‘Hamza Wahid was not just educationist but epitome of true activist’

Prof Hamza Wahid was not just a person but a movement. She was a thoughtful, enlightened and compassionate woman, who, with her unwavering belief in her ideals and goals, persevered in her journey of fostering intellectual awakening and revolutionary thinking among youth, especially women.

These remarks were made by educationist Prof Anees Zaidi during the 24th Hamza Wahid Memorial Lecture at the PMA House on Saturday evening. The lecture was organised by the Irtiqa Institute of Social Sciences in collaboration with the Pakistan Medical Association.

Prof Zaidi, who was a witness to Prof Hamza’s journey and struggles, dwelt upon the national and international context during Prof Hamza’s formative years.

“Hamza Baji was a committed woman,” he said, adding that she remained at the forefront when it came to human rights, women’s rights, students’ movement, teachers’ struggles, raising voice for the marginalised and oppressed communities, and spreading awareness among them.

He acknowledged that while Prof Hamza was primarily an educationist, she was the epitome of a true activist. “On the one hand she lent support to progressive forces, while on the other, she reactivated girls’ students’ organisation to foster political awareness among female students.”

He highlighted that the late professor was not just sympathetic towards the poor but was practically engaged with them, which was why she spent 35 years of her life in the labourers’ colony and ultimately breathed her last there.

Recounting the floods of 1973 in Sindh and Punjab, he recalled how a team of Karachi’s educationists had spent 20 days in Khanpur, extending assistance to the affected families. “She was an indispensable member of the team.”

Historian Dr Tahira Khan, who presided over the event, recalled how she had delivered the inaugural lecture of the Hamza Wahid Memorial Lecture series back in 2001, when she talked about women and education with a feminist view.

“Today, after 22 years, as I read the published lecture, I couldn’t help but feel that nothing had changed in all those years,” she said, adding that women still face challenges in their pursuit of education. She pointed out that in cities a great number of not only women but also men are deprived of education.

Dr Tahira said Prof Hamza was associated with an urban community where the question of education was not a challenge. “When I reflect on my own experiences, I realise that when I began attending university, the mere act of going to university felt like a struggle.”

She said Prof Hamza was not just a teacher but a teaching activist, an academic activist, as she did not confine herself within the walls of her classroom but stepped out to effect change beyond.

The historian praised Prof Zaidi’s lecture, saying that he had contextualised her journey within the backdrop of the 1940s and 50s, encompassing the First and Second World Wars, the Cold War, colonialism, independence, post-independence, as well as internal and external issues facing the country.