Seventy-three-year-old Aisha Amin, a Labour Party Pakistan (LPP) activist from Shahdra Lahore, was declared dead three days after being listed as missing after the February 18 Delhi-Lahore train bomb blast.
Amin's grandson Kamaran was also one of those who lost their lives on the Shamjhauta Express, a peace train between India and Pakistan. The train was coming from Delhi to Lahore when, after the bomb blast, a fire gripped three compartments of the train. More than 70 are so far confirmed dead.
Amin was elected as a councillor for Shahdra in an open contest, serving between 2001 and 2005. She got a record 1272 votes to top the list of women councillors. She joined the LPP during that year. Amin participated in numerous demonstrations and played an important role in expanding the network of the LPP.
Amin then went on to build the Women Workers Help Line and also helped the Labour Education Foundation to open an adult literacy centre at her home. She was one of the pupils at the literacy centre. "There is no age limit to learning", she said.
Amin did not contest the local election in 2005 and was very much a critic of the local government system. She asked me several times, "what is the use of being elected as a councillor when we cannot help the people? There are no funds available."
Though not qualified, Amin learned to become a daiya (midwife) for the local area.
Amin is one of the victims of those who want to kill anyone to make a point. It seems that the bombing of the train was carried out by some religious fundamentalist group that wants no peace between India and Pakistan. Aisha Amin is a peace hero.
[Farooq Tariq is the general secretary of Labour Party Pakistan. Abridged from