This is not a standard obituary for Professor Dr Mehdi Hasan, my great teacher, mentor and scholar, who left this world for his heavenly abode on February 23, at the age of 85. This is just a humble attempt at recalling some cherished memories of an authentic, sane voice and human being par excellence, and an attempt to highlight his valuable work.

On joining the Journalism Department of the University of the Punjab, now renamed as Department of Mass Communication, in 1977, it was a great privilege to meet a lean, smart, well-dressed man who appeared to be a typical professor holding and smoking pipe and flaunting one of the wittiest of expressions on his face. He was full of wisdom that he generously showered upon his students, especially those who could see eye to eye with him. Such was the personality of this great teacher that those who loved him always stayed loyal and those who disliked him, did so with all their might. Of course that never bothered him.

His room at the corner of the first floor of the Department of Education and Research shared by the Journalism Department was open for all students and discussion on any issue. No permission was needed to enter the room, and there was no censorship on the type of questions or topics for discussion. As a teacher, he never discriminated on the basis of the students’ political affiliations. Dr Mehdi Hassan was a rare gem, always open to discourses on any issue, political or otherwise, with reason and logic. The Journalism Department was then headed by Professor Dr Abdus Salam Khurshid. The other luminaries were Professor Waris Mir, Professor Dr Miskeen Ali Hijazi and Professor Dr Shafiq Jalandhari—all well-established columnists and writers. In the classroom, Dr Mehdi Hassan was always eloquent, listening to all viewpoints with great patience and ending the lectures by reiterating his own principled stand.

The most trying days during that time were when the military dictator, Gen Ziaul Haq grabbed power in a coup, overthrowing Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a democratically elected prime minister. Massive censorship was instituted, the media was gagged and many restrictions were imposed on freedom of expression. It was in these circumstances that students of the Journalism Department and the journalistic community started an agitation. They would visit the Press Club in Lahore, where speeches were delivered daily against the martial law regime and its actions against the press. Later, the journalists started courting arrest and were joined by students. For the first time, two female students also volunteered to be arrested at Regal Chowk. The BBC and some other international media channels covered the event. Dr Mehdi Hasan visited the detainees at Civil Lines police station and stood personal surety for their release.

He nurtured thousands of students with sound values which he upheld throughout his life as a teacher and a journalist. He practised what he preached. Because of this his students anywhere in the world held him in high esteem.

Throughout this period, he was at the forefront of the struggle for freedom of the press and opposition to brutal actions taken against journalists by the military government. The students next formed the Progressive Students Association within the department and defeated the group led by Jamaat-i-Islami that supporting the General. One of the senior students went on a Haj with the dictator and on his return, was given a special waiver to appear in the final semester examination he had missed. The late professor was the only teacher who refused to entertain such a waiver. For this, he got life threats from the union but nothing deterred him from his stance. He showed solidarity with the democratic movement and revival of the constitution for which he was repeatedly targetted by obscurantist forces. He showed resilience, never compromising his principles. In his articles and television appearances, he openly defied the political oppression. While others were reaping benefits for supporting the dictator, he continued to side with the oppressed.

Eman Ahmed, a budding young scholar, interviewed him in 2018 as part of a university assignment. He mentioned that he was highly disturbed when he was given the task of reviewing school history books in 1994. The errors and falsified historical facts that he pointed out were never corrected. In fact, the report that he had compiled and submitted got ‘lost’. He told his interviewer that if the distortions in Pakistan’s history books were removed, 70 percent of the country’s problems could be mitigated. He professed the same idea for the media in Pakistan — it needed good gatekeeping.

Besides his social/ political activism, the late professor did not ignore his academic duties. He wrote a number of books tracing the history of the Press and its evolution in Pakistan and the challenges faced by the working journalists during martial law governments. His books Journalism for All and Behind the Headlines are considered authentic work that students find enlightening. He also has to his credit many articles that he contributed to leading journals in Pakistan and abroad. He nurtured thousands of students with sound values which he upheld throughout his life as a teacher and journalist. He practised what he preached. Because of this his students anywhere in the world held him in high esteem.

Internationally, he earned respect for Pakistan by standing up against restrictions imposed by both military and civil governments on freedom of expression from time to time. As chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, he made extraordinary efforts to protect the rights of minorities, eliminating discrimination on the basis of religion and for equal rights for women. He worked for fundamental rights for the citizens of Pakistan, especially the less privileged and victims of political manipulation.

Few people leave this world having made an impact that would be felt long after their demise. Dr Mehdi Hasan was one such person. His legacy will be carried forward by those who had the privilege of interacting with him as students, colleagues, friends and relatives. His tolerant nature and wit will be long remembered by all. Above all, his relentless stand for his principles can never be ignored even by his staunch opponents.

I conclude this tribute with a quote from Bob Marley that to me sums his life, “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.”

Dr Ikramul Haq, Advocate Supreme Court, is adjunct faculty at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and a member of Advisory Board and a visiting senior fellow of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE)