News
Thursday, November 08, 2012
Aurat Foundation commemorates Asad Rahman
Staff Report
LAHORE: Aurat Foundation is deeply grieved on the death of renowned human rights activist and ex-colleague Asad Rahman. He spent about six years in Aurat Foundation and worked untiringly for the uplift of women and deprived masses. He held different positions in Aurat Foundation and contributed a great deal in establishing Women Councillors Resource Centres at district level under the political education programme of Aurat Foundation.
Asad Rahman’s demise is a great loss not only to his family but to civil society, particularly to the deprived and marginalized people of Balochistan for whose rights he relentlessly struggled and fought till his death.
Asad worked as a journalist and community development practitioner with a number of institutions before finally becoming executive director of Sungi Development Foundation. For over 40 years he worked and campaigned in various capacities for the realisation of the people’s rights. He continued writing for newspapers as well, offering succinct political comment. His contribution to the social, labour, women’s, minority and cultural movements was consistent all along.
Asad gave credit to his parents for shaping his social and political views. His father, Justice S A Rahman, retired as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1968. Soon after, Justice Rahman was appointed chairman of the tribunal that tried Sheikh Mujibur Rehman in the Agartala Conspiracy Case. Asad’s mother was a social worker who served women and children from disadvantaged groups until her death.
Asad was a man of principles and never compromised on those principles. He was a genuine believer in human rights and he would always go a long way to ensure that the voices of the people were heard.
In this reference, Resident Director Aurat Foundation, Nasreen Zehra, Member Board of Directors Samina Rahman, Mrs Asad Rahman, Mumtaz Mughal, Regional Director of SPO Salman Abid, Iftikhar Rasool, Abid Ali, Imtiaz-ul-Haq, Zahid Islam, Hasna Cheema, and coordinators of Sargodha, Jhang, Gujranwala also presented highlights of the different aspects of Asad’s life.Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk