Senior politician Rasool Bux Palijo passes away

KARACHI: Senior politician Rasool Bux Palijo passed away early Thursday morning, after a prolonged illness, Geo News reported. He was 88 years old. 

A leading human rights lawyer, Palijo was the founder and chairman of Awami Tahreek, a progressive party.

At the time of his death, he was under treatment at a private hospital in Clifton. 

Born on February 21, 1930, in the village of Mungar Khan Palijo, Jungshahi, Thatta, Palijo was a writer and also served as a Supreme Court lawyer.

He received his early education in the village while he enrolled in Sindh Madressatul Islam in Karachi for his secondary education, where he graduated with a law degree.

He was also multilingual with command over not only Sindhi, but also Urdu, and English languages, and later became conversant in Hindi, Arabic, Balochi, Bengali, Siraiki, Punjabi and Persian.

He formed the Awaami Tahreek Party in 1970 and is also considered to be a founding member of the Sindh Qaumi Ittehad and Sindhi Adabi Sangat.

He also worked towards the demolition of one-unit and was involved in various other political activities. He was also very active in bringing women into the political circle in Sindh. 

The veteran politician also spent 11 years of his political life in various prisons, with most of his prisoner life, spent in Kot Lakhpat jail, Punjab during 1980.

He is the author of more than 40 books on numerous subjects, with 26 of them being in the Sindhi language. His topics range from literature to politics, prison dairies, culture and poetry etc. 

The deceased's body will be taken back to his hometown today in the evening, with his funeral prayers being offered tomorrow at 8am  in Jungshahi.