Lahore, 06 March 2018: Pakistan lost a distinguished citizen in the death of Muhammad Jan, popularly known as Jam Saqi. Of the 74 years of his life, about six decades were spent in the struggle for the rights of the people especially the downtrodden. In his college days he joined the struggle for giving the Sindhi language its due place. He also campaigned against the enforcement of one unit scheme; his paper against the scheme was confiscated and banned.

 Jam Saqi was among the student leaders of Sindh University who were arrested during the students struggle against bureaucratic interference in the university affairs; their demands included the removal of its vice chancellor. He became an active member of the banned and underground Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP) and rose to become its secretary general. Jam Saqi was opposed to the CPP’s blind following of the Soviet or Chinese Communist party and insisted on democratic functioning. He was arrested and mercilessly tortured for his political activities and was kept in the notorious dungeon at the Lahore Fort on being charged for conspiracy against the state. This was the infamous Hyderabad conspiracy case during the tenure of the elected government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Consequently, he spent some 15 years in different prisons.

Jam Saqi was also a member of the Council of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) for some years, undertaking several fact-finding missions for HRCP.

While mourning his death, HRCP acknowledges Jam Saqi’s significant contribution to the struggle for the rights of the people.

Dr. Mehdi Hasan

Chairperson