Draft:Awaaz: Echoes of Freedom and Justice

Awaaz: Echoes of Justice and Freedom is the official autobiography of Ansar Burney, a Pakistani human rights activist who has freed over 900,000 people from illegal captivity. The book is co-written and edited by Shehar Bano Rizvi and Tasneem Premjee Chamdia.

The book was launched on February 18, 2024, at the Karachi Literature Festival in Pakistan, followed by a press conference at the Karachi Press Club.

Synopsis
In his memoir, Ansar Burney recalls his transformation from a student leader to a champion of human rights. Being a student leader during his university days, Ansar Burney was sent to jail. He spent most of 1977, 1978 and 1979 in prison. It was during this stay behind bars that Burney witnessed the harrowing conditions of Pakistani prisons and the violation of human rights there. It moved him to change his career path and changed his focus toward advocating for the prisoners. He left politics and studied law.

In 1980, he established the Ansar Burney Trust, which provided legal aid to prisoners and worked on finding missing persons and reuniting them with their families.

Ansar Burney talks about how he worked within the boundaries of state law to address issues by cooperating with authorities. His collaboration with leaders such as Muhammad Khan Junejo, Zia-ul-Haq, Mirza Aslam Beg, Pervez Musharraf  and others led to the release of numerous prisoners in Pakistan. He also helped release many Indians and Bangladeshi citizens stuck in Pakistani jails and vice versa.

In the book, Burney talks about his 17-year-long fight against the use of child camel jockeys in the Middle East and his collaboration with HBO to make the documentary for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, which played an instrumental role in finally bringing an end to the practice. Soon after the release of the documentary, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan invited Burney to the UAE and appointed him as his advisor to help abolish the practice in the country. A ban was imposed on underaged jockeys, the children were repatriated back to their home countries, and robot jockeys were introduced. Ansar Burney was honored as an Anti-Human Trafficking Hero by the US State Department.

Ansar Burney recounts the challenges he faced during his life journey, including death threats, personal mishaps, troubled relationships, and experiences with working closely with renowned humanitarians like Abdul Sattar Edhi, Mother Teresa and Ruth Pfau. He recounts his experience of collaborating with Edhi Trust to locate the family of the deaf and mute Indian girl Geeta, who was lost in Pakistan and was rescued by the Edhi Trust. The Indian blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijan is believed to be inspired by this case, and Burney was subsequently referred as the Real Bajrangi Bhaijan.

Burney shares in his autobiography how he helped bridge the divide between India and Pakistan when he became Pakistan's first Minister of Human Rights and later a UN Expert Advisor on Human Rights. He fought for justice for many Indian citizens who were stuck in Pakistani jails for decades and was successful in doing so for many such prisoners, including Kashmir Singh for which he was called an Indian agent and received death threats. While he was praised and awarded the Mother Teresa Memorial Award in India,  he also found himself unpleasant situations like deportation from India  and in controversies for helping  Kashmir Singh  and another prisoner named Sarabjit Singh.

Burney narrates in detail about the experience of helping liberate MV Suez, a merchant ship that was hijacked by the Somali Pirates. How he worked closely with Governor Ishrat-ul-Ibad and the Pakistan Navy to get the 22 crew members(including Indian citizens) back to safety on a Pakistani warship. He became a hero in India and was highly praised for it internationally.

In his autobiography, Burney shares his personal and professional successes and vulnerabilities. He discusses the controversy surrounding his brother and his parting ways with him.

Burney's memoir offers valuable insights for anyone in the humanitarian field or on a journey of personal growth.

Book Reviews

 * Voice for the Voiceless. Book review by Sheharyar Ahmed for Dawn (April 14, 2024).

Articles & Interviews

 * A journey of rights, resilience - An interview with the co-authors, Shehar Bano Rizvi and Tasneem Premjee Chamdia by Kamran Rehmat for Gulf Times.
 * Ansar Burney's 'Awaaz' reaches Doha - by Kamran Rehmat for Gulf Times.
 * Ansar Burney discusses his transformation from student leader to champion of rights - Qatar Tribune.
 * Awaz, Echoes of Freedom: A Documentation of Ansar Burney's Humanitarian Legacy - Friday Times.
 * Legendary Burney's Awaaz strikes a chord by Kamran Rehmat for Gulf Times.
 * Ansar Burney launches his autobiography Awaaz - Business Recoder.
 * Job creation is crucial for reducing poverty - The Nation (March 02,2024).
 * Ansar Burney Launches Autobiography Awaaz - [[Daily Times| Daily Times].
 * 02 2024 603 010 Generating Employment - Dawn.
 * Ansar Burney, former minister for human rights & recipient of over 250 international awards, launches his autobiography Awaaz - The Azb (February 20, 2024).