The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) held a farewell reception for renowned journalist Rauf Tahir last week at a restaurant in Jeddah. Expressing appreciation for the PRC, Tahir lauded their efforts in highlighting the cause of Kashmir and the stranded Pakistanis. “It is the duty of every Pakistani to lend support to this cause. After visiting the stranded Pakistanis' camps in Bangladesh in 1998, I was unable to express in words their miserable condition, which has worsened due to the lack of support from either Pakistan or Bangladesh,” he said. Guest of honor Sameera Aziz, Saudi Gazette senior editor, praised Tahir for promoting quality Urdu journalism in his capacity as an editor for 11 years at the Urdu Magazine. “I regarded him as my teacher when I worked in Urdu News and we will never forget him for his role in promoting the community,” she said. Others who spoke on the occasion included: Riaz Bukhari, president of Pakistan Peoples Community; Syed Neaz Ahmed, president of Pakistan Writers Forum; Maqboolur Rahman Abbasi, president of Pakistan Journalists Forum; Dr. Irfan Hashmi, vice president of Urdu Markaz; Sheikh Mohammad Luqman, Hamid Islam Khan, Prof. Wasim Shahid Bukhari, and Ilyas Meher. Convener Ehsanul Haque in his speech lauded Tahir's “dedication to the nation's ideology, the cause of Kashmir and the stranded Pakistanis.” Resolutions passed during the function urged Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minster Yousaf Raza Gilani and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to act in order to reactivate the Rabita Trust, start the process of repatriation and rehabilitation of the stranded Pakistanis and to approach international bodies, such as, the United Nations, etc. in order to ensure plebiscite in Kashmir by influencing India in this regard. The event was conducted by Syed Musarrat Khalil, recitation from the Holy Qur'an by Qari Abdul Majeed, naat by Sher Afzal. Poets Naseem-e-Sehar, Syed Mohsin Alavi, Mohammad Mukhtar Ali, Abdul Qayyum Waseq, Zamurrad Khan Saifi and Gule Anwar presented poetic tributes to the beloved journalist.
