‘Karamat Ali to remain immensely important personality in our history’

Veteran social worker and trade unionist Karamat Ali was a committed Marxist and leftist, according to Masuma Hasan, chairperson of the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA).

The PIIA held an event on Wednesday to honour the legacy and leadership of the late Karamat Ali, who was a longstanding member of the institute. Speaking at Ali’s condolence reference, Masuma said people should highlight the leftist politics he did. “He was part of every progressive movement in the country,” she said, adding that people like Ali were political romantics. She highlighted that the romance of the left is very common in the entire world.

“They were naive that there will be a revolution tomorrow,” she said, adding that Ali had an idealistic approach that was nowhere near to reality. She stressed that the romantic revolutionary ideas must continue to live in society. She recalled how Ali would carry a black bag with him and would say that inside the bag he had his medicines.

She said Ali was always very helpful to the PIIA, adding that they needed to hold a condolence reference in his honour after his death. Ali’s eldest daughter Shazia Karamat said her father would talk to everyone but his doctors. He would address every issue of society except his health-related issues.

Social activist Sheema Kirmani said Ali would remain an immensely important personality in the history of Pakistan. She said Ali reminds her of the era when a vibrant left movement kicked off in the country. He was a Marxist and a revolutionary, she added.

“We all dreamed of a Pakistan which was free of the classist approach,” she said, adding that they wished for a Pakistan where justice would prevail, and people would live with love and harmony. Sheema said Ali lived his whole life struggling to achieve this wish for Pakistan.

“All his life he wanted to make sure that all are treated equally in Pakistan,” she said, adding that his ideology was for a just society, and his thinking was not confined to Pakistan but was for a world devoid of capitalist exploitation.

She pointed out that Ali wanted to unite the working class, and make a federation where there was no injustice with the working class. “Very few people wish such things. He was unique,” she said, adding that he was a remarkable person who would proudly present his representation of the working class.

Economist Kaiser Bengali said Ali was a true revolutionary, and his ideology revolved around imparting justice to everyone. “He never did anything for himself,” he said, adding that Ali always strived for peace between Pakistan and India, and when the two countries resorted to nuclear tests, he was truly upset about it.

Labour researcher Mushtaq Ahmed said that throughout his life, Ali was a venerated trade unionist who devoted himself to the labour struggle and relentlessly advocated for workers’ rights.

Ahmed said Ali’s mission was to unify labour movements, trade unions and workers’ federations into a single, cohesive confederation. Known for his indomitable valour and courage, Ali stood as a beacon against injustice and inequality, he added. “His steadfast dedication and efforts to create solidarity among workers have left an enduring legacy in the fight for social and economic justice,” he concluded.