Zulfikar Ali Bhutto poses with the founding members of the Pakistan People's Party at its first convention at the house of Dr Mubashar Hasan in Lahore on 30th November 1967. Among them are Shaikh Rashid, JA Rahim, Dr Mubashir Hasan, Ghulam Mustafa Khar, Rafi Raza, Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, Hayat Sherpao and the legendary leftist leader Meraj Muhammad Khan who died on July 21.
Meraj Muhammad Khan was among the most committed and unwavering socialist leaders of Pakistan. He began politics at the University of Karachi as an iconic young leader of the National Students Federation struggling against the Ayub Khan regime, but quit the student group after this 1967 convention to join the Pakistan People's Party.
His eventful tenure as a minister for manpower after the PPP formed government in 1971 is said to be marred by a tussle with the pro-Peking law minister Abdul Hafiz Pirzada - a rumor that he denied in a recent TV interview. But as a dedicated socialist, he began to disagree with his Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's policy and left his job in 1973, falling out of favor with the PPP.
Although he was politically isolated, he continued his struggle for democracy and human rights, especially against the military government of Gen Ziaul Haq. He joined Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf in 1998, but lost his influence on its agenda and left the new party in 2003 because of differences with its chairman Imran Khan. He then joined the Mazdoor Kisan Party, which later merged with the Communist Party of Pakistan to become Communist Mazdoor Kisan Party.
Meraj Muhammad Khan was among the most committed and unwavering socialist leaders of Pakistan. He began politics at the University of Karachi as an iconic young leader of the National Students Federation struggling against the Ayub Khan regime, but quit the student group after this 1967 convention to join the Pakistan People's Party.
His eventful tenure as a minister for manpower after the PPP formed government in 1971 is said to be marred by a tussle with the pro-Peking law minister Abdul Hafiz Pirzada - a rumor that he denied in a recent TV interview. But as a dedicated socialist, he began to disagree with his Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's policy and left his job in 1973, falling out of favor with the PPP.
Although he was politically isolated, he continued his struggle for democracy and human rights, especially against the military government of Gen Ziaul Haq. He joined Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf in 1998, but lost his influence on its agenda and left the new party in 2003 because of differences with its chairman Imran Khan. He then joined the Mazdoor Kisan Party, which later merged with the Communist Party of Pakistan to become Communist Mazdoor Kisan Party.