OP-ED Who killed Hassan Zafar Arif? : Daily Times Pakistan News Paper
The life of a teacher of this calibre and qualification needs to be celebrated. Unfortunately, apprehension surrounded his autopsy, funeral prayers and burial
Anis Farooqui
https://dailytimes.com.pk/182383/killed-hassan-zafar-arif/
On January 14, a Professor of Philosophy was found dead in the backseat of a car in Karachi. The deceased was identified as Professor Hassan Zafar Arif. He was a senior faculty member of Karachi University. He was known for his vocal criticism of the capitalist system and his struggle against dictatorships. He strongly believed that a moderate, liberal society could lead the country to a prosperous future. In the pursuit of this future, he not only taught his students academic philosophy, but also honed their minds for ideological intellect.
As a President of Teacher’s association, he solved many pending grievances of fellow teachers and played an active role in securing permanent contracts for temporary teachers. He was a arrested by General Jehandad, who was the Governor of Sindh at the time for raising his voice in favour of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and speaking out against General Ziaul Haq. When he was offered a settlement, he turned it down.
Arif played an instrumental role in Benazir Bhutto’s smooth return. In the 1980’s he carried out rallies in her favour. During his famous protest in Regal Chowk, he made headlines when a policeman dragged him into a police van. Next morning, a leading newspaper had the headline ‘DSP vs PhD’.
As a left wing ideologist he formed ‘Pakistan Forum’ to promote intellectual debates on Tarraqi Pasand Tehreek with Sibt-e-Hassan, Dr Ishrat Hussain and Dr Feroz Ahmed. His magazine created awareness for the struggle of PPP, which severely antagonised the Zia administration. He was also very active during the MRD movement. Along with this, the formation of the PSF student organisation in Karachi University can also be credited to him. He was known for having close ties with various sections of society, including grass roots labour, the middle class and society’s moderate secular circles.
Upon his dismissal from Karachi University, Begum Nusrat Bhutto asked him to organize the PSF. He also translated Marxist literature and produced booklets in Urdu. At one time, he also helped the PML-N during their struggle against dictatorship, but soon got disappointed when the Sharif’s couldn’t perform according to his expectations. Following this, he chose to live as a recluse for many years until he decided to get involved in urban Sindh’s politics.