Hakim Said

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Hakim Mohammed Said
حکیم محمد سعید
Hakim Said
Born January 9, 1920(1920-01-09)
Delhi, British India,
Died October 17, 1998 (aged 78)
Karachi, Pakistan,
Nationality Pakistani

Hakim Mohammed Said (Urdu: حکیم محمد سعید) (January 9, 1920 - October 17, 1998) was a renowned scholar, philanthropist of Pakistan and former Governor of Sindh. He established Hamdard Foundation in 1948. Within few years, the herbal medical products of Hamdard became household names. Hakim Mohammed Said wrote or compiled about 200 books. These include books on religion, tibb (natural medicine), health & sciences, books on literary, social and scientific topics and travelogues.

Contents

[edit] Establishing Hamdard University

Hakim Mohammed Said founded Hamdard University in 1991. The establishment of a university which could enliven the intellectual tradition of the educational institutions of the golden era of Muslim civilization had always been his most cherished dream. In fact it was the central point towards which all his endeavors were directed. The actual appearance of the university was just the culmination of a long dedicated and continued effort spanning his whole life.

[edit] Contributions to medicine

However, apart from being a great educational leader, Hakim Mohammed Said was also one of the finest exponents of eastern medicine, who had treated millions of patients from all over the world including Pakistan, Europe, Africa and the Middle East by the time of his death in October 1998. He had lent a new dimension to Alternative Medicine having getting it recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the fifty years of his active career as a practitioner of Greco-Arab medicine par excellence, Hakim Mohammed Said also achieved international renown as a scholar and researcher in medicine in recognition of his meritorious services and scholarly achievements when he was awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Posthumous) by the Government of Pakistan in 2002.

[edit] As a scholar

As a prolific writer, he had to his credit a large number of books and articles. He edited many research journals and periodicals on medicine, history and Islam. Hakim Mohammed Said also created two very widely attended national forums: Hamdard Shura (for leaders of public opinion) and Naunehal Assembly (for children). He attended and read papers at numerous conferences all over the world and organized a number of international conferences for promotion of science in Pakistan in collaboration with national and international organizations including UNESCO and WHO. He also held important offices and memberships of dozens of national and international organizations related to education and health care, the fields to which his contributions are universally acknowledged.

[edit] Death

Hakim Mohammed Said was murdered on October 7, 1998. Nawaz Sharif, then Prime Minster of Pakistan, accused the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) of the murder. Several MQM terrorists were arrested and subsequently sentenced to death[1] by an anti-terrorism court. Counsel for some of the appellants, Abdul Waheed Katpar, challenged the jurisdiction of the anti-terrorism court. His contention was that the trial in the ATC was wrong because it was not a case of terrorism.[2] On May 31, 2001 Sindh High Court acquitted all accused. "The defence counsel in appeals had argued for the acquittal because the prosecution had failed to prove any evidence, whether they pertained to confessional statement, witnesses' account, ballistic expert's report and evidence about the recovery of empties and finger-prints. On confessional statements the defense had argued that signatures were obtained first on blank paper while contents of the confession were written afterwards and therefore, they were fabricated evidence."[3]

A prosecution witness in Hakim Said murder case on December 24, 1998 identified Amirullah Sheikh and Zubair, two activists of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), as the main accused involved in the killing.[4] (News, Dec 24, 1998).

Another accused in Hakim Said murder case and an alleged assassin of Zuhair Akram Nadim arrested in two raids conducted by Surjani Town police and CIA Sadar respectively. Two more alleged accomplices were also arrested on being pointed by Asim, reportedly an accused in the Hakim Said murder case on a tip off police cordoned off some parts of Sector L-1 in Surjani Town of District West from where Asim was arrested. Korangi police arrested Zubair alias Landhi Wala, who according to polices has confessed his involvement in the killing saying that Asim was the first to open fire at Hakim Said from a KK rifle. On the information given by Asim raids conducted in Yousuf Goth, Surjani and Sher Shah areas. Shujauddin alias Shujoo and Habib Ullah were arrested.

The main accused in Hakim Saeed case were Zulfiqar Haider, MQM MPA, Naushad alias Major Dandy, and Shakir alias Langra. Zubair alias Landhi Wala, Asim, Ajzaz alias Wazir, Asif and Amirullah were arrested. One person suspected to be Wahab Bandhani, who claims to be Hanif Kabarhi was also arrested.

The arms used by terrorists to murder Hakim Mohammad Said recovered from a nullah near Burns Road on the pointation of an arrest accused namely Nadeem Mota, Korangi police arrested three alleged terrorists said to be close associate of Aijaz alias Kala Munna named in over 200 heinous cases. A team of Rangers in Korangi recovered a considerable quantity of arms and ammunition. The inquiry officer of Hakim Mohammad Said case, SP Agha Mohammad Tahir ordered a raid when Nadim Mota during interrogation told the arms dumped near nullah behind Sindh secretariat. The arms seized from there included four Kalashinkovs, three TT pistols, one mauser and 300 bullets of KK rifle and pistols.(Nation Dec 16, 1998).

[edit] Books and Journals

Main article: Scholarship of Hakim Said


Author, Editor and Compiler of about 196 books.

  • 35 books in English on Islam, Pakistan, Medicine, Health and Science
  • 8 books for children in English
  • 46 books in Urdu on Islam, Education, Literature, Sociology, Medicine, Health and Science
  • 12 travelogues in Urdu
  • 45 books in Urdu for youths and travelogues for children.
  • 50 books in Urdu for Naunehal.


Some books have been translated in other languages also. Beside these he edited some Journals also:

  • Hamdard Islamicus (Quarterly, English)
  • Hamdard Medicus (Quarterly, English)
  • Hamdard Naunehal (Children's educational magazine in Urdu)
  • Hamdard Sehat ( Monthly Urdu magazine devoted to health education)
  • Journal of Pakistan Historical Society (Quarterly-English)
  • Payami-UNESCO Journal Courier's Pakistan edition in Urdu.

Hakim Mohammed Said organized about 30 international conferences in Pakistan. Some of them were:

1. The Millenary of Ibn-al-Haitham (1969) 2. Al-Beruni International Congress (1973) 3. International Congress on Mathematical Sciences (1975) 4. International Congress on Seerat (1976) 5. International Conference on Islamic Medicine (1986) 6. International Quran Congress (1985) 7. International Youth Congress (1986) 8. International Congress on History and Philosophy of Science (1979). 9. International Symposium on Elements in Health & Diseases 1983 and numerous other Conferences.

Besides these he attended around 100 International Conferences as delegate from Pakistan. He was associated with more than 30 international associations and learned bodies. He also launched two world-class journals, Hamdard Medicus and Hamdard Islamicus. Hamdard-e-Sehat, which was already being published under his editorship since 1940, also appeared from Karachi in 1948. To get the young ones involved in good literature and to inculcate a healthy reading habit among them, he launched a magazine, Hamdard Naunehal; and established a separate division, Naunehal Adab, for producing quality books for children.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Nine MQM Workers Sentenced to Death
  2. ^ Counsel Challenges Jurisdiction of ATC, and the Validity of Witnesses
  3. ^ [ http://web.archive.org/web/20010621211223/www.dawn.com/2001/06/01/top6.htm All Nine MQM Workers Acquitted by Sindh High Court]
  4. ^ http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/mqm-factsheet.htm

[edit] External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Mahmood A. Haroon		 Governor of Sindh
6 August 1990 – 18 July 1993		 Succeeded by
Mahmood A. Haroon