The Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Karachi Division on Saturday paid homage to assassinated student leader and Peoples Students Federation (PSF) activist Najeeb Ahmed at the Peoples Secretariat on the occasion of his 36th death anniversary.
The commemorative gathering was attended by Saeed Ghani, PPP Karachi Division president; Senator Waqar Mehdi, PPP Sindh general secretary; Senator Masroor; Rauf Nagori, PPP Karachi Division general secretary; Rao Siddiqui; Dr Sharmila Faruqui, Member National Assembly and PPP Karachi Division information secretary; Najmi Alam; district presidents; information secretaries; district information secretaries; PSF representatives; student body members; Ahmed’s close companions; and a large number of party workers and stalwarts.
Addressing the participants, Ghani reflected on the courage and conviction of Ahmed, saying that individuals like him were the true torch-bearers of the PPP in Karachi.
He noted that in the most challenging and difficult times, when many were reluctant to associate with the PPP, it was committed PSF workers like Ahmed who stood firm, defended the party’s ideology and kept its flag flying high. He emphasised that today’s workers must demonstrate the same discipline, unity and ideological clarity to carry forward that legacy.
Mehdi said the PPP is a movement rooted in sacrifice, and it is the blood of its martyrs that has nurtured and sustained it over the decades.
He stressed that remembering the martyred PPP activists is not merely symbolic, but a reaffirmation of the party’s continued struggle for democracy, constitutional supremacy and the rights of the people.
Speakers paid special tribute to the PSF, describing it as the ideological backbone and nursery of leadership within the PPP. They noted that Ahmed’s life represents the fearless spirit of student politics: grounded in resistance, democratic values and an unwavering commitment to justice.
Speaking on the occasion, Nagori thanked all the participants for their presence, and reaffirmed the PPP’s enduring bond with its workers as well as the people.
The event concluded with Quran Khwani and a collective Dua for Ahmed and all the martyrs of the PPP. The participants reiterated their resolve to continue standing with the youth, strengthening democracy, and working towards an inclusive and just Pakistan.
Last year, while speaking at an event organised by the PSF’s Karachi Division to mark the 35th death anniversary of Ahmed, Ghani had said the residents of Karachi were divided along sectarian, religious and ethnic lines during the dictatorial rule of Ziaul Haq.
Ghani told the audience that the activists and leaders of the PPP had never laid down their lives for their own interests, but they had rather embraced martyrdom for the restoration and continuity of democracy in the country.
He said that several activists and leaders of the PPP had laid down their lives for the restoration and continuity of democratic rule in the country. He said that the PPP had a long-lasting relationship with the martyrs.
Ghani recalled that the law and order situation in Karachi had been very disturbed in the decade of 1990s. He said that those who had no idea about the troubled situation of the ’90s could not blame the PPP for the adverse law and order situation.
He recalled that a reign of terror had prevailed in Karachi, drill machines had been used to torture students in the city and people had been killed based on their ethnic affiliation.
Ghani lamented that terror tactics had been used during the dictatorial regime of Ziaul Haq to suppress ideological and political differences. He asked students to adopt the politics and ideology of Ahmed. He said that better educational standards had been prevailing in the country before the government banned student unions.
He recalled that Ziaul Haq had abolished student unions, which served as a nursery of budding politicians in the country. He said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had announced lifting the ban on student unions. Ghani said the Sindh Assembly had passed a resolution for the revival of student unions.
He said student unions had yet to be revived because of certain court decisions. He said that certain quarters believed that violent clashes would take place on campuses following the restoration of student unions.
