TOBA TEK SINGH: Veteran Communist leader, member of the Communist Party of Pakistan and founder of the Pakistan Kissan Committee Chaudhry Fateh Mohammed was laid to rest at Chak 305-GB. He died of cancer at the age of 97.

Chaudhry Fateh Mohammed had migrated to the country from Jalandhar after the Partition and settled at Chak 305-GB that later became the centre of Kissan Sabha Movement in Punjab. He joined the Communist Party of Pakistan in 1948 and was elected member of the central committee of the Pakistan Trade Union Federation in 1950 where Faiz Ahmed Faiz was reelected as vice president and Mirza Mohammad Ibrahim as president.

With the ban on the Communist Part of Pakistan, he and his fellow comrades joined the Azad Pakistan Party of Mian Iftikharuddin, which was later merged into the National Awami Party (NAP) in the famous Dhaka Congress on Sept 25, 1957.

Fateh Mohammed was the main organiser of the historic Kissan Conference held in 1970 in Toba which, “to date remains the apex moment in the history of class struggle”. It was addressed by National Awami Party chief Maulana Abdul Hamid Bhashani of East Pakistan and more than 100,000 delegates of trade unions and peasant organisations from the West and East Pakistan, India and European countries attended the conference.

Fateh Mohammed was imprisoned for several years and was also tortured in the notorious Lahore Fort prison during the Gen Zia regime.

His autobiography Jo hum Peh Guzri was published in 2016. It contains the history of the movement of the Left, parties, peasant and working classes after foundation of Pakistan, which makes it an important document for historians. He has honestly highlighted historical mistakes and trends in the movement of the Left in the country.

On the nomination of the Pakistan-American Democratic Forum, Fateh Mohammed was awarded Faiz Ahmed Faiz Award in 2011 by the poet’s daughter Salima Hashmi in London in recognition of his ‘lifelong struggle against feudalism, militarism and imperialism’. He was the third Pakistani after renowned writer, journalist and activist Tariq Ali and Workers Party Pakistan President and Abid Hassan Minto to receive this award.

Fateh Mohammed left behind five sons and two daughters.

Current and former parliamentarians, political and farmers’ leaders, AWP office holders attended funeral prayers for him.

The funeral procession was attended by the members of the Awami Workers Party (AWP) and rights activists who were carrying red flags and raising slogans in favour of the revolution.

The AWP expressed grief and sorrow over the death of Chaudhry Fateh Mohammed,

AWP founding President Abid Minto said: “In the passing of Chaudhry, I have lost a great comrade and a genuine working class revolutionary. For me his physical transition to the immortal life is like separation of an arm of my body. But his memories will always remain with us and inspire the younger generation”.

Recalling his five decades association and fond memories with Chaudhry, Minto said Chaudhry not only belonged to the working class family but also had the knowledge and understanding of the history, ideals of the working class and conscious struggle for their rights. He dreamed for a social change in Pakistan and struggled for it throughout his life.

AWP President Yousuf Mustikhan said Chaudhry was an inspiration for all the progressive political activists as he remained committed to the revolutionary cause.

AWP secretary general Akhtar Hussain, Deputy Secretary general Ismat Shahjehan, AWP KP chapter President Haider Zaman Akhundzada, AWP Punjab President Ammar Rashid, Sindh President Bakhshal Thalhu, Balochistan President Yousuf Kakar, AWP AJK chairman Nisar Shah and others also paid tributes to the late leader.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2020