Nationalist icon Rasool Bux Palijo laid to rest in ancestral village
Hundreds of women workers of Awami Tehreek act as pall-bearers
Rasool Bux Palijo. PHOTO: FILE
HYDERABABD:
Shedding tears and chanting slogans in Rasool Bux Palijo's praise, thousands of supporters, admirers and family members carried the coffin of the idolised nationalist leader to his final resting place.
Rasool, who passed away at the age of 88 in a hospital in Karachi on Thursday, was buried in his native village, Mungar Khan Palijo, in Jungshahi rural town, Thatta district, on Friday.
Diverging from the norm, hundreds of women wing workers of Rasool’s party, Awami Tehreek (AT), acted as the pall-bearers, carrying the coffin from residence of elder son Jamil Palijo to the graveyard.
Senator Sassui Palijo of the Pakistan Peoples Party, who belongs to the deceased's family, was also among the women carrying the coffin as others waved AT's flags and portraits of Rasool.
Outside the residence, thousands of men also joined the women to shoulder the casket which was covered with the party's flag.
Funeral procession of Palijo. PHOTO: EXPRESS
"Rahbar Sindhi qoum jo [leader of the Sindhi nation], Rasool Bux Palijo," the workers repeatedly chanted. "Zinda ahe zinda rahando fikar-e-Palijo zinda rahando [Its alive and will remain alive, Palijo's philosophy will remain alive]."
The workers of Sindhi Tehreek, the women’s wing of the party, also offered namaz-e-janaza and later participated in the burial rites.
As Rasool was being laid in the grave, singer Khushbo Laghari sang chawan hari, nari jeay Palijo, chaway Sindhri sari, jeay Palijo [peasants, women say long live Palijo, whole Sindh says long live Palijo]. Her song lefts thousands in tears.
"This is a manifestation of his [Rasool’s] efforts for women empowerment that we are performing the burial," said a worker of AT, Ghulam Nabi. "This is the funeral of a leader who not only believed in women empowerment, but practically trained thousands of women workers of his party for real empowerment."
Noor Ahmed Katiar, the AT's spokesperson, told The Express Tribune that it was their party's decision to allow women to salute the casket, shoulder it to the graveyard, offer namaz-e-janaza and perform the burial rites.
A large number of politicians, nationalist leaders, writers, poets, lawyers, journalists and educationists attended the funeral. The burial rites were performed by the deceased leader's sons, including Ayaz Latif Palijo, the general secretary of the Grand Democratic Alliance, who also heads Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT).
"Sindh has been deprived of an institution, a man of unrivaled wisdom, courage, bravery and leadership," said Ayaz while talking to the media. "He stood against every tyrant, dictator and oppressor of his era and led organised campaigns [against them] with courage and persistence."
Sindh Taraqi Pasand Chairperson Dr Qadir Magsi said the leader’s death is a big tragedy for the people of Sindh. "His struggle for the rights and integrity of Sindh will be remembered for generations." He praised the deceased leader for organising women, peasants and the working class and creating awareness among these people.
In his ideology, Rasool was a Maoist. He believed in socialism as a panacea for the socio-economic problems. When he was a young lawyer, he sympathetically offered free legal aid to peasants and working class people.
Funeral procession of veteran politician. PHOTO: EXPRESS
He was a scholar, constitutional and criminal lawyer, historian, author, poet, a prolific writer and an orator and he loved literature and philosophy. Rasool authored around three dozen books in various genres and translated works of revolutionary poets for publication and for education of his party's workers. He also wrote biographies of Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh.
He served separate stints of imprisonment of around 11 years from 1969 to 1986 due to his opposition to General Yahya Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and General Ziaul Haq. AT has announced 40 days of mourning while QAT, a faction of AT led by Ayaz, will mourn the death for 15 days.
Shedding tears and chanting slogans in Rasool Bux Palijo's praise, thousands of supporters, admirers and family members carried the coffin of the idolised nationalist leader to his final resting place.
Rasool, who passed away at the age of 88 in a hospital in Karachi on Thursday, was buried in his native village, Mungar Khan Palijo, in Jungshahi rural town, Thatta district, on Friday.
Diverging from the norm, hundreds of women wing workers of Rasool’s party, Awami Tehreek (AT), acted as the pall-bearers, carrying the coffin from residence of elder son Jamil Palijo to the graveyard.
Senator Sassui Palijo of the Pakistan Peoples Party, who belongs to the deceased's family, was also among the women carrying the coffin as others waved AT's flags and portraits of Rasool.
Outside the residence, thousands of men also joined the women to shoulder the casket which was covered with the party's flag.
Funeral procession of Palijo. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Veteran politician Rasool Bux Palijo passes away in Karachi
"Rahbar Sindhi qoum jo [leader of the Sindhi nation], Rasool Bux Palijo," the workers repeatedly chanted. "Zinda ahe zinda rahando fikar-e-Palijo zinda rahando [Its alive and will remain alive, Palijo's philosophy will remain alive]."
The workers of Sindhi Tehreek, the women’s wing of the party, also offered namaz-e-janaza and later participated in the burial rites.
As Rasool was being laid in the grave, singer Khushbo Laghari sang chawan hari, nari jeay Palijo, chaway Sindhri sari, jeay Palijo [peasants, women say long live Palijo, whole Sindh says long live Palijo]. Her song lefts thousands in tears.
"This is a manifestation of his [Rasool’s] efforts for women empowerment that we are performing the burial," said a worker of AT, Ghulam Nabi. "This is the funeral of a leader who not only believed in women empowerment, but practically trained thousands of women workers of his party for real empowerment."
Noor Ahmed Katiar, the AT's spokesperson, told The Express Tribune that it was their party's decision to allow women to salute the casket, shoulder it to the graveyard, offer namaz-e-janaza and perform the burial rites.
A large number of politicians, nationalist leaders, writers, poets, lawyers, journalists and educationists attended the funeral. The burial rites were performed by the deceased leader's sons, including Ayaz Latif Palijo, the general secretary of the Grand Democratic Alliance, who also heads Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT).
"Sindh has been deprived of an institution, a man of unrivaled wisdom, courage, bravery and leadership," said Ayaz while talking to the media. "He stood against every tyrant, dictator and oppressor of his era and led organised campaigns [against them] with courage and persistence."
Sindh Taraqi Pasand Chairperson Dr Qadir Magsi said the leader’s death is a big tragedy for the people of Sindh. "His struggle for the rights and integrity of Sindh will be remembered for generations." He praised the deceased leader for organising women, peasants and the working class and creating awareness among these people.
In his ideology, Rasool was a Maoist. He believed in socialism as a panacea for the socio-economic problems. When he was a young lawyer, he sympathetically offered free legal aid to peasants and working class people.
Funeral procession of veteran politician. PHOTO: EXPRESS
He was a scholar, constitutional and criminal lawyer, historian, author, poet, a prolific writer and an orator and he loved literature and philosophy. Rasool authored around three dozen books in various genres and translated works of revolutionary poets for publication and for education of his party's workers. He also wrote biographies of Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh.
He served separate stints of imprisonment of around 11 years from 1969 to 1986 due to his opposition to General Yahya Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and General Ziaul Haq. AT has announced 40 days of mourning while QAT, a faction of AT led by Ayaz, will mourn the death for 15 days.