Pakistani activist (1930?2021)
Ibn Abdur Rehman
, also known as
I.A. Rehman
(1 September 1930 ? 12 April 2021) was a Pakistani
peace
and human rights advocate, a veteran communist and a journalist.
[1]
[2]
[3]
Early life and education
[
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]
Rehman was born on 1 September 1930 in
Pataudi State
,
British India
(present day
Gurgaon district
,
Haryana
,
India
).
[3]
[2]
[1]
He grew up in both a "religious and secular" household, and his father and grandfather were landowners.
[4]
When
partition of India
happened in 1947, he was still studying at
Aligarh Muslim University
. He reportedly lost many relatives in the riots that followed the partition in his region of birth. He survived because he was away from the region as a student. Then he moved to Pakistan and was able to finish his MSc. degree in Physics from the
University of the Punjab
in
Lahore
, Pakistan.
[2]
Career
[
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]
I. A. Rehman first started writing columns for newspapers in 1950. A protege of the great
Urdu
poet
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
, he became chief editor of the
Pakistan Times
newspaper in 1989.
[2]
He continued to write columns for
Dawn newspaper
until almost his death. He was the founding chair of the
Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy
and a prominent human rights activist.
[5]
Rehman was influential for promoting peace in the
Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts
and in
Kashmir conflict
as well as for other human rights issues in Pakistan.
[3]
[1]
Rehman was also very active in the
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists
(PFUJ).
[2]
He was also a Director (1990-2008) and Secretary General from (2008-2016) at the
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
.
[1]
A major newspaper of Pakistan is quoted as saying about I. A. Rehman:
"Had he chosen to concentrate on column-writing alone, he would have profited immensely because the big newspapers of India and Bangladeash were ready to publish him for any amount he desired, but instead he taught many generations of journalists about filing a report, doing research and journalistic ethics."
[2]
In November 2007, on a visit to India, he told
The Hindu
newspaper, "I've been working to defend people's human rights all my life. And, I will continue to do so."
[5]
In 2015, many human rights activists including I.A. Rehman urged the Pakistani government to 'criminalise child labour in hazardous environments'. According to
Dawn
, one activist doctor said, "I have seen cases where children have contracted tuberculosis because they worked in hazardous environments. Making children work such jobs should be criminalized."
[6]
Death and legacy
[
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]
He died on 12 April 2021 in
Lahore
,
Pakistan
at age 90.
[3]
[2]
On his death, a spokesperson for the
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
(HRCP) reportedly called him a "titan of human rights....his integrity, conscience and compassion were unparalleled".
[1]
Awards and recognition
[
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]
References
[
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External links
[
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]
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Editors
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People
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Magazines
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Defunct
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Coverage
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Related media
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Columnists
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Government Service (1958?2008)
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Public Service (1958?2008)
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Journalism, Literature, and the Creative Communication Arts (1958?2008)
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Peace and International Understanding (1958?2008)
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Emergent Leadership (2001?)
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1995?2000
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2001?2010
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2011?2020
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2021?present
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International
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National
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Other
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