil.

According to Jamil, Khan had not married and is survived by his family and friends.

His soyem was held on Sunday at Gillani Mosque near Civic Centre, Hasan Square, Karachi after Asr prayers.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2016.

COMMENTS (2)

zakaria.virk | 8 years ago | Reply I have fond memories of Rasheed Hassan when I lived in Karachi 1965-70. He was a great student leader, who opposed Jameea'at Tulaba Islami vehemently and tactfully. I took part in many demonstrations at Bunder Road Karachi, when he called out students for protests. I still have some of the photographs of these protest which were published in Jang & Mashraq newspapers.

Engineer Jameel Ahmad Malik | 8 years ago | Reply Dr. Rasheed Hasan Khan was our President and leader when I joined NSF in year 1968 and from year 1972 to 1976, I was student of Peshawar University and also an activist of NSF. Dr. Rasheed Hasan Khan was underground then as the PPP Government has registered too many cases against him for his revolutionary ideas and work among the students and so he was settled secretly in Kohat. He often came to meet us and other members of NSF at Peshawar and we also visited him secretly in Kohat many times. Indeed, Dr. Rasheed Hasan Khan was a great revolutionary throughout his life. May Allah rest his soul in peace. Ameen.

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