Former PPP Law Minister Iqbal Haider passes away
11 November, 2012
KARACHI: Former Law Minister, and co-chairman of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Iqbal Haider passed away on Sunday in a local hospital here in Karachi. He was suffering from lungs ailment.
His funeral prayer will be offered after Zuhar prayer on Monday at Imambargah Yasrub in phase IV Defence Housing Society, Karachi.
Iqbal Haider was born on January 14, 1945. He obtained his B.A. LLB degree from the Punjab University.
Later, he joined Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in 1988 and soon became a close associate of the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. He was elected as Senator in 1991 and later became the federal minister for law in 1993-1994. He also served as the Attorney General of Pakistan.
However, he disassociated himself from the PPP in 2005 and started working for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan where he rose to the position of co-chairperson.
Iqbal Haider was a leading figure in the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) and was jailed several times during 1981-1986.
Iqbal Haider migrated to Pakistan from Agra, India. He received his early education and Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Government College of Commerce & Economics in 1964. He read law at the Punjab University Law College, Lahore where he graduated with an LLB in 1966.
In 1967 Iqbal Haider went to read law in England at the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn where he became the Vice- President of the Students Union of Lincoln's Inn.
He was a founding member of the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD). He was the Central Acting Convener, Acting Central Secretary General and Acting Joint Secretary of the MRD.
He joined the PPP where he was appointed the Advisor to the Chief Minister Sindh from January 1989 till February 1990. He was elected as a Senator in March 1991.
He was the President of the Pakistan Peoples Party Karachi Division, Vice- President of Pakistan Peoples Party Sindh and member of the Central Executive Committee of the PPP.
He was member of the Senate Standing Committees on Defence, Defence Production and Aviation and on Information and Broadcasting and on Culture, Sports and Tourism and Women Development and Youth Affairs and also on Functional Committee on Human Rights.
Iqbal Haider's passion was human rights. He had done work for victims of honour killing (such as Samia Sarwar), karo-kari, bonded labour, missing persons amongst others. He sat in the Senate Committee on Human Rights, was one of the founding members of the HRCP and continued to pursue human rights causes in Pakistan.
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