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In
memory of Dr Mohammad Sarwar
By
Shahid Husain
Karachi
Dr Mohammad Sarwar, a hero of the 1953 student movement and one of
the most senior general practitioners in Karachi, passed away
peacefully in his sleep at home at about 2am Tuesday morning. He was
79. He died of cancer.
His funeral prayers were held at Masjid Bab-e-Rehmat, main Gizri
Road near Submarine Chowk. He was buried at the Defence Housing
Authority graveyard.
Senior doctors and left-wing leaders, including Dr Mahboob Ahmed, Dr
Kermani, Mairaj Mohammad Khan, B.M. Kutty, Karamat Ali, Nafees
Siddiqi, Abbas Rizvi, to name a few, attended his funeral.
Born in Allahabad, UP, India, Dr Sarwar was studying for a BSc in
his hometown when he, along with a group of fellow students, came to
Pakistan in 1948 “to see what the new country was like,” and decided
to stay for good.
“A majority of our family members were inclined towards the Congress
but we were pro-Muslim League. While visiting Karachi, I saw an
advertisement in newspapers regarding admissions at the Dow Medical
College. I applied and got admission,” he had told The News during
an interview that was published on July 26, 2007.
Dr Sarwar graduated in 1954, an year later than he was initially
supposed to graduate, because fellow students asked him to stay for
one more year so that the All-Pakistan Students Organisation (APSO),
which was established in 1953, could be set up properly.
He was instrumental in forming Pakistan’s first student organisation,
the Democratic Students Federation (DSF). He served as DSF’s
president and secretary-general before the Mohammad Ali Bogra
government banned it in 1954. He was also the driving force behind
the Inter-Collegiate Body (ICB), comprising student unions in
different colleges.
Greatly influenced by his elder brother and well-known journalist,
Mohammad Akhtar, Dr Sarwar got involved in progressive politics and
spearheaded the famous January 8 movement under the banner of the
DSF. The students organized a procession from DJ Science College in
favour of their demands and were shot at by the police near Paradise
Cinema in the heart of the city on that fateful day. Seven students
and a child were killed.
This show of brute force from the State infuriated not only a vast
majority of the students but the citizens of Karachi as well, and
the administration had to impose a curfew for a few days. The
government, however, was forced to accept the demands of the
students, including the establishment of the University of Karachi.
The January 8 movement influenced the entire country. Dr Sarwar and
other DSF leaders toured Interior Sindh, Punjab and former East
Pakistan (now Bangladesh), leading to the establishment of the APSO.
The influence of the newly-formed body could be gauged from the fact
that in the 1954 elections in former East Pakistan, a student leader
from the APSO defeated seasoned politician Noor-ul-Amin.
The DSF also published the fortnightly award-winning journal
‘Students’ Herald’, edited by well-known economist S.M Naseem, then
a student activist. After graduation, Dr Sarwar worked as a general
physician with various health services until he set up his own
clinic in Gulbahar (New Golimar), where he practiced medicine for
over 40 years. He was also one of the pioneers of the Pakistan
Medical Association (PMA), where he was twice elected as the general
secretary.
Dr Sarwar is survived by his wife, well known educationist and
teacher-trainer Zakia Sarwar; three children, Beena Sarwar, Sehba
Sarwar, and Salman Sarwar; and three granddaughters, Maha, Myah and
Minal. A memorial meeting is scheduled at the PMA House at 6.30pm on
Sunday.
The
News: Wednesday, May 27, 2009
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