LAHORE – Nawa-e-Waqt founder and Pakistan Movement worker Hameed Nizami’s legacy is under illegal occupation and people behind the coup are thrusting their own thoughts on it, Hameed Nizami’s son and Pakistan Today Editor Arif Nizami said.
He was addressing participants of the Hameed Nizami Day event organised by the Hameed Nizami Memorial Society on Sunday at the Alhamra Arts Council. Punjab Governor Latif Khosa presided over the function while Daily Pakistan Chief Editor Mujibur Rehman Shami, senior columnist Ataul Haq Qasmi, TV anchor Hamid Mir, Onaza Ehsan, Sahibzada Ameenul Hasnat Shah and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Secretary General Liaquat Baloch were also present.
Arif said that Hameed Nizami died struggling against the dictatorship of Ayub Khan. During that era, there was a concept of solo journalism but now the print and electronic media is much more independent, he said. The Pakistan Today editor said that his father Hameed Nizami wanted journalists to be hardworking and honest to their profession and journalism was his mission.
Arif said that his father never wanted to publish his name on his paper except the print line. The veteran journalist praised Khosa’s party loyalty, adding that former prime minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto stayed at the governor’s private residence during her last visit to Lahore, which endorsed his standing.
He said that Liaquat Baloch was his determined student despite his engagements as the Islami Jamiat-e-Talba (IJT) nazim. The Aiwan-e-Iqbal chairman termed Ataul Haq Qasmi as the best columnist and termed Mujibur Rehman Shami an institution in himself for his writing and speaking skills. Here he praised the federal government for being tolerant of the press.
Governor Khosa lauded Hameed Nizami’s efforts and said that the former prime minister and PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was inspired by Hameed’s thoughts and admired his efforts to strengthen democracy. The governor said that the Nawa-e-Waqt founder always stood in front of landlords, British rule and Hindus. He said that Raymond Davis issue was subjudice and no one should talk about it.
Khosa praised Arif Nizami for following in Hameed’s footsteps and threw up the rhetorical question of whether the veteran journalist had worked for an enlightened Pakistan or a religiously narrow-minded state. The governor urged people to carry forward the mission of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Hameed Nizami for democracy. Khosa said that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had a firm trust on Hameed Nizami and lauded the Nawa-e-Waqt founder’s struggle against dictatorship.
The governor said that it is time to follow the politics of reconciliation in order to make the country according to the Quaid-e-Azam and Hameed Nizami’s vision. Shami said that Hameed Nizami came from a small town and with hard work and commitment, became a major player of the Pakistan Movement. He said that Hameed Nizami had always fought for democracy and due to his pure intentions, he was known as a credible journalist.
The Daily Pakistan chief editor said that the space between leaders and the nation be minimised for the nation’s betterment. He said that the nation needs a qualitative change to make it the country which Hameed Nizami had imagined. Shami said that for Pakistan’s progress, law enforcement agencies need to be strengthened and “we have to abide by the ideology of Pakistan Movement workers.”
Ataul Haq Qasmi read his column in which he highlighted the responsibility of a journalist and termed Hameed Nizami as an extraordinary journalist. Hamid Mir termed Hameed Nizami as his ideal and said that his father Waris Mir and Hameed Nizami had a very close relationship. He said that Hameed Nizami played a great role in the Pakistan Movement and that bias is sometimes important for a journalist.
Mir said that without Hameed’s inclination towards Pakistan, things would have been different. He said that reporting demands fair reflection but as far as opinion is concerned, journalists should have their own opinion and stand by it just like Hameed Nizami did. The TV anchor said that Pakistan’s biggest hurdle is injustice and “we must respect the law while handling the Raymond Davis case.” Mir said that he did not support changing the blasphemy law but supported punishment for those who took the law into their hands.
He said that the US would not dare interfere in Pakistan’s affairs if the nation starts respecting the law and not abuse powers like Hameed Nizami did. Onaza Ehsan said that Hameed Nizami was not only a journalist but an ideology himself and a school of thought and a progressive man. She said that Hameed had helped great leaders such as the Quaid-e-Azam in achieving the goal of Pakistan.
Onaza said that today’s Pakistan is far different from what Hameed Nizami, Allama Iqbal and the Quaid-e-Azam had imagined. The former MNA said “we must follow the ideology given to us by Pakistan Movement workers.” Sahibzada Ameenul Hasnat Shah said that his family has a long relationship with the Nizami family. He appreciated the role of Hameed Nizami for Islam and Pakistan.
Liaquat Baloch said that Hameed Nizami was a symbol of struggle, determination and an icon of democracy. He said that Hameed had always fought for the welfare of the common man. The JI leader said that Nawa-e-Waqt has always stood with the issues related to the common man and represented the real problems faced by the nation.
He said that Hameed Nizami had defined the power of the pen and had proven his ideology with reasoning and firmness. Baloch said that Hameed was a man of flawless analysis and had always stood besides the two-nation theory through his analysis.
