Name:

Dr. Khalida Zaki

Date

February 01, 2006

Location:

USA

Comments: I am very saddened to learn of Dr. Javed Zaki's friend's Zafaryab's death. I called Zafar back in October '05 to inform him of Javed's passing away - only to find out that he himself was hospitalized for liver failure in a Lahore hospital. He had good conversation with me and was in shock to learn about Zaki, and now about four months later he has shocked us. Zaki and Zafar visited each other once in Binghamton, New York just about 3 years ago. Javed used to read his poetry to Zafar over the phone. Zafar always requested Zaki to recite his favorite poem "Kaloo Muchla, Uth O' bharia mar O'babli..." (poem posted on APNA website). This connection tells a whole lot about common 'dukh' they both shared.. watan ki yaad mein! I remember young and sharp 'wild flower' a proud Punjabi Zafar from the 1970s Punjab University, Allah bless his soul!

Name:

Manzur Ejaz

Date

February 01, 2006

Location:

Washington

Comments:

Column in Daily Times Lahore http://www.wichardhara.com/article_details.php?art_id=104

Name:

ZUBAIR JAN

Date

January 31, 2006

Location:

LAHORE

Comments: I came to know Zafaryab when I offered my services as a volunteer for the first Punjabi Daily “Sajjan” in 1989-90. Zafaryab was its editor and Hussain Naqi managing editor. There were many people in the beginning but then there became a shortage of volunteers and so I eventually became a kind of shift incharge during the peak hours of working. There was much load of work and sometime we became tense. Zafaryab, I and another friend Abbas Ali were late night birds. Being incharge of the night shift I used to decide the main headlines but I and Zafri never agreed about the headlines and used to fight a lot. Having un understanding of classical Punjabi literature I was more inclined to have news with a literary touch and with a tinge of Lendi{western Punjabi} but Zafri preferred simple and straight expression of the language. He used to accuse us as literary gays who have nothing to do with literature. He used to take much pride of his being editor of first Punjabi daily newspaper. Zafaryab at that time was very fresh and energetic. He would come at “Sajjan” s’ office after doing work in viewpoint. But he used to be alive and ready to work for Sajjan. He didn’t drink much at that time as he used to have after sedition charges were framed against him in the second regime of B. Bhutto. We used to go home together after midnight and he had always a scuffle with police on our way home when our Rickshah {a three veeler} was abruptly stopped by some mobile police and Zafar was always drunk. He would never come out of Rickshah and instead ordered police in English to let him have on line directly the DSP, SSP or even IG. He loved to abuse police or any body who had some kind of power over people. He become very restless and disturbed when sedition charges were framed against him. He used to visit me often at Kitab Trinjan at temple road Lahore, the Punjabi book shop which we had started in late 90s’. When he would become complete drunk he used to ask me to recite a Khafi of Shah Hussain “Sajjan dey hath banh asadi keykan aakan chad vey aaria” {my hand is in the hand of lover how can I ask him to let it go}. This was actually a reference of our “Sajjan” days. The death of Zafaryab has raised many questions. He was very intelligent, outspoken and energative. He could achieve any heights of status which people of lesser caliber are holding in Pakistan and many of his ex-comrades are having high portfolios at NGOS’. He refused to compromise and fought till last.

Name:

Farhana Qasim Saidhi

Date

January 31, 2006

Location:

