Hyderabad, May 6 : The invaluable services rendered by Nirmala Deshpande who passed away in India last week, were remembered at a condolence meeting jointly organized by the South Asia Partnership, Pakistan, and Sindh Democratic Forum here last evening.

A number of Pakistani social activists and intellectuals took part in the condolence meeting held at Hyderabad in Pakistan.

Sharafat Ali, a social activist, said that Nirmala Deshpande played a key role for restoration of peace in the region and bringing Pakistan and India closer. Speaking on the occasion, he recalled her leading a women’s march from Delhi to Wagah comprising of thousands of participants.

He further said that there was a need to complete the late Gandhian’s peace mission.

Hussain Bux Thebo, a noted intellectual, said that Nirmala was instrumental in retrieving five million acres of land from feudal lords and distributing it among the landless. She did not give up her mission of restoring the peace and kept working on her mission, he said and added that she was nominated for the Nobel Prize but was ignored due to political reasons.

She was not only a member of the Rajya Sabha but also a novelist as she wrote mystic novels based on peace, the Dawn quoted him, as saying.

Among others who spoke on the occasion included Nazeer Qureshi, Tipu Sultan, Waqar Malik, Zulfiqar Shah and Zulfiqar Halepoto. (ANI)