S. Athar H. Rizvi
Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — Passionate tributes were paid to three luminaries of the subcontinent at an event organized by the Pakistan Writers Forum at a local restaurant here Thursday night.
Qazi Hussein Ahmad (1938-2012), Professor Abdul Ghafoor Ahmed (1927-2012) and Masood Mahmood Shamsi (1945-2013) were men of mettle and selfless social workers whose sacrifices for the betterment of the Ummah were recalled at the event.
Several participants spoke about these personalities, based on their personal experiences. The speakers traced the contributions of these men to the community.
Dr. Khaliluddin, who has served the guests of Allah at the Holy Haram in Makkah for over three decades, was the chief guest at the event.
The function, ably conducted by Altaf Hussain, member of the Pakistan Writers Forum, began with the recitation of the Holy Qur’an by Fahad Ayoob Zinjani.
Presenting his paper on the contributions of Ghafoor Ahmed, Zakiuddin, a civil engineer, shed light on the multifaceted personality of the great Pakistani leader who was associated with Jamaat-e-Islami and served as National Assembly member in 1970 and 1977. He was elected senator in 1978.
During his tenure as member of the National Assembly in 1970, Ghafoor Ahmed was instrumental in incorporating several Shariah principles into the constitution, Zakiuddin said. In his second tenure, Ghafoor Ahmed demonstrated his strong opposition to then prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto by leading two political alliances: the United Democratic Alliance and the Pakistan National Alliance. He became a minister in 1978.
He served as deputy president of Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami. He has several books on various sociopolitical subjects to his credit.
Abdul Razzaq, sales executive at Arabian Auto Engineering, spoke about the contributions and selfless sacrifices of Qazi Hussein Ahmad who served as president of Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami for over two decades from 1987.
Qazi Ahmad was elected a senator in 1986. Within Pakistan, he was a patron of organizations such as Pasban and founder of Shabab-e-Milli and was secretary general of the Muttahida Shariat Mahaz (1986).
Re-elected to the Senate in March 1992, he resigned in 1996 in protest against political corruption. He was elected as a member of the National Assembly in 2002 and served as parliamentary leader of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal.
Qazi Ahmad traveled widely to represent Jamaat at international forums, leading goodwill missions as well as in his personal capacity to mediate in issues concerning the Ummah. His services during the Iran-Iraq war, the Gulf war, the Balkan (Bosnia) crisis and the post-Soviet power struggle in Afghanistan have been widely commended and appreciated.
Qazi Ahmad, even when he was on the hit list of militants during sectarian clashes engulfing the Sindh province, led peace caravans throughout the province that to a great extent helped restore order.
Dwelling on the contributions of Masood Mahmood Shamsi, senior official in the Punjab Waqf Board in India, Bahjat Najmi Zinjani said it was largely because of his selfless endeavor during his 40-year stint with the board that over 1,000 mosques usurped by Hindu and Sikh fanatics in the aftermath of the partition of India in 1947 were reacquired.
“About 15 percent of the mosques and other illegally grabbed Waqf properties were regained through the persuasive skills of Shamsi,” said Zinjani, a well-known figure in Jeddah social and dawa circles. “The remaining 85 percent of Waqf real estate was procured through the tiring and cumbersome litigation process,” he said, adding that the Punjab Waqf Board now boasts of being one of the richest in India.
Summing up, Dr. Khaliluddin said civilizations stand on a foundation the bricks of which are laid by people who spend their lives serving their community.
“Recalling the contributions of these great men invigorates us to follow in their footsteps to do what we should for the welfare of the community,” he said.
Niaz Ahmad, chairman of the PWF, proposed the vote of thanks.