Lahore

Comments: We call him(zafaryab ahmed) chote mamoon,a smart and a loving person. Today when I close my eyes I see grey headed chote mamoon in white cotton shalwar qamez, peshawari chappal in his feet whose strap is always open, walking in his own style coming to our residence,having a little discussion with my father on his favourite issues and a little hot arguments with my uncle who always like to tease him. Then i see chote mamoon bringing Maria Mamee to our home after their court marriage. I still remember Maria Mamee had an orange foxy and chote mamoon was not allowed to drive it cuz he always banged the vehilce whenever he drives it. Then i see chote mamoon caught in the crisis due to child labour issue. I remember weeping and praying nanee aman and amee jan for his life and health. Then i see chote mamoon going abroad. We received 50,000 cards from all over the world for his efforts. Then i see chote mamoon very sick, behaving like a baby. My father and Mother attending and nursing him. Me & my sister trying to do whatever brings comfort to him. He was very brave, despite of excessive bleeding whenever I ask him how are you feeling, with the smiling face in his particular style he replies "theik houn tum kaisee ho" Then i see chote mamoon in white kafan and after wards i never see him. I take opportunity on behalf of my family to convey our thanks for your heartfelt messages.These messages encourage us that we are not alone and chote mamoon is an irreparable loss indeed. Where there he had many friends he had many who don't like him or don't like his ideas. My request is to alal of them please try to forget all the greivances and just pray for him (may his soul rest in peace).

Name:

Fayyaz Baqir

Date

January 30, 2006

Location:

Islamabad

Comments: I feel that it is time to celeberate what Zafaryab stood for. He lived a life full of meaning, fun, committment and idiosyncracies. I am overcome by the feeling of love for his passion to live than the grief on his death. I remember the first time I met him in Punjab Universty- in the cafeteria in Student Teacher Centre- he was 18 at that time and campaigning for the post of joint secretary students union. I got to meet him through Professor Azizuddin who advised us to support him despite his "anarchist" credentials. He was considered anarchist at that time because he did not want to join any left wing student organisation-for right reasons I think. We supported him and he lost the elections but won our hearts. His election contest at one time placed him in a very funny polemic with Maulvi Pervez Ilyas who was contesting election for president of students union against Hafiz Idris and Jahangir Badar. M.P. Ilyas always provided comic relief to the left and right wing sudents who took their ideologies too seriously. When Zafaryab asked him what was his manifesto was he turned his guns against him instead of his rivals and said "there is no mention of minors in my manifesto". Soon after this Zafaryab formed his own organisation- " The Vulgars" defying his stereotyping as anarchist. It was a bunch of fun loving campusites with its own anthem, slogans, rituals and song which used to be sung by the members sitting on benches along the main corridors at new campus. Soon after he wanted to form Men's Front taking cue from Rubia Mehdi's Women Front to save men in distress. But Shahid Hamid a (successor of MP Ilyas) took the initiative and leadership on this count. He was very open about his likings and dislikings. His love for almost everyone he met made him a darling of the entire city of Lahore. But as his unbounded love for life included unacceptables as well he was disliked and hated by a few also.I think his life was very much reflective of his nickname Punnoon known mostly to his neghbourhood chums in Gawalmandi. As he was very spontaneous and did not carry any baggage his feelings and expressions could easily change. In my arguement with a close friend of both of us he was upset with me but soon afterwards he changed his position when he realized that I was the underdog. Soon after that both Zafar and I were thrown out of this friend's car for our incorrect line of thinking. One of the most amusing memory I have of him is when after his continuous pressure I took him to Najam Husain Syed's house in Kafi Majlis on a Thursday.Both of them did not know who they were talking to. When they commented about each other to me in later meetings and got to know about each other's identity it was very interesting to note their expressions. He was very fond of poetry and admired the first romantic poem I wrote in Urdu in campus days and asked me to recite it many times at different occassions. However he threatened to hit me when he read my first Punjabi romantic poem published in Rut Lekha. He thought it was written against Azizuddin or conveyed some hidden message against People's Democratic Revolution of Pakistan. I think he confused it with one of Izzat Majid's poem published in the same magazine with the same connotation. But this kind of idelogical fanaticism was shortlived. The most beautiful and endearing thing abour Zafaryab which endeared him to everyone he knew was that he was a man without any hidden agenda. That led to our years of love and friendship. He did not talk to me for last five years and I could not meet him during my visit to Shaikh Zaid Hospital as he had checked out. HoweverI loved to hear from Akram Warraich that he kept his spatk till the end. May he live in peace.

