Prominent Indian-origin Pakistani politician and human rights activist B.M. Kutty died on Sunday in Karachi after a protracted illness. He was 89.
Biyyothil Mohyuddin Kutty, popularly known as B.M. Kutty, migrated to Pakistan from Kerala in 1949. “He was ill for a while. He spent his life fighting for civil and human rights,” Marvi Sarmad, a human rights activist and journalist, said. His wife Birjis Siddiqui died in 2010. The couple has four children.
Mr. Kutty came to limelight after he launched his autobiography “Sixty years in self-exile: No Regrets; A Political Autobiography” in 2011. In the autobiography, he narrated his journey from Kerala to Karachi, explaining why he had opted to stay in Pakistan.
Mr. Kutty was the general secretary of Pakistan Peace Coalition, a group that has been working to promote peace process between India and Pakistan. Intellectuals, journalists and politicians expressed their condolences on Mr. Kutty’s death and paid him rich tribute for his services for Pakistan and the community. “Sad to learn about the death of veteran left activist B.M. Kutty. Originally, from Kerala, Mr. Kutty came to Pakistan as a young man and became a key figure in the politics of his new homeland, championing progressive causes...,” Talat Aslam, a Pakistani journalist and editor of the News International daily, tweeted.
Born in 1930 at Tirur in Malappuram, Mr. Kutty migrated to Pakistan at the age of 19. The eldest of five siblings, he belonged to a Malayali Muslim middle-class family of peasants and landowners.
Socialist views
During his student days, Mr. Kutty developed socialist and leftist political views and joined the Kerala Students Federation affiliated with the Communist Party.
In 1946, he also joined the Muslim Students Federation under the All-India Muslim League. He attended Mohammedan College in Chennai, where he studied science for four years.
He was associated with major Left parties of Pakistan, including the Awami League, National Democratic Party and Pakistan National Party, and with the Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy. Mr. Kutty also served as political secretary to the governor of Balochistan. He took part in several political movements. The high point of his career was his association with Ghaus Baksh Bizenjo, the governor of Balochistan province in 1972.
CM condoles death
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the death of Mr. Kutty. Mr.Vijayan remembered him as a “leader who constantly fought for improving the relation between India and Pakistan“. “He emerged as a major figure in Pakistan’s politics,” Mr. Vijayan said.
“He was also a prominent journalist and a determined leader who fought for peace and against communalism,” he added.
