Passing of the 'extraordinary' and 'fearless' Anwar Ditta is mourned

The passing of the 'extraordinary' and 'fearless' campaigner Anwar Ditta has been widely mourned in recent days. Ditta is best known for her victorious campaign, which saw her fight back against the discriminatory immigration control laws of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Both her and her husband's (Shuja Ud Din) initial requests for the admission of their children were denied. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the Home Office maintained Ditta's children were not her own.

From here, Ditta organised. She established 'The Anwar Ditta Defence Campaign,' enlisting the help of organisations such as the Bradford and Manchester Asian Youth Movements, as well as Women Against Imperialism and Rochdale Against Racism, to protest the verdict and defend impacted communities against racist immigration policies.

Ditta was eventually vindicated when a blood test in a documentary called World in Action, which aired on Granada TV, revealed unequivocally that the children she had fought to meet were, in fact, hers. Ditta was reunited with her three children six years after leaving Pakistan. Dr Safina Islam of the AIU centre lauded Ditta’s resilience and determination, describing her story as one which “inspires everyone” who comes across it.

The impact of the campaign and the fallout are covered in the Tell A Friend podcast. This is an hour of your time which will be very would well invested in listening tp her story.

Rest in peace, Anwar Ditta

Mayowa Ayodele