Name:

Stephen Collins

Date

January 30, 2006

Location:

Waterville, Maine

Comments: I remember the year that Zafaryab spent at Colby College and the evenings he spent in my home -- talking politics, telling stories, doing his laundry. I remember an earnest man, full of passion for human rights; a tender man, intent on seeing children treated decently. I remember a blustering man, full of contempt for the greedy and for those who abused power; a charming man with a wonderful sense of humor. I think of our very first meeting, described in a profile of Zafaryab published in 1999: Zafaryab Ahmed arrived at Colby on December 15, exhausted from 50 hours of travel, nursing a head cold and minus his luggage. Since he had neither a winter coat nor boots, his first stop in Maine was at a K-Mart. The next day he explored the campus to meet people he knew only through e-mail. When he visited Eustis, he told a joke about a couple of communists and a talking parrot who gets stuffed in the deep freeze to keep him from insulting Leonid Brezhnev. When the parrot comes out of the freezer meekly mouthing the party line, Brezhnev says, "Now you see why we send troublemakers to Siberia." The joke not only established that a serious man with a passionate commitment to human rights has a sparkling sense of humor, it also revealed that a self-acknowledged troublemaker arriving in the frozen north had serious questions about why his government wanted him to be there.... (The rest of the profile is online at http://www.colby.edu/colby.mag/issues/88n2/ahmed/index.html) We miss Zafaryab, the inaugural Oak Human Rights Fellow, and we should all renew our commitment to justice and decency now that we have lost a champion.

Name:

Ju Li

Date

January 30, 2006

Location:

Binghamton, NY

Comments: I am writing this to memorize Zafar too. We took the same class four years ago, that is also the first time I met him. I can still remember Zafar at those days: he was laughing loudly; he was teasing happily; he was argue passionately. Different from a lot of other guys who are correctly and even distantly "nice", Zafar is warm. Sometimes he may seems tough, but I just had a feeling that deep in heart, he is tender. We didn't go closer except for classmates even though I liked him. After all, I was (am) too involved in my own family. We still met from time to time, usually in the classroom and Zafar, he was drunk almost every time. Also, he became a little disorganized when he tried to express his ideas. When I saw the hidden-impatience in people's face, I felt sorry for him. Once I told him to quit drinking. He was embrassed and ensured me that he was trying. But then he went on to say," I am so lonely in this country, no family, nothing. it is not easy." I could not think a word to respond. I understood him totally: I could not be stronger. He never talked to me in that way again. People here don't talk in this way---they have to be "independent". Then he disappeared for quite a while from campus until one day I saw him toddling like a real old man on the Floral Ave. My husband was driving. For a moment I was not so sure about my eyes: he looked so sick and so weak. He didn't see me and I didn't ask my husband to stop too. Finally I met him again on campus at the fourth floor of library. When I asked, he told me that he had a kind of sickness, a name of which I didn't know the English meaning. He explained a little and I listened, pretending that I understood now. Then I said, "Zafar, if there is anything I can do, make sure let me know please." He nodded and smiled faintly. But after that, he never came to me again. I knew that he had some serious problems and whenever I thought of him, I felt sad. But I did nothing. I let it go. I chose to escape the sad face of life and concentrate on my own family's lives--- those things that may be safer and brighter in the future. I am using my own weakness as an excuse to ignore all these. I would have done more. I know I could. I am so sorry, Zafar. May God, God in my own sense, bless you. I hope you now can sleep peacefully and happily in your own land, no more fear and no more pain. Best Ju

Name:

Peter Carlo Becerra

Date

January 30, 2006

Location:

Puerto Rico

Comments: I knew Zafaryab at SUNY-Binghamton. We met sometime in the Spring of 2001, if I am not mistaken. Right from the beginning, Zafar's presence was felt among the circle of students and faculty at the Sociology Department. Zafar was a man who always thought for himself, and he and I more often than not disagreed. In fact, I recall many people disagreeing with Zafar on a number of issues, as issues were our daily bread. What stood out about Zafar was that he did not pander to anyone for any reason, regardless of the costs. Even with the faculty, who were certainly in a position to affect his standing in the department, Zafar stood his ground. He refused to "wear the mask" for anyone. And with all that, he still expressed warmth and friendship even towards those with whom he was unrelentingly in disagreement. Myself included. Thanks Zafaryab for the lesson in courage and true humanity.

