Two ceremonies held in Pakistan recently to pay tribute to the late Indian journalist and peace activist Praful Bidwai concluded with his ashes brought from Delhi being immersed in the River Indus
Friends and admirers of Indian journalist and anti-nuclear peace activist Praful Bidwai honoured him at a reference in Karachi on Friday. On Saturday, his ashes brought from New Delhi were immersed at a ceremony at the bank of River Indus.
Bidwai died in Amsterdam, Netherlands on June 23, 2015 and was cremated in New Delhi on June 26, 2015. He was among the founding members of Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy in 1994. In the mid 1990’s he co-founded the Movement in India for Nuclear Disarmament (MIND). He also cofounded and campaigned for the Coalition of Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) in India in, 2000. His reports and opinion pieces appeared regularly in several publications, including The News where he was a long-time op-ed page writer.
Distinguished human rights activists, academicians, political workers, artists and economists eulogised his services at the reference organised by the Pakistan Peace Coalition (PPC) at the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) House on July 23, 2015.
Karamat Ali speaking at the event in Jamshoro in honour of Praful Bidwai
University of Karachi Pakistan Study Centre Director Dr Jaffar Ahmed in his keynote address talked about various aspects of Bidwai’s writings, including Pakistan-India peace, economic subjects and social issues of South Asia, as well as his anti-nuclearisation activism and focus on demilitarisation in the region.
“After 9/11, Praful severely criticised India’s war-mongering and wrote a number of articles on initiation of a peace process with Pakistan… With Praful’s death, the peace movement has received a great shock and a window of hope has been closed.”
Also an aggressive advocate of anti-imperialism, Bidwai had written several articles on America’s growing influence over the world, commented Dr Ahmed.
Karamat Ali, Executive Director of Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) and a close friend of Bidwai, recalled his first meeting with Bidwai in the 1980s. Both had since then jointly worked for labour rights and demilitarisation in South Asia.
Praful had dedicated his entire life to bring about a social change in the society, said Ali. “He was an organic intellectual.”
Pakistani peace activists bring the urn containing the ashes to the river
Author of “An India That Can Say Yes: A Climate-Responsible Development Agenda for Copenhagen and Beyond” (Heinrich Boell Foundation, New Delhi, 2009), Bidwai’s commitment to the environment was also exemplified by the small, environment-friendly, battery-charged car he drove.
The Palestinian Embassy had sent a floral wreath at Bidwai’s funeral in recognition of the voice he raised for Palestinians’ rights, commented Karamat Ali, who had attended a memorial meeting for his friend in Delhi on July 8, 2015.
“Even the Delhi government, whom he had severely criticised, observed a memorial meeting which was attended by hundreds of people from all sections of life,” said Ali.
Advocate Javed Qazi, secretary general of the Forum for Secular Pakistan Secretary General said Bidwai worked all his life to uphold a peace process between India and Pakistan. “It is an honour for the people of Sindh to have received the ashes of Praful Bidwai,” he said.
Speakers at the event included senior economist Dr Kaiser Bengali, advisor to Balochistan Chief Minister, senior journalist Muqtida Mansoor, PPC Sindh President Dr Tipu Sultan and distinguished classical dancer Sheema Kermani, founder of the women’s rights group Tehreek-e-Niswan.
Immersing the ashes into the River Indus.
The following day, a large number of civil society activists from Hyderabad, Karachi and other parts of Sindh attended the ash-immersion ceremony at River Indus, organised by the Pakistan Peace Coalition. Maharaj Mohan performed the rituals.
This is the second time that people of Sindh have received ashes of an Indian peace activists to immerse in River Indus, observed Ali. The last time was in 2008, when the ashes of ‘Didi’ Nirmala Deshpande were immersed in the River Indus at Sadh Bela in Sukkur.
“This time we dissolve ashes of Praful Bidwai into the River Indus stream at Jamshoro,” said Karamat Ali, paying rich tributes to Praful Bidwai for his role in promoting peace and communal harmony in South Asia, particularly people-to-people contact between the people of Pakistan and India.
Jalal Shah, President of Sindh United Party (SUP) shared his association with late Bidwai whom he met in India at a South Asian peace conference. He said late Praful experienced the communal strife in this region and worked to end communal tensions in entire region.
Zulfiqar Shah, General Secretary of Pakistan Peace Coalition (Sindh), said that efforts to oppose the nuclear weapons race in the region were linked with the struggle to overcome poverty, hunger, diseases and early death due to malnutrition in Sindh. He said Bidwai was a true friend of the people of Sindh, and that it is time that the people recognised their friends and foes.
Other speakers at Jamshoro included Suleman Abro of Sindh Agriculture and Forest Workers Coordination Organisation (SAFWCO), peasant leader Punhal Sariyo, Zulfiqar Shah of PILER and others.
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