KARACHI: The newly elected Vice President of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists  (PFUJ) and Assistant  Secretary-General of All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (APNEC) Sheher Bano have expressed her deep sorrow and grief over the sad demise of a great trade unionist Shafiuddin Ashraf.

Maintaining that Shafiuddin Ashraf’s death is a great loss to trade union movement in Pakistan, Sheher Bano held: “Shafiuddin Sahib was a strong voice for the voiceless workers. He spent his entire life for raising awareness about the laws governing media industry and fought for the rights of workers. He always stood by the workers – whether it was the matter of implementing the wage board or extending a helping to a journalist in court cases he always helped them with sincerity and honesty.”

Terming Ashraf’s death a great blow to the trade union movement, Sheher Bano stated: “Media is passing through a critical juncture where jobs of many journalists are at stake. In such times media fraternity has lost a sincere fighter of journalists’ rights.” She said that the void created by the death of Shafiuddin Ashraf will never be filled. “He was a trade unionist par excellence and such people are born in centuries.”

Sheher Bano said that Ashraf’s death was a personal loss too for her: “He always called me his sister. He was my mentor and whenever I got stuck in any legal issue I used to call him or visit him. Even before the last hearing in the Implementation Tribunal for Newspapers Employees (ITNE) I visited him in the hospital and motivated him to be in the court in the next hearing.

“Going to the court together I realized how excited he was. He had already done preparation for 8th wageboard award and he told me some details about it. But sadly he will not be in this world to see the implementation of 8th Wage Board,” she said with a sigh.

She expressed her deep condolence to Ashraf’s family and friends.

Sheher Bano (VP-PFUJ/ Asstt. Secretary-General APNEC)