Veteran politician Rasool Bux Palijo laid to rest

THATTA: Veteran politician and writer Rasool Bux Palijo was laid to rest at a graveyard of Monger Khan Palijo village at Jungshahi on Friday.

Thousands of people including political activists, writers, lawyers and educationalists attended the funeral prayers. They paid rich tribute to late Palijo for his services in the field of literature and politics.

His last rites were offered by son Ayaz Latif Palijo, who is the general secretary of Grand Democratic Alliance.

During the burial procedure, workers of Sindhiyani Tehreek – a movement by Sindh’s woman to fight discriminatory laws in 1980s – paid tribute to Palijo by singing anthem eulogising outside the graveyard.

The 88-year-old constitutional lawyer breathed his last on June 7 at a private hospital in Karachi.

A leading human rights lawyer, Palijo was the founder and chairman of the progressive party, Awami Tehreek. Palijo was born on February 21, 1930, in the village of Mungar Khan Palijo, Jungshahi, Thatta. He was a writer and also served as a lawyer of Supreme Court.

He received early education from his village while got his secondary education from Sindh Madressatul Islam, from where he graduated with a law degree. He was multilingual with command over Sindhi, Urdu, and English. Later, he also became conversant in Hindi, Arabic, Persian, Punjabi, Balochi, and Bangali.

He formed Awami Tehreek in 1970 and is also considered to be the founding member of Sindhi Adabi Sangat, Sindh Qaumi Ittehdad, and Awami National Party.

He also worked for the demolition of one-unit and was part of various other political activities. He was a great supporter of bringing women in the political circle.

Palijo spent 11 years of his political life in different jails, with most of his prison life in Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore during the 1980s.