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Monday, November 16, 2009
By Shahid Husain
Karachi
Prominent Marxist, an associate professor at the prestigious NED University of Engineering and Technology and a social activist Mohammad Nauman passed away on Sunday morning, leaving thousands of his students, friends and colleagues mourning.
He was laid to rest at the University of Karachi graveyard on Sunday evening.
Born on December 19, 1951 in Bahawalpur, Nauman acquired his secondary education at Cadet College, Petaro, and then graduated from NED University in electrical engineering in 1974. He did his Masters in electrical engineering from North Carolina, USA.
After completing his education, Nauman initially joined Karachi Nuclear Power Plant for a while but his inquisitiveness prompted him to opt for NED University where he was teaching for almost 30 years.
He was a prominent student leader associated with left-wing National Students Federation (NSF) during late 1960s and early 1970s and actively participated in the democratic upsurge in 1969 against military dictator Gen. Ayub Khan.
Despite having a brilliant academic record, he preferred to teach rather than acquiring lucrative jobs at multinational companies. However, one could find thousands of his students in different organisations across Pakistan at key positions.
Committed to the well-being of the common man right from the beginning, he helped Edhi Foundation to develop its wireless service on a voluntary basis and also served as technical advisor to the defunct Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) in the early 1990s when Fahimuzaman Khan was its administrator. He wrote hundreds of research papers on topics such as bonded labour, and water and power and campaigned for the displaced people of Chotiari Dam and other similar causes. He was widely quoted in national and international media.
Prof. Nauman was quite well till Saturday and attended a dinner in honour of his friend Prof. Tauseef Ahmed Khan who has been awarded a PhD degree recently, at the residence of an old friend Abid Ali Syed.
“Many old friends had gathered at my residence where we had arranged a dinner in honour of Prof. Tauseef Ahmed Khan and Prof. Nauman was also there chatting with eminent lawyer Ali Ahmed Kurd, politician Yousuf Masti Khan and other friends,” Syed, former city editor of a leading English daily told The News.
“At about 6am he came out of his room complaining breathing problem and left us mourning,” his uncle who lived with him said. Prof. Nauman was suffering from asthma for the last couple of years.
Thousands of students, friends, political leaders and activists bode him farewell at the University of Karachi graveyard. Prominent amongst them were Prof. S. M. Naseer, economists Aly Ercelawn, Haris Gazdar and Dr Asad Sayeed, Executive Director Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Karamat Ali, ex-president Karachi Bar Association Akhter Husain, politician Yousuf Masti Khan, B.M. Kutty, Hameed Haroon, Fahimuzaman Khan, educationist Dr. Syed Jaffar Ahmed and actor and academic Khalid Ahmed.
“I never saw him hurting anybody even if he differed with him,” said Tariq Saeed, a senior structural engineer and an old friend of Prof. Nauman. “He was always a helping hand and a true dervish,” he said.
“Right from the beginning Nauman was dedicated, committed and disciplined. He was never late,” said Shahab Aftab, another senior engineer and an old friend of Prof. Nauman.
Prof. Nauman’s Soyem will be held at NED University Staff Town on Monday afternoon. He has left behind an ailing mother, an elder brother and a sister.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
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