AIRLINK 204.45 Increased By ▲ 3.55 (1.77%)
BOP 10.09 Decreased By ▼ -0.06 (-0.59%)
CNERGY 6.91 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (0.44%)
FCCL 34.83 Increased By ▲ 0.74 (2.17%)
FFL 17.21 Increased By ▲ 0.23 (1.35%)
FLYNG 24.52 Increased By ▲ 0.48 (2%)
HUBC 137.40 Increased By ▲ 5.70 (4.33%)
HUMNL 13.82 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.44%)
KEL 4.91 Increased By ▲ 0.10 (2.08%)
KOSM 6.70 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
MLCF 44.31 Increased By ▲ 0.98 (2.26%)
OGDC 221.91 Increased By ▲ 3.16 (1.44%)
PACE 7.09 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (1.58%)
PAEL 42.97 Increased By ▲ 1.43 (3.44%)
PIAHCLA 17.08 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.06%)
PIBTL 8.59 Decreased By ▼ -0.06 (-0.69%)
POWER 9.02 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-0.99%)
PPL 190.60 Increased By ▲ 3.48 (1.86%)
PRL 43.04 Increased By ▲ 0.98 (2.33%)
PTC 25.04 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.2%)
SEARL 106.41 Increased By ▲ 6.11 (6.09%)
SILK 1.02 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.99%)
SSGC 42.91 Increased By ▲ 0.58 (1.37%)
SYM 18.31 Increased By ▲ 0.33 (1.84%)
TELE 9.14 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (0.33%)
TPLP 13.11 Increased By ▲ 0.18 (1.39%)
TRG 68.13 Decreased By ▼ -0.22 (-0.32%)
WAVESAPP 10.24 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-0.49%)
WTL 1.87 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.54%)
YOUW 4.09 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.97%)
BR100 12,137 Increased By 188.4 (1.58%)
BR30 37,146 Increased By 778.3 (2.14%)
KSE100 115,272 Increased By 1435.3 (1.26%)
KSE30 36,311 Increased By 549.3 (1.54%)

EDITORIAL: Senior journalist, Pakistan People’s Party stalwart and former diplomat Wajid Shamsul Hasan died after a prolonged illness in London on Tuesday. His death has been widely mourned. PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari through his condolence message has in fact reflected on the existence of a deep-rooted long relationship between the late Wajid and the Bhutto family — Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Bilawal himself — by stating, among other things, that “Goodbye uncle Wajid. Immense source of strength and guidance for me left us today.” The fact that Wajid’s death constitutes a big loss not only for the journalist community or PPP but also for all democracy-loving people in the country cannot be over-emphasized. During his pretty long stay in London he is said to have played a key role in delineating the contours of ‘Charter of Democracy’ which was signed, among others, by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in 2006. One of the sons of Nawab Shamsul Hasan, who was a close associate of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Wajid had therefore learnt the ropes of politics at quite an early age as politics had always interested him or he had always been interested in politics during his studies and later as editor of an evening newspaper and weekly news magazine of a noted media group. Wajid was known for having deep insights into the dynamics of competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership. His politics were generally considered to be left of centre. That was perhaps one of the major reasons behind his life-long association with PPP. His closeness with the Bhutto family could be gauged from the fact that Benazir Bhutto gave him the charge of the then National Press Trust (NPT), the state owner of a number of newspapers, during her first stint as prime minister. She picked him for the post of Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK during her second term. He was again appointed to the same position following the party’s victory in the 2008 general elections after Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. In other words, the Bhuttos or the party always regarded him as a reliable and trusted adviser. It is widely believed that he was a powerful force in PPP’s internal politics until his death. His writings strongly displayed his feelings of regard and fondness for democracy and disdain for military rule. A widely-travelled Wajid was charming, sophisticated, suave and deferential insofar as his personality was concerned. He will always be remembered for his happy demeanor and his outspoken advocacy for democracy in Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

Comments

Comments are closed.