Homage paid to Chaudhry Rehmat Ali

Rawalpindi: A function to pay homage to ‘Naqqash-e-Pakistan’, Ch. Rehmat Ali, who is famous for creating the name of ‘Pakistan’ and who played an important and effective role in the Pakistan Movement along with Founder of Pakistan Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Poet of the East Allama Muhammad Iqbal and others, was organised at Post-Graduate College for Women, Satellite Town, here on Wednesday as a part of week-long programme of Pakistan National Movement in connection with the death anniversary of Ch. Rehmat Ali that falls on February 3.

Yousuf Aziz, President Pakistan National Movement was the chief guest while Gulzar Muhammad Advocate, Secretary General, Ch. Rehmat Ali Memorial Trust, Lahore was the guest of Honour. Principal of the Post-Graduate College for Women, Satellite Town, Prof. Dr. Alia Sohail Khan warmly welcomed the guests.

Yousuf Aziz, in his address on the occasion said that the personality of Ch. Rehmat Ali is like a star in the universe that is glittering the whole universe. About his great deed of proposing the name of Pakistan, he said that he was first among the lovers of Pakistan. He mentioned that in the Round Table Conference he stood alone to face the opponents of Pakistan. He consistently followed that ideology and we are sitting here today to pay tributes to that ideology. Ch. Rehmat Ali survived in that era when the British and his own people stood against him but he continued to prove that he was right. From Jalandhar to Cambridge, Karachi and other parts of the world he continued spreading his message zealously. Sufi Nazir Tabassum Gorsi, Secretary General Pakistan National Movement said that Ch. Rehmat Ali got disappointed during his stay in England as almost all his like-minded colleagues had gone back to India. He felt himself very lonely and used to check the post box with regular intervals. On one such occasion on January 29, 1951, he went to check the mail box outside in extreme cold without wearing proper outfit and caught severe pneumonia, was hospitalised and breathed his last on February 3.

Sufi Nazir said that as there were not much friends of him to carry out his funeral rites, some Egyptian students came forward to do that job as Pakistan Embassy staff did nothing to bring his body to Pakistan citing lack of funds. As a result of which, he said, his body was ultimately buried in a local graveyard in England on February 20 as an ‘Amanat’.

Sufi Nazir disclosed that they are in correspondence with the Government of Pakistan to bring back the body of Ch. Rehmat Ali home and are extremely hopeful in this connection. The guest of honour, Gulzar Muhammad Advocate, Secretary General, Ch. Rehmat Ali Memorial Trust, Lahore, in his address on the occasion said, all great leaders including Ch. Rehmat Ali used to talk about the minorities’ rights. Principal Prof. Dr. Alia Sohail Khan said those nations that forget their heroes, the history forgets them also. Later, talking to this scribe, Dr. Alia disclosed that the College has constructed a new block after the name of Ch. Rehmat Ali. The entry corridor of this block is decorated with huge portraits of Ch. Rehmat Ali, she added.

Earlier, a documentary ‘Remembering the Unforgettable’ was showed to the students. The documentary was prepared by Maiza Iftikhar, Amna Khan, and Aneeqa Noor of Mass Communication Department of the College under the supervision of their teacher Yasmeen Jamali.

These three students, and two students from Viqar-un-Nisa Post-Graduate College Rawalpindi Aisha Hussain (for her speech) and Munazza Mustafa (for conducting the proceedings) were conferred with cash prizes by the chief guest. Later, the sports girls of the College were also decorated with medals for their achievement in the Inter-Board (All Pakistan) Sports Gala organized by Pakistan Sports Board Islamabad from 25-28 January under the patronage of In-charge Sports Science Mrs. Maryam.