Shakeel Pathan — hero for the downtrodden

There are individuals who leave their footprints in such a manner that whether they are remembered by the coming generations or not, their struggle or cause continues to progress.

I have been writing obituaries and remembrances for my great father, Shakeel Pathan, since his demise on September 24, 1998 and we, as a family, have been observing his death anniversary not to attain any popularity or fame for ourselves but to remember him as a torchbearer of a struggle led by him, with the support of his friends, family, colleagues and the organisation with which he remained associated till death — the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Sometimes, I wonder if it is it our social hypocrisy that we forget warriors like Shakeel Pathan, who didn’t receive just death threats but came under actual attacks and bullet fires.

I feel that this is because of the class he belonged to. Yes, he belonged to the middle class which is why no award was named after him. But his services and photos could be found in the pockets of several liberated peasants and his absence is still being felt, as we can gauge from the many telephone calls my mother receives from bonded labourers.

He fought for the rights of the downtrodden irrespective of their caste, creed or ethnic background and sat and enjoyed his time with the ‘untouchables’ because he was a follower of the religion of humanity. He used to spend time with his media friends to evolve a strategy to get bonded labourers released.

He was given the title of ‘Pathan’ to commemorate the bravery he showed during his college days as leader of the college chapter of the National Students Federation and later entered real politics for restoration of democracy through the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD). He spent a good number of years in prison during the MRD and the media freedom movement which led him to wage a struggle for the rights of prisoners.

His mentors included Meraj Mohammed Khan and Dr Mubarak Ali and his guiders included IA Rehman and Asma Jahangir; his colleagues include several prominent media personalities of the country. Nevertheless, you will not hear a single news item about his death anniversary on any leading channel on their own unless there was a ceremony or a seminar on his death anniversary.

However, I can feel him in the hearts and minds of his friends and colleagues who may not be able to acknowledge him for his services but, at least, are carrying forward his mission. I can see his mission accomplishing in the shape of Veeru Kolhi, a former bonded labourer from Hyderabad, who participated in the general elections of 2013.

I would like to end this piece with an impressive comment from one of his followers, activist Zulfikar Halepoto, who remarked: “Your father was a great promoter of all things good and an advocate of downtrodden people of the region (referring to Tharparkar) and he used to boldly advocate the views we are talking about today. He worked without Twitter, Google and Facebook, but he is still a role model for many.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2013.

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