On a glorious winter’s day — January 9, 1984 — a man stepped into his garden in an elite residential enclave in Gulberg 5, Lahore. Clad in a white lattha pajama and khaddar kurta in deference to the weather, he was puffing and inhaling the cigarette that had long become an extension of his being.

Perhaps, he was contemplating the party to celebrate his 54th birthday, still a few days away on January 13. It was going to be an elaborate affair, presided over by Syeda Hima Akhlaque, his mother; Naseem, his wife at the time, and their three children, as well as his four from his first marriage to Kishwar, who had the looks of an Indian film heroine and the ability to carry a tune. Perhaps, he thought the party could be shot by his photography student, Rashida — whom he would later marry.

The above-mentioned birthday party was not to be. The man saw a car drive through the gate, and a few men in plain clothes stepped out; they bundled the man into the car and drove away.

The man so blood-chillingly whisked away was Raza Kazim, a lawyer by profession. Yet, much to the amusement of his lawyer grandson Usman Jamil, Raza claimed with gleeful irreverence that the law was like a beneficent mistress, who provided funds for his ever-expanding household and more maverick pursuits.

Raza Kazim, who passed away at the age of 96 on April 16 in Lahore, was a lawyer, philosopher, musician, educator and photographer, but defied every label attached to him. Nasreen Rehman pens a personal tribute to a man whose restless search for beauty left its mark on everyone who knew him

Raza Kazim, who passed away at the age of 96 on April 16 in Lahore, was a lawyer, philosopher, musician, educator and photographer, but defied every label attached to him. Nasreen Rehman pens a personal tribute to a man whose restless search for beauty left its mark on everyone who knew him

Dismissive of hierarchy, Raza (as he preferred to be called by everyone, including his offspring) disappeared from the world for months — his whereabouts unknown. His family, friends and lawyers got........

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