On 1st March 1998 in the city of HYDERABAD, Sindh, rich tributes were paid to the renowned
poet late Sheikh Ayaz for his services to humanity, through
his immortal poetry, during a seminar organised by PPP-SB
at a local hotel on Saturday night.The topic of the seminar
was 'Sheikh Ayaz as the champion of humanity and revolution'.
Chairperson PPP-SB, Ghinwa Bhutto, addressing the meeting, called Sheikh Ayaz, a dreamer who disseminated his dreams to the people through his poetry. She said Sheikh Ayaz was against the tyrannical system of Jagirdars and throughout his life, fought against the exploitative system. She also described Sheikh Ayaz as one of the greatest exponents of love and human values, adding that he was a true heir to the philosophy of Shah Latif, Sachal Sarmast, Waris Shah, Booley Shah and Sultan Bahu.
Ghinwa said that while the erstwhile rulers had jailed Sheikh Ayaz for his revolutionary ideas, late ZA Bhutto honoured the great poet by appointing him as the vice chancellor of the Sindh University, after coming into power. She claimed that it was for the first time in the history of Pakistan that a revolutionary had been appointed as the VC of a university.
Recalling the role of Sheikh Ayaz in the break up of one unit, she said that the people had been motivated by the poetry of Sheikh Ayaz and willingly sacrificed their lives in their war against one unit.
She maintained that it will be a great injustice to the revolutionary poet to limit him as the poet of Sindhi people, saying that Sheikh Ayaz was in fact was a universal poet and his message was meant for all the oppressed people. Whether it was Sindh, NWFP, Punjab or Balochistan, the oppressor belonged to the ruling feudal class, while the oppressed community was made up of Haris, she added.
She regretted that those who had achieved Pakistan by voting for this country were deprived of votes and slaves' camps were established which were still in existence. She regretted the police stations have been converted into torture camps, where detained persons are subjected to violence and tortured to death, as also happened in the case of a relative of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
She said that the son of two times elected prime minister of Pakistan late Z.A. Bhutto, who himself was a member of the provincial assembly was killed in front of his own house by police, adding that the entire nation had become a hostage at the hands of police.
Ghinwa lamented that even today the Sindh and Pakistan of Ayaz had not changed, adding that it was perhaps because of this reason that Sheikh Ayaz become disappointed and died. She said that Sheikh Ayaz did not stand out as a unique poet because of his musical poetry, but because he had strengthened the Sindhi language and was a pioneer of the modern Sindhi literature.
She said the promotion of one's own language and culture did not mean opposition to other languages and added that by translating Shah-jo-Risalo into Urdu, Sheikh Ayaz had made it easier for Urdu speaking people to understand Bhittai. She believed that Sheikh Ayaz had created harmony between mysticism and the worldly truth and his poetry was a clarion call against social injustices, human exploitation, inequities, dictatorship and ban on freedom of expression.
Secretary general PPP-SB Dr Mubashir Hassan said that Sheikh Ayaz was fully alive to the universal peace of the 19th century and the upheavals of the 20th century. He said that the 20th century also saw the division of the sub-continent and all these changes were reflected in the poetry of Sheikh Ayaz. He wondered what was meant by talk in some circles whether Sheikh Ayaz was a nationalist poet.
Noted intellectual Ibrahim Joyo said that the seminar was a solemn occasion to pay tributes to the beloved immortal poet of modern Sindh. He read excepts from the poetry and other works of Sheikh Ayaz. Others who spoke at the seminar included Abdul Qadir Junejo, Hameed Sindhi, Prof Shamim Akhtar and Monis Sheikh Ayaz, son of late Sheikh Ayaz.
The seminar adopted several resolutions, demanding the setting-up of Sheikh Ayaz chairs in Karachi and Sindh universities and translation of his works into English by Sindhi Adabi Board and Sindhiology Departments. The seminar demanded government funding to carry out the translation work. Another resolution demanded that recognition of late Sheikh Ayaz at the national level, a position he so richly deserved.