Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Chairperson Asma Jahangir has said that veteran photojournalist Azhar Jafri is a living legend of Pakistan whose work is the truest and undeniable form of history of this country and its struggles, documented through his pictures.
Asma said this at a ceremony held by Photojournalist Association Lahore District to honour its Chairman Azhar Jafri, who was awarded Presidential Pride of Performance in 2014.
Asma said that that Jafri has not just captured images; he has documented movements and revolutions in this country in their purest form. She said that his work helps identify the faces which have always emerged before a dictator takes over. She also presented a shield to Azhar Jafri at the end of the event.
President Punjab Union of Journalists Waseem Farooq said that Azhar Jafri is the shining star of Pakistan’s photojournalism and he has set the bar so high that no one has been able to reach his stature. He said that what concerns him the most is that there is not a single Azhar Jafri in the current times who would risk everything to be true to the profession and purpose like he was.
Lahore Press Club Secretary Finance Shadaab Riaz said that he has had the privilege of being friends with Jafri and he know that even beyond his professionalism, he is an amazing person with utter regard to human rights and the rights of the individual. He said that as a nation we should learn to honor our legends during their lifetime and should try our best to learn from them so that their legacy would live on forever.
General Secretary HRCP I A Rehman, Resident Editor Dawn Newspaper Lahore Ashar Rehman, Secretary Lahore Press Club Afzal Talib, Mohammad Mohiyyuddin, Mansoor, Riaz Ahmed, Shafiq Malik, Majid Hussain and Waqqas Bashir were also present at the event.
