Late Hakim Said paid rich tribute for meritorious services

PESHAWAR: Speakers paid rich tributes to late Hakim Mohammed Said for the meritorious services he had rendered to the country in the health, education and social welfare fields.

They were speaking at a special function arranged by the Shoora-e-Hamdard to mark the 20th death anniversary of one of Pakistan’s most prominent medical researchers in the field of Eastern medicines, scholar and philanthropist who was born in Delhi on January 9, 1920, and martyred in an attack in Karachi on October 17, 1998.

The programme was named “Shaheed-e-Pakistan Hakim Mohammed Said - Eesaar, Hamdardi Aur Mohabbat Ka Paikar (Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said - an embodiment of selflessness, sympathy and love.”

A senior politician, Hakeem Abdul Waheed, was the chief guest. Dr Syed Abbass Famouri, Director General of the Cultural Centre of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Peshawar, was the guest of honour.

A noted cultural activist and speaker of Shoora-e-Hamdard, Dr Salahuddin, presided over the function.

Dr Salahuddin said he had the honour of keeping the association with late Hakim Mohammed Said for 35 long years.

“I learnt a lot from him during all this time. I benefited from this great person in professional matters,” said Dr Salahuddin who is medical doctor by profession and has acquired specialisation in physiology. He said late Hakim Said was among those intellectuals of the nation whose martyrdom 20 years back caused a grave loss to the people of Pakistan.

Other speakers, including Hakeem Abdul Waheed, Dr Syed Abbass Famouri, Professor Dr Nasiruddin Azam Khan, Sardar Farooq Ahmad Jan Babar, Roshan Khattak, Jawad Ahmad, Abdul Qadeer Najafi, Ghazala Yousaf and others dwelt at different aspects of the life and contributions of Hakim Said.

They said late Hakim Said migrated to Pakistan from India on January 9, 1948 and launched services for the people of Pakistan in Karachi in a small rented building. Through his sustained efforts, they added, he was able to set up welfare institution Hamdard Foundation Pakistan which became synonymous with the quality herbal medicines not only in Pakistan but abroad as well. He had an unmatched personality and wanted his thoughts to take a practical shape in institution building, they added.

The speakers said the late scholar wanted a solution to the issues the country was faced with and that of the Muslim nation and made efforts to have them solved. They said late Hakim Said visited several countries and highlighted these issues not only at the World Health Organisation, the United Nations but also other international forums.

Those at the session said late Hakim Said was a great proponent of the herbal medicines and worked till his last breath for the expansion of the herbal-based treatment. “He founded Idara-e-Hamdard and launched a prestigious Hamdard University,” pointed out one of the speakers.

They mentioned institutions such as Madinatul Hikma and Baitul Hikma set up by late Hakim Said in the port city of Karachi to spread standard education at various grades and at different levels. “These institutions have research-based papers and proceedings of the international sessions which continue to serve as guidelines for all of us to this date,” pointed out another speaker.