Name:

Bilal

Date

January 30, 2006

Location:

Lahore

Comments: A loss indeed. Victim of our times and age...

Name:

Yaqoob Baig Mirza

Date

January 30, 2006

Location:

102-F-1 WAPDA Town Lahore

Comments:I had no direct contact with Zafaryab, but it was through PunjabiDaily "Sajan" which was a spokemen of Punjan. It was very informative and bold due to dynamism of Mr Zafaryab.His death is a great shock to me and loss to his family and the society. Yaqoob Baig Mirza Lahore 30 Jan 2006

Name:

Amjad Bhatti

Date

January 30, 2006

Location:

Islamabad

Comments: Zafaryab: Circle of a Stylus That was sad news. In fact very sad. Zafaryab was killed in crowd by his loneliness. He was perhaps too sensitive to live senselessly. The news brought back to me memories of last few years when I spent good time with him in Islamabad. Zafaryab was on bail in sedition case and was working with SDPI and living at Tariq Banuri’s residence. Benazir was prime minister and we were victims of a ‘misplaced romanticism’ with PPP government. So we used to prefer spending evenings and partying out on stairs in front of parliament house. Thought that regime is sensitive to the human happiness and individual liberties. Zafaryab would insist he would not sit in locked rooms to ‘drink’ few drops when his vote has sent the anti-establishment party to the power. We would come out in the evening and consume ourselves in intensive debates on failure of Marxists in sub-continent and would cry and laugh at us. One night is unforgettable. It was annual urs of Imam Bari in Islamabad. We were together in the evening. My elder brother Abid Saqi, Qamar Javed, Sardar Babar Sohail, Javed Rana, Khawar Khatana, Zafaryab and me were prompted to pay homage to Imam Bari. As we reached there Zafaryab jumped from the car and started dancing on the high beats of dhol. “Wangan charha lo kuriyo mairey murshid dey darbar diyan,” was the lyric sung by devotees. Zafaryab got lost in himself and everybody made a circle to facilitate his and Khawar’s dhamal. I remember few devotees started showering money on them and few started kissing his hands taking him as some ‘dervaish’ with the complete attire and attitude of a rebel saint. Zafaryab was rash with undesirable realities. He would become hyper-emotive and passionate in both love and hate, liking and disliking. Expect to be kissed and hit by him anytime. With his ruffled shining grey hairs he would like to climb any adventure. His ‘high-profile’ friends were found complaining about his ‘cynical frankness’. Yet, he would not cater for the stature, rather substance is what would sub-ordinate him. On one Christmas he took me to greet Alice Faiz and sat in her feet and cried for Faiz sahib. While talking to Alice he scolded Shoaib Hashmi by claiming that “we are the spiritual sibling of Faiz, not his family”. “They are just selling Faiz and making profit,” he was becoming louder. Interestingly, when we were coming out of Alice’s house we found Shoaib sahib was entering. Looking at Zafaryab he spontaneously commented in Lahori version of Punjabi: sub choohrhey akathey ho gaye nay? Later we dropped in ZIM’s house and I was amazed to know that how Zafaryab would ‘trespass’ anybodies’ house without knocking and waiting. One of our common friends used to say that Zafaryab would first of all declare the wives of his friends as his sisters and than would hatch (friendly) conspiracy against his friends. Once when I was working with prime minister’s literacy commission whose chairman was Mr. Pervaiz Saleh- a soft-spoken and kind hearted political residue of radical decade in Pakistan. Mr. Saleh was a close friend of Zafaryab as they have been studying together. These were the days when Zafaryab was undergoing a state of depression because of the inquiries regarding sedition case against him. I told Mr. Saleh about the mess Zafaryab was in and he eagerly decided to engage him in some work. As I remember he was given an assignment which could engage him mentally to cope with the stress he was undergoing. To our surprise after couple of days, we found a column by Zafaryab in daily The News critiquing the working of literacy commission. We read it with amusement and forgot. Common friends enjoyed the situation but no one could argue the facts he raised in his column. I remember Zafaryab brought a computer on lease to write a novel. These were the days when he was living in a flat in F/8 Markaz Islamabad. Wearing red shirt and loose shorts he would stick to his desk and script his imagination for the novel he was conceiving. “‘Stylus’ would be the name of my novel, you see”. “You know why this name”, he would ask without a pause. “Stylus is the small needle which runs over the each track of a gramophone record then only it sings,” he explained. “This needle, the stylus is the abstract of my novel,” he would explain it passionately. “You see, the stylus of our society is broken,” and “this is the dilemma I am treating in my novel,” he added. Zafaryab is no more with us but the memories and the questions he left with us would keep on hitting us back. Sometimes sweetly sometimes sourly. I remember when Zafaryab was arrested by the FIA and his wife came from abroad to see him and fight for his release he reacted to her egoistically: “Let them hang me”. Zafaryab sometimes used to boost that he was related to Jhara Pehlwan and Kashmiri nuts are not too easy to crack. He would often quote his lawyer Abid Manto’s statement he gave in the Lahore High Court in his defense: “Me, Lord! Mr. Zafaryab is not too raw to be the agent of RAW”. Unregulated cries, raw laughter and passion of debate defuses with the sad demise of Zafaryab. Come on, it’s too early to refuse the pleasures of life. Stay with us for some more time at least to complete one more circle of the stylus. One more song please!

