Lahore, Nov 22 : Noted India-born Pakistani poet and human rights activist Fahmida Riaz has passed away following a prolonged illness at the age of 73 here, media reports said.
Riaz, who fled Pakistan during former military dictator Gen Zia-ul-Haq's rule and lived in self exile in India for nearly seven years, had been unwell for the past few months.
Born into a literary family of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh in July, 1945 and settled in Hyderabad following her father's transfer to Sindh province, always raised her voice for women rights and democracy in Pakistan, The News International reported.
Riaz, a well-known progressive Urdu writer, poet, human rights activist and feminist, worked with Radio Pakistan and BBC Urdu service (Radio), the report said.
Her Urdu publication Awaz grabbed the attention of Zia for its liberal and politically-charged content after which she and her second husband were charged with various cases and the magazine was shut down, it said.
After her husband was arrested, she fled to India with her two children and sister, and got asylum. Her children went to school in India. Her husband later joined her in India after his release from jail, it said.
The family spent almost seven years in exile in India before returning to Pakistan after Zia's death, the report said.
Riaz had been a poet in residence for Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi. She was a prominent voice in the feminist struggle in Pakistan, the report added.
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Bengaluru, Aug 11 (PTI): In response to a planned three-day strike by ASHA workers starting August 12, the Karnataka Health Department on Monday issued a notice prohibiting all officers and staff from taking leave during the protest period, except in cases of medical emergencies.
Accredited Social Health Activists workers are demanding the fixed honorarium of Rs 10,000 promised by the state government in January. They have announced a continuous state-level protest from August 12 to 14.
The notice stated, “Information about ASHA workers absent from duty within district limits will be collected daily from primary health centres, compiled at the district level, and submitted to the commissionerate by 3 pm during the protest.”
The Health Department also urged community health officers, primary health protection officers, health inspectors, and Anganwadi workers to cooperate in ensuring that health services to the public remain uninterrupted.