KARACHI:Veteran politician RasoolBuxPalijo passed away due to protracted illness in Karachi in the wee hours of Thursday. He was 88.
Palijo was a notable leftist, marxist leader, scholar and writer. He was a leading human-rights lawyer and the leader of AwamiTahreek. Palijo was the founder and chairman of AwamiTahreek (People’s Movement), a progressive and leftist party.
Palijo was born in the village Mungar Khan Palijo, Jungshahi, Thatta district, Sindh on February 21, 1930. He received his early education at his village and the secondary education at Sindh Madressatul Islam in Karachi. Palijo did his law graduation from Sindh Law College Karachi. At the age of 15, he had become fluent in Sindhi, Urdu, and English languages, and later became conversant in Hindi, Arabic, Balochi, Bengali, Siraiki, Punjabi and Persian.
A prolific writer and scholar, Palejo served as a Supreme Court lawyer. He was jailed under political charges for more than 11 years especially during the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) in Pakistan. Most of his prisoner life, he was kept on KotLakhpat jail, Punjab during the 1980. He declared as “Prisoner of Conscience” by Amnesty International in 1981.
Palijo has earned a place in the pantheon of leaders from South Asia who earned everlasting fame in the struggle against feudalism, martial laws, colonialism and imperialism. He was one of the leading founders of the Awami National Party, Sindh MutahidaMuhaz, Sindh QomiItehad, Bazm-e-Sofia-e Sindh, PONM, Sindhi AdabiSangat, MRD, Anti One-Unit Movement and 4 March Movement.
He founded AwamiTahreek, Sindhi Haree Committee, SindhianiTahreek, Sindhi ShagirdTahreek, Sindhi HareeTahreek, Pakistan AwamiJamhooriItehad, Pakistan AwamiTahreek, Sindhi MazdoorTahreek, Sindh Intellectual Forum, Sindhi Awam Jo QomiItehad, Sindhi Girls Students Organization, Sujaag Bar Tahreek, Sindh Water Committee, 1940 Pakistan Resolution Implementation Committee AwamiJamhooriTahreek and Anti Greater Thal Canal and Kalabagh Dam Action Committee.
He also launched Neelam Band Karyo and Voter Listoon Sindhi men ChapayoTahreek. Palijo was one of the leading figures behind the Movement For Restoration of Democracy (MRD). He and his party AwamiTahreek played active role against illegal Army Operation in Bangladesh and Balochistan and in the Movement of Journalists against General Zia-ul-Haq and in Bhutto BahcayoTahreek. He was one of the outstanding speakers of Sub-continent, top Constitutional and Criminal Lawyers of Pakistan and the first Sindhi and South Asian Politician who launched and organized the movement against Kalabagh Dam, Violence in Educational Institutions, and against Urban Based Organized Terrorism.
He introduced a new non-violent trend of democratic struggles in Sindh by way of Long Marches. He is the author of more than 40 books on numerous subjects, ranging from literature to politics, prison dairies, culture and poetry etc. He became the first political prisoner who remained longest term in jail under political charges for more than 11 years and was declared as Prisoner of Conscience by Amnesty International in 1981.
He became well-versed in literature by reading Kant, Hegel, Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, Mohandas Gandhi and Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He was an outspoken critic of the feudal system and bureaucrats. He was married to Sindhi singer, activist and author ZarinaBaloch until her death on 25 October 2006. The union yielded a son AyazLatifPalijo who is a great nationalist leader of Sindh.