From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jam Saqi
Jam Saqi
Jam Saqi (Sindhi: ( )ڃام ساقيborn October 31, 1944) is a left- “I am proud that I never ran away from Pakistan,” he
wing politician from Sindh, Pakistan. He was the gener- said. Saqi was arrested on February 14, 1972 from Sukkur
al secretary of the Communist Party of Pakistan. Jam Saqi after he surfaced from his underground life and spent
was imprisoned for more than 15 years because of his po- one year in jail. The imprisonment was due to a verdict
litical activities. He left the Communist Party in 1991 and given by a military court in absentia. When he was re-
joined the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Trotskyist The leased from jail, he joined National Awami Party ( which
Struggle group.[1][2] was later banned by the then Bhutto government) led
Jam Saqi is married to Akhtar Sultana.[3] by Khan Abdul Wali Khan and was elected joint secre-
Jam Saqi, well-known communist and peasant leader, tary of the party. He had also worked with Mir Ghuas Bux
has the distinction of leading the March 4, 1967, student Bizenjo, Haider Bux Jatoi, Qadir Magsi, Shaheed Nazir Ab-
movement and organising the first public meeting of basi, Ayaz Latif Palijo, labour leader Shamim Wasti. Some
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) founder and former prime of other names of his comerades in Sindh included Dr
minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on December 13, 1967 at the Aizaz Nazir, Saeen Azizullah, Javed Shakoor, Waseem Us-
Jamia Arabic Ground, Hyderabad, Sindh. mani, Syed Rasheed Ahmed Shah, Hassan Hameedi, Fate-
Born in village Janjhi, taluka Chhachhro, district hullah Usmani, Comerade Ghulam Mohammed Leghari,
Tharparkar, Saqi passed his matriculation examinations Qazi Abul Khaliq, Shahmir Bhangwar, Chacha Shah Mo-
from Local Board High School, Chachro in 1962. Later, he hammed Durani and Chacha Mola Bux Khaskheli
studied at Government College, and Sachal Sarmast Arts “In 1994 Benazir Bhutto asked me to join the PPP
College Hyderabad, and Sindh University, Jamshoro from and accept the portfolio of advisor to the chief minister.
where he did his Master’s. He told in an interview that a When I said I was ready to join the party but would not
retired primary teacher Inayatullah Dhamchar who vis- like to become an advisor, she said she also wanted the
ited our school on October 16, 1961, where I delivered a party to be credible,” he said. “I am proud that Benazir
speech on Liaquat Ali Khan in a debate was impressed by Bhutto has mentioned me in her book ‘Daughter of the
me and brought me in touch with the underground Com- East’ he said.
munist Party of Pakistan. On May 26, 2005, police arrested former Communist
Saqi, a fiery student leader of yesteryears, founded leader, a council member HRCP and PPP leader Comrade
Sindh National Students Federation (SNSF) - a student Jam Saqi. Saqi was arrested on behest of Chief Minister
wing of Communist Party on November 3, 1968, of which Sindh, against whom he has contested elections in
he was the founder president with Nadeem Akhter as nineties. Recently, Mr Saqi was heading a fact-finding
the founding vice president and Mir Thebo as general team to probe atrocities of the then CM Sindh Arbab Ghu-
secretary of the organisation. The SNSF played a vital lam Rahim. His family said he was called at police sta-
role in the democratic upsurge of 1968-69. “The 1968-69 tion Qasimabad by SHO Rafiq Awan on Sunday night and
movement against President Ayub Khan was greatly in- went missing. He was removed to unknown destination,
fluenced by socialist ideology. Small wonder, then, that prompting his family to mount search for his where-
Pakistan People’s Party emerged victorious in Sindh and abouts which remained unknown until he was produced
Punjab, Awami League in East Pakistan and National before ATC judge on Monday morning. “I could not tell
Awami Party in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) you who picked him up. He was kept at Sakhi Pir police
and Balochistan. All of them had socialist leaning,” Saqi station, Hyderabad reportedly where none of his family
told The News. members was allowed to meet him. His arrest came in
However, he regretted that while Bhutto and the backdrop of HRCP’s five-member fact-finding team
Maulana Bhashani openly espoused socialism, the com- of which was head and went to Kethlari – the village of
munist cadre was taught to refrain themselves to the slo- Sindh Chief Minister in Tharparkar on May 26 as HRCP
gan of national democratic revolution. In 1971 when a Karachi office received an application from one Karo, a
military operation was initiated in East Pakistan, his or- resident of Meghwar community of Kethlari Diplo re-
ganization brought out rallies against the military jun- garding disappearance of one Utam. The complaint relat-
ta in Hyderabad and Nawabshah. On March 25, 1971, he ed to alleged excesses by blood relatives of Sindh Chief
issued a statement against the genocide in the eastern Minister against them after they indulged in a scuffle
wing. “Since the statement was also broadcast from for- with CM’s nephew last year in August during bye-elec-
eign radio stations. It was propagated by the official me- tions of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on NA-229 in Mithi.
dia that he had slipped to India. Later his wife was also arrested and taken to Karachi.
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jam Saqi
After protest by HRCP and workers of nearly all the polit- Sindh "Sindh Ji Shagrid Tahreek" while his court state-
ical parties of Sindh he and his wife were released. ments in the special military courts were published in
Saqi went through rigorous imprisonment many a book form in Urdu and Sindhi with the names "Tareekh
time that broke his health but punishment could not de- Moonkhay na wesarreendi" and "Zameer ke Qaidi".
ter him. He has inspired several generations of Pakistani He is currently active in The Struggle, a Trotskyist or-
youth and has also authored novels, short stories and ganization which is the Pakistani chapter of Internation-
several articles. He has equally drawn respect from the al Marxist Tendency.
journalist community.
In 1978 he was arrested from Hyderabad by the mar-
tial regime and was lodged at concentration camps in-
References
cluding Lahore fort. For many weeks his whereabouts [1] http://www.marxist.com/jam-shaqi-house-
were not known. Later on the directives of Lahore Hugh raided.htm
Court he was produced in Lahore High Court. His first [2] http://www.marxist.com/veteran-pakistan-
wife Sukhaan committed suicide, as she was disappointed communist-jam-saqi040407-5.htm
over his mysterious disappearance. [3] http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2005/
In 1983 he along with Prof Jamal Naqvi, Sohail Sangi, 1137/
Badar Abro, Kamal Warsi and Shabir Shar was being tried Persondata
in a military court for allegedly acting against the ideolo- Name Saqi, Jam
gy of Pakistan, stalwarts such as Baloch leader Mir Ghous
Bux Bizenjo, Benazir Bhutto, Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Alternative names
Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan, Mairaj Mohammad Khan, Fate- Short description
hyab Ali Khan, Maulana Shah Mohammed Amroti, Man- Date of birth October 31, 1944
haj Burna, Shaikh ALi Mohammad, Shaikh Aziz some
Place of birth
renowned journalists etc. were his defence witnesses.
This case is also known as communist case or Jam Saqi Date of death
case. Place of death
Jam Saqi is also an author, he has written a novelet
"Khahori Khijan", a book about students movement in
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jam_Saqi&oldid=451991734"
Categories:
• 1944 births
• Pakistani politicians
• Pakistani communists
• Living people
This page was last modified on 23 September 2011 at 08:45. Text is available under the Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
2