Tale of two Marches

Tale of two Marches

 

By: Ayaz Ahmed Laghari

 

Unfortunately Pakistan has seen many dark periods of dictatorship. History tells us that mostly the country under ruled in autocratic system. Many times, against dictatorship certain people raised and extended their voices without weapons against army chief, they were beaten and whipped but never went back from their ideologies.

   

Ayub Khan is one of the dictators who ruled over the country. In that authoritarian system in the country, one unit was imposed and supported to continue in his dark era of dictatorship. One unit scheme was really harmful for the small provinces in general and Sindh in particular.  

 

Ayub Khan had given powerful commands to commissioners of the districts of the provinces like kings. They overtook almost all institutions even the regime educational institution were not spared. Commissioners were made member of syndicate of the universities at that time.

 

University of Sindh was one of them that was deliberately targeted by then commissioner Masroor who had to fight long battle of words with then Vice Chancellor Hassan Ali Abdul Rehman. Masrooor himself wanted to be vice chancellor of the university. But Hassan Ali Abdul Rehman was against of intervention of the commissioners in the university.

 

Hassan Ali Abdul Rehman was a strong supporter of Sindhi Language which was being targeted by the commissioner. Students of the Sindh University university suspected a conspiracy against their land, culture and language.

 

Student Union started a peaceful and non violent movement against the commissioner and one unit. They raised slogans in front of commissioner office Hyderabad .

 

Yousif Laghari led the student union along with prominent students like Jam Saqi, Nawab Yousif Talpur, Masud Noorani, Kamil Rajpur, Ali Ahmed Brohi many others students. 

 

The commissioner could not bear the movement anymore so he ordered police to teach lesson to them by beating and arresting them, on March 4^th, 1967, students were badly beaten by police at Hyderabad-Jamshoro road Hyderabad , when they were getting back after peaceful protest. 207 students were arrested and many injured.

 

After this incident a spark changed into fire, everyone in Sindh condemned the incident, Editorials were written in newspapers about that brutality against the innocent students.

 

The incident shocked the people of Sindh cordially therefore the people came into streets for protesting the cruelty; the incident also motivated poets and writers to write against that injustice. 

 

The month of March was very fortunate in sense of awakening the people but this year March has been unfortunate for University of Sindh . On 7^th March 2012, a student was assassinated by another student at the campus in bright daylight. 

 

  The day of March 4^th 2012 marked for remembering the brutality which was done 45 years ago but on that day nobody knew that after three days history would repeat itself. 

Tale of two Marches By: Ayaz Ahmed Laghari Unfortunately Pakistan has seen many dark periods of dictatorship. History tells us that mostly the country under ruled in autocratic system. Many times, against dictatorship certain people raised and extended. 

 

  This practical work was carried out under supervision of Sir Sohail Sangi

Mar 24, 2012