Remembering Hasan Nasir

Hasan Nasir was a left-wing revolutionary student and leader of working class. Though he passed away on Nov 13, 1961 after being tortured by the then administration at the Lahore Fort, but he is still a symbol of inspiration of the country’s youth.

Yousuf Hassan, a writer and a poet remembering Nasir on his 50th death anniversary said,

“He belonged to a well-off family of Hyderabad (Deccan) but it was his cultured background that made him a people’s friendly leader. He fought to realize the dream of democratic Pakistan and struggled for the rights of working class till he succumbed to death in 1960.”

Yousuf stressed that Pakistani nation must not forget the struggles of a revolutionary leader who dedicated his life to promote the struggle of blue-collar class of this country.

Hassan Nasir was not just a leader but was also a revolutionary poet and to date he remains a youth hero in Pakistan to this day.
After Indo-Pak partition, Nasir migrated to Pakistan where he soon started to represent the oppressed and downtrodden people and initiated a campaign to bridge the gap between haves and have-nots.

Despite hailing from an aristocratic family of Hyderabad Deccan, he opted to take up the cause of the oppressed. He was arrested in 1960, put in a cell in the Lahore Fort and reportedly tortured to death. ‘He died for a good cause, but I know I have many more sons who will carry on the fight for which Hassan Nasir gave up his life’ were the words of his mother at Nasir’s demise.

In Lahore, a large number of activists and workers gathered to pay tribute to the revolutionary struggle and contributions of Comrade Hassan Nasir on his 50th death anniversary.

Shiraz Hassan, a journalist attending the memorial ceremony in honour of Nasir commented

“Being a young communist, we would relate our struggles to the cause of Hassan Nasir who sacrificed his life for the working class at a young age. We shall carry on his struggle by continuous support to the working class.”

Rawish Nadim, a progressive writer recalled

“Hassan Nasir was the pioneer of the leftist movement in Pakistan. He was the one who sacrificed his life for the creation of an independent and just civil society.”

Comparing Nasir’s struggle with the current situation in the country Nadim said that Nasir’s struggle is related to the 20th century struggle of the working class and he should be his struggle should not go in-vain.

Ammar Aziz, an activist and student of National College of Arts called Hassan Nasir the hero of the young generation of Pakistan for his noble cause of supporting the working class of Pakistan. He said,

“As long as there is oppression, exploitation and hunger, we shall carry on the struggle of comrades like Hassan Nasir”

Major Ishaq Mohammad in his book ‘Hassan Nasir ki Shahadat’ writes,

“I knew that the ‘Communist from Karachi’ was none other than Hassan Nasir, the Provincial Secretary of the banned underground Communist Party active in Karachi.
Despite being the scion of a landlord family of Hyderabad, Deccan, Hassan Nasir had taken up the cause of the oppressed in Karachi. He was arrested in 1952 and exiled to India for one year. He returned to Pakistan immediately after the completion of the exile period and gave up his comfortable life to continue with his political struggle.”

Major Ishaq Mohammad’s book is woven around a tale that has never been told and exposes the murky historical chapter of state repression of Communism in Pakistan to some extent.

Remembering comrade Hasan Nasir, Syed Ehtisham writes

“He was tortured to death in Lahore Fort when he was only thirty-two. Faiz, arguably the most renowned Urdu poet and unarguably the leading progressive muse in the language in the twentieth century, wrote a beautiful elegy for him. I quote a verse..
Kaun Hota Hai hareefe-e-mai mard afghane ishq
Hai mukarrar ye sila labe saqi pe mere baad
(Translated as- who will carry the emblem of defiance after me).

Pakistan’s history has been a turbulent one where there are few examples of revolutionary leader to whom the nation can look up to and Hassan Nasir is one of those activists.
The present chaos and growing disintegration calls for a strong and vibrant collective movement in Pakistan in order to free ourselves from the unjust policies of the so-called selected representatives of the people.