Human rights activist and Pakistan People’s Party Senator Iqbal Haider’s (late) efforts and services for the cause of minorities was lauded by friends and colleagues in a memorial held at Alhamra Hall on Saturday.
Senator Aitzaz Ahsan said humility was Iqbal’s trait who wanted peace in the region. He said Iqbal went all the way to Delhi for the release of Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails. He lauded his role in the struggle for minorities and how he used to call them better Pakistanis.
Asma Jehangir shared her memories with the late human rights activist and how he had started his struggle and then moved on. “Initially he was ultra-red but later he decided to join mainstream political parties and joined the PPP,” she said, adding that unlike other members who left the organisation after getting ministerial portfolios, Iqbal continued his struggle for the minorities and human rights.
Pope Alexander John Malik said he was a fine specimen of humanity and stood tall among those who fought for the human rights. He said everyone was remembered for something he had done in his life and Iqbal would be remembered for his struggle for the marginalised.
Manishanker, who had come over from India to share his experiences and memories about Iqbal, said despite being against Zia in 1981 during the time of Indo-Pak tension Iqbal had said he would sacrifice his life if India attacked Pakistan.
Renowned lawyer Abid Hassan Manto said a small minority has become powerful enough to suppress human rights, while the civil society had been confined to a few hundred people alone who keep sharing these thoughts with each other. People were afraid to name organisations which own terrorism and spread it, he said, adding that organising memorials for Iqbal Haider was not enough and people needed to work for the goals Haider had set.