Reference for Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan

Islamabad
Participants paid glowing tributes to comrade Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan at a reference organised by South Asian Free Medium Association here Wednesday.
Tahira Abdullah started the proceedings by dedicating Habib Jalib’s “Khatray mein Islam nahin” to legendary women’s rights activist Begum Tahira. She said that Tahira Mazhar was a versatile personality who despite being daughter of a chief minister and her husband hailing from a nawab family dedicated their lives to the struggle for the downtrodden and used to dine in huts of peasants and workers. When ZAB did not let her son Tariq Ali to land at Lahore, she wrote a strongly-worded letter to him but when he was in jail, she sent bouquet on his birthday as Jan 5 was birthday of her as well as ZA Bhutto.
Renowned poetess Kishwar Naheed in her presidential address said that we should celebrate her life which was full of vigour and energy. She said that Tahira was very beautiful and attractive. She said that Tahira asked me to represent Pakistan in an international conference in East Germany. She said that 72 writers signing a petition against military operation in East Pakistan and those having government jobs were dismissed. She said that Tahira stood against criticism of Bangladeshis in a literary conference and apologised. She said that Tahira and Mazhar used to live a disciplined life.
Prof Ashfaq Saleem Mirza said that life of Tahira itself was a tribute. She discarded her house life to struggle
for the lives of poor revol-
ting against their aristocratic class.
Mazhar spent his life savings to continue “Viewpoint” in which towering personalities used to write like IA Rehman, Hussain Naqi and Ahmad Hasan. He also recited a poem “Chalo gungunayen unhain” on the occasion.
Naeem Mirza from Aurat Foundation said that Tahira was born in a feudal family in 1925 but took a conscious decision to join the proletariat class knowing all the dangers ahead. Her life is an asset for us to emulate, he said. Like her hubby, she adopted communist movement as her path to follow. He said Tahira founded Progressive Women’s Association and moved on a bicycle. She worked with Sibte Hasan, Prof Amin Mughal, Hasan Nasir and Sajjad Zaheer. She possessed extraordinary qualities and was a “classical communist.” She went to slum areas like Garhi Shahu with a broom to participate in cleanliness drive.
Khawar Mumtaz, Chairperson, National Commission on the Status of Women, said we went to a railway colony to work for the poor, but Tahira was already there. She was active in unions of factories in Kot Lakhphat in which women also worked. Despite being old, she was more energetic than us, said Khawar. She recalled her days in Viewpoint.
Veteran journalist Afzal Khan said that Mazhar’s English was accurate and chose a difficult and new path leaving his rich life. He said Benazir Bhutto was a great admirer of Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan.
Former Chief Economist Tahir Pervaiz said that Tahira was never seen in anger and was an optimist.