Name:

Anthony L. Pendergrass

Date

January 29, 2006

Location:

Buffalo, New York

Comments: I begin by remarking that above all Zafaryab was my friend and my brother, and we became so almost immediately. I loved his passion, his tenacity, and his unfailing ability to speak truth to power. Zafaryab was unafraid, he was among many other things and above all, a Man! And I am a better person after having shared time and space with Zafaryab. He enriched my life and the lives of many others. I am blessed for having known him as a man, as a friend, as my brother. Rest well in the arms of Allah my brother. And for all those that he has touched, weep not because our brother, your son has found peace. In Respect and Solidarity Anthony L. Pendergrass

Name:

Walayet A Khan

Date

January 29, 2006

Location:

Evansville Indiana

Comments: My association with him goes back to 1971 - 1975 when I was a student at GC Lahore. We had quite frequent interaction. He was a honest and sincere person. I lost touch with him afterwards but used to learn about his well being from common friends!

Name:

lena delgado de torres

Date

January 29, 2006

Location:

Binghamton, NY

Comments: i met zafar when he first arrived as a student in the Binghamton Sociology program. he and i became good friends. at the height of our friendship, we used to hang out almost everyday, and talked on the phone daily. we used to write and recite poetry together. i saw zafar's soul, beyond his physical form, and we were kindred spirits. binghamton is a depressing place to be, and zafar offered relief because he was such a lot of fun to be around. his sense of humor and ability to laugh at the sublime was indispensable. he was a very supportive friend to me, offering wisdom and guidance to me during our troubled times in binghamton. it is this part of zafar's humanity that i want to pay tribute to. back in 2001-2, when he first started the program, he was already taken for granted and misunderstood by many in our community. i remember he had a knack for meeting people and making an impression. he was enthusiastic in those days. he wanted to write his area papers/dissertation on the history of binghamton. he wanted to become involved with the local community and write a world history of the area. as i read through these condolences i am most impressed by zafar's accomplishments in life. he had struggled for human rights and pakistan's children for many years before reaching binghamton. i remember zafar's courage and righteous fury in standing up against oppression of all forms. he was a truly revolutionary and non-conformist spirit. his obituary in a pakiistani newspaper gives clues to the many worthwhile and honorable tasks he had undertaken during his lifetime. it was these accomplishments that made me see zafar as a strong and impressive person. he declined a lot during his years in binghamton, and i am afraid many here did not get to see zafar at his best. however if one paid attention it was possible to catch glimpses of the gentle, kind and loving soul that was zafaryab ahmed.

