Ludhiana: SCD college alumnus and former Pakistan MP Muhammad Hamza passes away at 92

Hamza was born on March 20, 1929, at Habib Road near old civil hospital in Ludhiana; he was pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Ludhiana, but completed the third year in Pakistan after Partition

With the death of 92- year- old economist and veteran Pakistani politician Muhammad Hamza on Sunday, SCD Government College lost its last alumni link to the country’s neighbour. He breathed his last at Gojra city in Pakistan.

Former Pakistan MP and SCD alumnus Muhammad Hamza during his visit to Ludhiana in 2015. (HT photo)

Hamza was born on March 20, 1929, at Habib Road near old civil hospital in Ludhiana. His early education from local Islamia School near Wait Ganj.

The SCD Government College for Boys Alumni Association condoled death of Hamza, who was a student of the college before 1947 and later became a member of Parliament in Pakistan. He was a popular political figure and known for his strong views.

He moved to Pakistan during his final year of bachelors to join Government College, Lahore, from Government College for Boys, Ludhiana, where he pursued BA economics.

Alumni coordinators Brij Goyal and Navdeep Singh said that in 2015, Hamza came to visit his alma mater with his son from Pakistan and his grand cousins, now living in Ludhiana.

“He was Punjabi first and Ludhiana lived in his heart. Belonging to the family of freedom fighters, he maintained that Partition was an unfortunate incident,” said Ludhianvi.

Harblas Hira, an alumnus and teacher who authored a coffee table book on SCD college in its centenary year, included details of his revisit to the college.

Dr Kamal Kishore, an alumnus and now in-charge of the college’s evening wing, recollects how Hamza expressed his love for the place where he was born.

During his last visit, Hamza wrote, “ It is a privilege to be here at my alma mater. It is a place of my dreams. I pray for the well being and progress of the students of my college.”