KARACHI: Friends, colleagues and mentees of senior journalist Zubeida Mustafa gathered to pay rich tributes to her at a gathering organised by Idara-i-Taleem-o-Agahi (ITA) and Pakistan Learning Festival here on Friday.

While speaking on the occasion, ITA CEO Baela Raza Jamil said that Zubeida Mustafa may have left but not before showing the way to so many.

Artist, educator and writer Rumana Husain said that ZubeidaMustafa brought her to writing some 30 years ago when she asked her to interview the Kathak dancer Fasihur-Rehman for Dawn Images. `I realised that I really enjoyed writing so I did several more interviews of wellknown showbiz personalities for the magazine. Later, I also interviewed artists for Dawn`s art magazine Gallery,` she remembered.

Journalist and author Sumera Naqvi said that while working under Mrs Mustafa in Dawn she got to learn a lot. She said that she was also touched to see her mentor attend her book launch in May despite poor health.

Educator Shahid Siddiqui joined online from Riyadh said that he had written an article about history back in the year 2000 and was amazed to find it published followed by an email of thanks along with invitation to contribute more articles to Dawn. `The email was from MrsMustafa, who was a very senior editor in Dawn, and yet she found the time to write to contributors,` he marvelled.

Theatre and dramatics teacher Atif Badar said that he came to know Mrs Mustafa while working with the Pakistan Learning Festival. `She really cared about children and their learning,` he said. `She was like a fairy godmother or an angel here to light our way,` he said.

Senior journalist Afia Salam said that she was in awe of Mrs Mustafa.

`Her columns in Dawn would be like lessons. She would take pains to understand each issue before writing about it,` she said.

Kalmeshwar, an educationist from Hyderabad, said that Mrs Mustafa`s research carried great depth. `We would be on the phone for hours to discuss education matters in Sindh`s schools,` he said.

Author and public policy expertKazim Saeed was grateful for the encouragement he got from Mrs Mustafa after he wrote his book Dou Pakistan. `She said that my treatise was an important piece of work,` he said.

Educationist Hawa Haji Mohammad said that Mrs Mustafa was an institution from whom everyone could learn a thing or two.

Raheela Baqai, formerly of OUP, recalled how her professional relationship with Mrs Mustafa slowly turned to a personal relationship while marketing her book.

Educationist Abbas Husain remembered Dawn having an entire weekly page dedicated to education, which Mrs Mustafa had started. He also reflected on Mrs Mustafa`s life, saying that she lived, preached, promoted and inspired to speak the truth to those in power.

Senior journalist Ghazi Salahuddin remembered the time when MrsMustafa joined Dawn as a young journalist in 1975. `She brought with her a new perspective of a research writer. She was an academic person, he said.

Classical dancer and activist Sheema Kermani said that she wrote a personal story about living with a health condition for supplement which Mrs Mustafa was bringing out.

`After the publication of that supplement, I found out that she had sent clippings of my article to various health magazines,` she said.

Author Shama Askari, Educationist Sadega Salahuddin, Professor of Physics Gauri Leela Ram, Teachers` Trainer Rasheeda, educationist Humaira Latif from Islamabad, senior journalist Khursheed Haider, publisher Ameena Saiyid and educationist Zakia Sarwar, also spoke.

Mrs Mustafa`s elder sister Dr Fatema Jawad was also present on the occasion.