Name:

Karin Root

Date

January 29, 2006

Location:

Placerville, California

Comments: Zafar was a good friend and fellow graduate student in Binghamton, NY. He had a big heart and was not afraid to show it! Indeed, he always saw the person. When someone was in need he was quick to offer support - whether its was sharing laughter, tears, or offering his home. He has active at Binghamton in anti-Palestine-occupation demonstrations, at anti-war demos right before the Iraq-invasion, he taught a human-rights-class, and cofounded an Amnesty International chapter on campus. He was especially kind to younger students, as well as encouraging to female and foreign students. Alas, he always missed home! It was a source of great pain for him to have been separated from his family, friends, and soil. He struggled with depression and sometimes got himself into trouble because of it. I am happy that he got to spent his last few weeks in Pakistan, surrounded by family. If his health would have improved, I am positive he would have reunited with friends and continued the work he felt that needed to be done in Pakistan and the world. Let us celebrate his life!

Name:

Shahid Mirza

Date

January 29, 2006

Location:

Lahore

Comments: Zafaryab was one of those rare individuals who dared to speak thier mind tactlessly, he often embaressed people around him with his unrestrained comments.when he met ahmad Bashir at his deathbed his first question was "baba maran tun dar tay nahin gaya, namazan tay nahin parh raya' and his last comment "yar imtiaz tun vi ngo's de heera mandi wich kotha pa laya aye tay wadi nayaka ban gaya wain" well this was zafaryab.

Name:

Javed Iqbal Ashraf

Date

January 29, 2006

Location:

Warburton, Distt. Nankana Sahib Pakistan

Comments: Inna Lillahe Wa Inna Alaihe Rajeoon!

Name:

Mian Zahid Ghani

Date

January 29, 2006

Location:

USA

Comments: Only a dead nation remembers its heroes when they die. Real nations respect them when they are alive.”Unfortunately most of us forgot Zafar in his life. Pakjistani journalist's death mourned in United States New York Jan 30 The death of Pakistani journalist Zafaryab devotedly mourned by his colleagues the journalists, admirers The NGO's and the followers the human rights activist in United States. A web site http://www.wichardhara.com/zindex.php to share condolence messages with Zafaryab's friends and family and to post messages have been launched. People are asked to write memories about him, and later a booklet in his memory will be created. The first message of his death was received by a Pakistani journalist based in United States through e-mail , sent by Zafaryab's nieces Farhana Qasim Saidi and Sanya Zara Illyas , who used Zafaryaab's Yahoo e-mail contact and sent the note to all the contacts noted in his address book. The message read" Our beloved Mamoon has passed away today i.e.25/1/2006 at 5.25 pm in Shaikh Zaid Hospital. (May Allah rest his soul in peace Amin) Namaz-e-Jinaza will be held on 26/1/2006 at 4pm Venue 200 Raza Block Allama Iqbal Town Lahore".Message from his nieces Farhana Qasim Saidi --- Sanya Zara Illyas . Same night on Internet a Pakistani publication based in Lahore carried the story" Zafaryab the journalist died". The message sent by Zafaryab niece was not understandable as Zafaryab's e-mail address sent the message and it was confused as if Zafaryab's Mamoon (Uncle) had died. But the story publication cleared the matter. South Asian Journalist Association SAJA without delay forwarded the Pakistani publication story to its almost half a million contacts arround the world and the sad news was publicized to every corner. On Saturday a Main based American paper Waterville (Maine) Morning Sentinel. carried a front page story on Zafaryab's death titled "Colby's first human rights fellow dies".It read" Colby's first Oak Human Rights Fellow , Zafaryab Ahmad a Pakistani journalist who faced death by hanging for his work combating the child bonded labor , died of a heart attack on Wednesday Jan 25. He was 53". Main is a prominent state based in the North East of American continent, the city where Zafaryab landed after his arrival to United States in 1999. He assumed his fellowship for the first Oak Institute Human Rights Fellowship designed for international human rights activist taking personal risks. He was selected by the Colby College in 1998. Zafaryab at Colby College gave lectures on the practice of child bonded labor in Pakistan, taught a course on human rights in Pakistan. As in 1998 Zafaryab was behind bars in Pakistan the Pakistani Authorities under the leadership of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif refused to allow Zafaryab to leave the country but with pending charges of treason and join his fellowship. But intervention by US Senator Tom Harkin and former US President Bill Clinton Nawaz Sharif had to grant permission to Zafaryab to leave the country. The Human Rights crusader was arrested in 1995 for writing an article on Child Labor. and charged with treason for his reporting on the death of a leader of the Bonded Labor Liberation Front. His arrest led to international campaign for his release , the Amnesty International, named him "prisoner of conscience". Zafaryab applied asylum in United States after completing his fellowship and enrolled in a graduate program sociology at the Binghamton University New York. His asylum was approved in 1998 but till today he did not receive his permanent residency the green card. He traveled to United Kingdom in 2005 on a two months pay roll by US Immigration. Both the democratic rule claimants Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif Sharif held him in jail , for viewing his expression under the democratic logo of "Freedom of Expression". It was Benazir Bhutto government when he was arrested and remained in jail during the next government of Nawaz Sharif. How and when Zafaryab went to Pakistan is still a mystery among his friends, as he did not have with him the Pakistani Passport. The Pakistani missions in United States were ordered to bar him of this constitutional right and facility . Further he had fear to travel to Pakistan, the fear of arrest by Pakistani authorities. He in the past years had met with the Interior Ministers on their arrival to United States requesting them to relinquish the treason charges against him so as he could see his mother and sisters back home. An e-mail message received by a Pakistani journalist on Saturday , a message of his friend from Binghamton University New York saying Zafaryab landed in Pakistan on the day of the Earth Quake --October 8th. Out of almost hundreds of Pakistani publications only one publication carried his death story. Ironically no newspaper in Pakistan covered his funeral and no story appeared in any of the Pakistani publications giving details of his burial. Ends

