Journeys to democracy

Here is the message I  tweeted this morning: “We remember departed loved ones every day. So why does the ‘barsi’ assume such significance? Doc, yr guiding spirit & love always with us”. He was never one for observing death anniversaries etc – but somehow, the date marks a landmark it’s hard to ignore. Good time to read again ‘Keep the fire burning’ by Zakia Sarwar on the Dr Sarwar blog

Mansoor Saeed - by Sohail Hashmi, New Delhi, 2009

Here’s another tweet I sent later: “Memorial meeting for Mansoor Saeed of CPP, PMA House, Karachi, May 28, 5 pm. Bereaved: Sania, Abida, Ahmer & Pk’s progressive community”…

I was in Delhi last week for the Aman ki Asha economic conference, which went really well. On my last day there, Sunday, I was invited to a small discussion organised by Prof Chaman Lal at JNU, Delhi (Chairperson, Centre of Indian Languages &s an authority on Bhagat Singh). Among the friends there was Sohail Hashmi
(brother of the late theatre activist Safdar Hashmi, and of Shabnam Hashmi who started the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust, Sahmat, and now runs the anti-communal Anhad, literally, limitless). We talked about left politics in Pakistan, including the 1950s student movement that Dr Sarwar led. We also talked about Pakistan’s Communist Party (yes, it still exists) and one of its stalwarts, the gentle, committed Mansoor Saeed, whose daughter Sania is now a well known theatre activist and actress in Pakistan. They are related to the Hashmis in Delhi, and we shared some memories about them. On Monday, soon after my return to Karachi, I got the sad news that Mansoor (as we, although much younger, always called him) had passed away of a heart attack. See photos of Mansoor at Sohail’s Picassa album

Condolence at PMA House, Friday, May 28th at 5.00 pm. Details below, from the CPP:

Condolence Meeting for Comrade Mansoor Saeed Member CC, Communist Party of Pakistan on 28th May 2010.

Dear Comrades!

This is to inform all comrades and friends that the condolence meeting for Comrade Mansoor Saeed will be held at 05:00 pm on 28th May 2010 at Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) House Karachi . He died on 24th May 2010 after a brief ailment in Karachi. He was In-charge of International Department, Member CC, Ideological Section and Central Secretariat of the Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP) until his death. He was 65 year old, he was born on 1st November 1942 at Daria Ganj, Old Delhi.

Comrade Mansoor Saeed became member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1964, worked to gather for long with the present Secretary General of CPI (M), Comrade Prakash Karat in a same unit . He completed his whole education from Delhi. He was a well-known personality of theater world in Pakistan. He was also a writer and translated famous book Casmos (Karl Saigan)

It was in 1970, when he came to Pakistan to marry his cousin, who was member of the Communist Party of Pakistan, the daughter of Comrade Anis Hashmi, who was his uncle in relation, but soon after, war between India and Pakistan sucked him back in Pakistan, after which he decided to stay in Pakistan and became member of the Communist Party of Pakistan in 1974. He was elected member of Central Committee in 1990. He represented Pakistan on various national and international forums.

Comrade Mansoor belonged to the well known intellectual and legendary Marxist family of the Subcontinent (Indo-Pak). He was a man great principles, straightforwardness, and honest Marxist in spirit and letter, always remained active and eliminated every revisionist, opportunist tendencies from the files and ranks of the party .

Comrade Masoor saeed was a long time friend and comrade of high substance, the fearless fighter for the rights of the working class and all the marginalized, the underprivileged people and a great sounding committed peace, freedom, culture and democracy activist.

The Communist Party of Pakistan is deeply grieved over this very untimely death of comrade Mansoor, his loss has incurred a non repairable loss to the party at times of colossal turbulence and difficult period of existence of Pakistan. He left one son Ahmar Saeed (former captain of Pakistan under 19 cricket team), daughter Sania Saeed (popular TV and theater artist) and wife Comrade Abida Saeed (educationist) grieved.

He will be remembered for his frank fearless and fort-right manner of dealing with friends and foes alike, a quality typical of men and women with strong convictions of Marxist –Leninist Humanism.

In solidarity ,
Central Secretariat

Communist Party of Pakistan
Central Secretariat: Hyderabad, Sindh.
E-Mail: cppak2003@yahoo.com
Web: http://www.cppak.org

Filed under: Dr M Sarwar, Progressive politics | Tagged: abida hashmi, anees hashmi, anhad, bhagat singh, communist politics, cpp, JNU, left politics, mansoor saeed, national languages, safdar hashmi, Sahmat, shabnam hashmi, sohail hashmi |