20000101

Rich tributes

paid to

Hamza Bashir

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Glowing tributes were paid to Prof. Hamza Wahid Bashir for her intellectual pursuits, contribution towards the cause of education, and strengthening of progressive movements among students and teachers on the occasion of her first death anniversary memorial meeting held at the Pakistan Medical Association Hall on Thursday.

Prof. Hamza, popularly known as Hamza Baji among friends and students was a leading activist who worked for the rights of women in particular and for the oppressed classes of society in general, was a progressive teacher. Throughout her life she remained dedicated to the cause of education and welfare of the teaching community.

Hamza Baji was the first person who in late sixties brought the teachers of the colleges and university at one platform and organised them to form College Teachers Association. The teachers body so formed later proved to be the most progressive organisation of the country, and it still is.

The memorial meeting was presided over by Hasan Abdi who in her closing remarks remembered Hamza Baji as a person who would be remembered as a non-conformist and one of the true followers of good principles of progressive movements.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Fatehyab Ali Khan, Meraj Mohammed Khan, Anwar Ahsan Siddiqui, Dr. Prof. Aqila Islam, Prof. Zohra Daudi, Prof. Ilyas Soomro, Badar Shadan, Prof. Anis Zaidi, and Prof. Riaz Ahsan. Hina Nooreen paid her tributes in poetry.

The memorial meeting was largely attended by progressive political activists, educationists, labour leaders, poets and writers and representatives of trade union organisations, PMA, and the press.