The accident took place near Dewan Sugar Mills on the Karachi-Badin Road at around 8:30pm. STOCK IMAGE
Tahira Ali Shah, known as Adi Tahira, the woman behind the struggle of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) and a prominent leader of fisherwomen, died in a road accident near Sujawal on Tuesday.
Tahira, 60, leaves behind four sons and two daughters. Her husband, PFF chairperson Muhammad Ali Shah, was also injured. After initial treatment in Sujawal and Thatta, he was taken to Aga Khan Hospital.
The accident took place near Dewan Sugar Mills on the Karachi-Badin Road at around 8:30pm when Tahira, her husband and PFF treasurer Zulekhan were travelling in a car with their driver.
According to a PFF office bearer, driver Jamil Junejo lost control while trying to save a motorcyclist. The car fell in a water pond near the road.
"Adi Tahira succumbed to her injuries before reaching the hospital," said Junejo, adding that the PFF chairperson was improving and will be discharged today [Wednesday].
Behind her man's success
Tahira always stood by the side of her husband, continuing her commitment to the fishermen's cause till her last breath. "They were going to participate in a PFF event in Badin," said Junejo.
One of the founding members of the PFF, she was also the senior vice-chairperson before the establishment of Noori, an organisation working for fishermen’s rights, in 2010. Tahira was its chairperson.
The fisher community along the coastal belt of Sindh and Balochistan is well aware of the roles she played in different movements, including one against Rangers in Badin and another against the occupation of Chutyari Lake. "Her struggle for the rights of rural women, especially fisherwomen, is incomparable," said Fauzia Saeed, a women rights activist and a close friend of Tahira.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 11th, 2015.
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