Jam Saqi
| Jam Saqi ڄام ساقي |
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Jam Saqi
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| Born | October 31, 1944 Chhachro, Tharparkar, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Residence | Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan |
Jam Saqi (Urdu/Sindhi: ڄام ساقي) (born October 31, 1944) is a leftwing politician from Sindh, Pakistan. He was the general secretary of the Communist Party of Pakistan. Jam Saqi was imprisoned for more than 15 years because of his political activities. He left the Communist Party in 1991 and joined the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Trotskyist The Struggle group. Jam Saqi is married to Akhtar Sultana.
Biography
(Muhammad Jam Jhanji) Jam Saqi, well-known communist and peasant leader, has the distinction of leading the March 4, 1967, student movement and organizing the first public meeting of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) founder and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on December 13, 1967 at the Jamia Arabic Ground, Hyderabad, Sindh. Born in village Janjhi, Taluka Chhachhro, District Tharparkar, Saqi passed his matriculation examinations from Local Board High School, Chachro in 1962. Later, he studied at Government College, and Sachal Sarmast Arts College Hyderabad, and Sindh University, Jamshoro from where he did his Master’s. In an interview Jam Saqi recounted later that a retired primary teacher Inayatullah Dhamchar put him in touch with the underground Communist Party of Pakistan. Dhamchar visited Jam Saqi's school on October 16, 1961, where he was impressed by Jam's speech in a debate about late Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan. Saqi, a fiery student leader of yesteryear’s, founded Sindh National Students Federation (SNSF) – a student wing of Communist Party on November 3, 1968, of which he was the founder president with Nadeem Akhter as the founding vice president and Mir Thebo as general secretary of the organization. The SNSF played a vital role in the democratic upsurge of 1968-69. “The 1968-69 movement against President Ayub Khan was greatly influenced by socialist ideology. Small wonder, then, that Pakistan People’s Party emerged victorious in Sindh and Punjab, Awami League in East Pakistan and National Awami Party in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Balochistan. All of them had socialist leaning,” Saqi told The News.
However, he regretted that while Bhutto and Maulana Bhashani openly espoused socialism, the communist cadre was taught to refrain themselves to the slogan of national democratic revolution. In 1971 when a military operation was initiated in East Pakistan, his organization brought out rallies against the military junta in Hyderabad and Nawabshah. On March 25, 1971, he issued a statement against the genocide in the eastern wing. “Since the statement was also broadcast from foreign radio stations. It was propagated by the official media that he had slipped to India. “I am proud that I never ran away from Pakistan,” he said. Saqi was arrested on February 14, 1972 from Sukkur after he surfaced from his underground life and spent one year in jail. The imprisonment was due to a verdict given by a military court in Absentia. When he was released from jail, he joined National Awami Party ( which was later banned by the then Bhutto government) led by Khan Abdul Wali Khan and was elected joint secretary of the party. He had also worked with Mir Ghuas Bux Bizenjo, Haider Bux Jatoi، Shaheed Nazir Abbasi, labour leader Shamim Wasti. Some of other names of his comrades in Sindh included Dr Aizaz Nazir, Saeen Azizullah, Javed Shakoor, Waseem Usmani, Syed Rasheed Ahmed Shah, Hassan Hameedi, Fatehullah Usmani, Comrade Ghulam Mohammed Leghari, Qazi Abul Khaliq, Shahmir Bhangwar, Chacha Shah Mohammed Durani and Chacha Mola Bux Khaskheli “In 1994 Benazir Bhutto asked me to join the PPP and accept the portfolio of adviser to the chief minister. When I said I was ready to join the party but would not like to become an adviser, she said she also wanted the party to be credible,” he said. “I am proud that Benazir Bhutto has mentioned me in her book ‘Daughter of the East’ he said. On May 26, 2005, police arrested former Communist leader, a council member HRCP and PPP leader Comrade Jam Saqi. Saqi was arrested on behest of Chief Minister Sindh, against whom he has contested elections in nineties. Recently,[when?] Mr Saqi was heading a fact-finding team to probe atrocities of the then CM Sindh Arbab Ghulam Rahim. His family said he was called at police station Qasimabad by SHO Rafiq Awan on Sunday night and went missing. He was removed to unknown destination, prompting his family to mount search for his whereabouts which remained unknown until he was produced before ATC judge on Monday morning. “I could not tell you who picked him up. He was kept at Sakhi Pir police station, Hyderabad reportedly where none of his family members was allowed to meet him. His arrest came in the backdrop of HRCP’s five-member fact-finding team of which was head and went to Kethlari – the village of Sindh Chief Minister in Tharparkar on May 26 as HRCP Karachi office received an application from one Karo, a resident of Meghwar community of Kethlari Diplo regarding disappearance of one Utam. The complaint related to alleged excesses by blood relatives of Sindh Chief Minister against them after they indulged in a scuffle with CM’s nephew last year in August during by-elections of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on NA-229 in Mithi. Later his wife was also arrested and taken to Karachi. After protest by HRCP and workers of nearly all the political parties of Sindh he and his wife were released. Saqi went through rigorous imprisonment many a time that broke his health but punishment could not deter him. He has inspired several generations of Pakistani youth and has also authored novels, short stories and several articles. He has equally drawn respect from the journalist community.[who?] In 1978 he was arrested from Hyderabad by the martial regime and was lodged at concentration camps including Lahore fort. For many weeks his whereabouts were not known. Later on the directives of Lahore Hugh Court he was produced in Lahore High Court. His first wife Sukhaan committed suicide, as she was disappointed over his mysterious disappearance. In 1983 he along with Prof Jamal Naqvi, Sohail Sangi, Badar Abro, Kamal Warsi and Shabir Shar was being tried in a military court for allegedly acting against the ideology of Pakistan, stalwarts such as Baloch leader Mir Ghous Bux Bizenjo, Benazir Bhutto, Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan, Mairaj Mohammad Khan, Fatehyab Ali Khan, Maulana Shah Mohammed Amroti, Manhaj Burna, Shaikh ALi Mohammad, Shaikh Aziz some renowned journalists etc. were his defence witnesses. This case is also known as communist case or Jam Saqi case. Jam Saqi is also an author, he has written a novelet “Khahori Khijan”, a book about students movement in Sindh “Sindh Ji Shagrid Tahreek” while his court statements in the special military courts were published in book form in Urdu and Sindhi with the names “Tareekh Moonkhay na wesarreendi” and “Zameer ke Qaidi”.
