This blog is about the late Karachi-based physician and former student leader Dr M. Sarwar (1929-2009), containing articles and memoranda about him and his life which reflects the struggle for progessive politics in Pakistan. Dr Sarwar formed Pakistan’s first student union, the Democratic Students Federation (DSF). He got his final medical exam results while still in prison in 1954. (After DSF was banned many of its activists later formed the National Students Federation, NSF).
He was also the driving force behind the Inter-Collegiate Body (ICB) comprising student unions in different colleges and the All Pakistan Students Organisation (APSO), established in 1953, which became an influential political force until the crackdown on progessive forces. He was also one of the pioneers of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and the Medical Gazette, both of which played a vital role in progressive politics, particularly during the oppressive Zia years.