Name:

Haider Bhurgri

Date

January 29, 2006

Location:

Islamabad

Comments: Zafaryab was one those rare persons who expressed his conviction/commitment with great courage. He faced his killer disease with same courage. His death is indeed a great shock to me

Name:

Rana Qaiser

Date

January 29, 2006

Location:

Fairfax Virginia

Comments: I belong to the generation which follow the path of Zafayab Ahmed in the second longest era of dictatorship during Zia Regime.I was in Punjab University and Pakistani left was once again misjudge the reality that Benazir Bhutto is leading a democratic revolution.we use to sit in Anarkali on the footpath near Cafe Student and listen to senior leftist intellectuals over several cups of tea in wintry December.I met with Zafaryab first time there and never understand his theory about Pakistani politics,he inspired me by his way of talking,grasp on issues,folk wisdom and ofcourse Lahori touch of style.We were next generation of remaining leftists in Campus facing jamat' goons and double attack of administration of Nawazo Sharif's IJI. I met Zafaryab after a long time again in Lahore press club,He aws with a foreign lady and one of my friend introduce her as Zafar's wife,he was talking in the same fashion and only visible change in his personality was more white hairs in the beard.I agree with my other friends who know Zafaryab that he was the last brave soldier in the journalistic corps of Pakistan who dare to challange "Fuji Junta" he never compromise or afraid of ISI and socalled communist elite of Pakistan.I dare to say that he was the only geniune Journalist and human rights worker in the past thirty years,in Pakistan,otherwise every body there is one way or other is serving some body.I am sure that Zafaryab will be happy in the heavens with havenots. Tuj Ko Kis Phool Ka Kafan Hum Dain Tu Juda Aisy mosomoon may hooha Jub darakhtoon ki hat khaley hain.

Name:

Anwer Chaudhry

Date

January 28, 2006

Location:

Canada

Comments: It was shocking news after Rashid Butt.He was one year junior to me in Punjab University.I still remember his active role against the dictatorship of an Army General Ayub Khan.I prey for him and his family.