Whether you belong to politics or journalism, you fulfill public aspirations when you fight for your people in any forum. Political insight is not just about doing politics, but about understanding the future of the people, analyzing situations correctly, and continuing the struggle while adhering to principles. In Pakistani politics, few politicians are seen who, instead of temporary gains, have made politics the focus of their struggle by considering awareness, the supremacy of rights, and public representation.
When Hanif Khan Patafi first came to the public court, Fayyaz Ahmed of Basti Buzdar and Zahid Asim, a scholar from Taunsa, said that one must meet Hanif Khan Patafi; for the first time, a young person has entered the field for public representation. I visited Dera Ghazi Khan two or three times but could not meet Hanif Khan Patafi. Hanif Khan Patafi reached the assembly from a region where feudal lords have forcibly blocked the path of individuals emerging from the ranks of the people, where an atmosphere of oppression prevailed. No one was allowed to raise the voice of truth.
There was an environment of suffocation and repression. In such a situation, a young man like Hanif Khan Patafi proved to be the first drop of rain; he was aware and educated, so how could he remain silent? If anyone was throwing stones into this moss-covered pond of silence and creating ripples, it was this Hanif Khan Patafi. The city where the tradition of punishment and chains has existed for centuries. Hanif Khan Patafi did not let the flag of truth-telling be lowered. Now, as a courageous and brave political worker, he has established his identity in South Punjab.
Hanif Khan Patafi’s region is a region of deprivation, where every step is taken by public exploitation, oppression, and the daughter of Eve sacrificed to heinous customs like honor killings and ‘karo-kari’, but whenever Hanif Khan Patafi fought for the people, he fought for the deprivations of entire South Punjab in the assembly forum. Hanif Khan Patafi proved that deviating from self-interested and privilege-based politics always elevates you to public representation; rather, it should be said that he established commendable golden traditions as a fearless rebel against self-interested and privilege-based politics.
He made his name and place through continuous struggle in a society marked by class discrimination, uneven economic practices, and stubborn, oppressive. He swam against the tide of storms like a lion. He considered politics as service to his country, people, and community. He is the torchbearer of the universal truth that lasting success is always achieved by service-oriented politics. Unfortunately, there are few people among us who consider politics as service and worship, and the number of such political leaders who consider politics as a struggle for the restoration of basic human rights and the achievement of civil liberties, and raise their voices against the oppressive, tyrannical, and anti-people decisions of influential classes, is less than the fingers on one’s hand.
To raise a voice of protest against these undesirable actions and decisions of influential classes, it is extremely important for a political worker and a political leader to be free from self-interest. In South Punjab, Hanif Khan Patafi is an unforgettable character in our political and social history. His political life spans a short period. In this society where gangs of criminal, corrupt elements use politics as a ladder and shield for the protection and cover-up of their crimes, where they succeed in making the media and public opinion-making institutions subservient to them through immense wealth. If anyone has created a crack in this rock of hereditary politics, it is Hanif Khan Patafi.
In any square, park, mall, road, or public place in South Punjab where you hear the slogan “Pakistan Zindabad,” believe that Hanif Khan Patafi is present there. He is a walking, breathing advertisement for Pakistani identity. A Pakistani politician molded in the form of Pakistani identity, who lives up to the trust of his people and fights for the rights of his people at every forum of power, Hanif Khan Patafi is currently in Dera Ghazi Khan. His stance is to abandon the servitude of personalities and declare the following of the people as one’s creed and take an oath of loyalty to the State of Pakistan. The people of Dera Ghazi Khan say that in Hanif Khan Patafi, they have found their heroism. The people of Dera Ghazi Khan consider him a role model for the courage of expression. A unique aspect of Hanif Khan Patafi’s personality is that he is not just a political worker but also an intellectual, thoughtful, and reformist personality.
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