ISLAMABAD, July 22: Renowned poet Ahmed Faraz here on Friday asked the intellectuals, poets and writers to wage a war against the despotic rulers and highlight the exploitation of downtrodden by using their pen. “I know that every one of us could not become Faiz but small flames emanating from your pens could ignite such a big fire of resistance that the rulers would not be able to extinguish it”, the poet said at a gathering organized by the Centre for Democratic Development of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in collaboration with Diara and Islamabad Culture Forum.

Replying to a question, Faraz said he would leave the country as he had received offers from a number of countries. “But I will not leave the country in a hurry so that the military general may not say that everyone against the establishment is ready for self-exile out of fear”.

Faraz also read some of his poems which were drenched in the water of resistance and highlighted the in-borne despise of a revolutionary figure for selling his freedom in return for worldly gains and luxury.

Faraz also read the couplet: Us ne chahat ke ewaz ham se ata’at chahi/ ham ne adaab kiya aur ijazat chahi.

The poet also recalled the inspiration he had drawn from the poems some African poets had recited at a Mushaira in London at a time when Nelson Mandela had raised voice for the democratic rights of the African people and the creation of his antagonist poem Muhasira for which the then dictator Gen Ziaul Haq had ordered his exile from the country.

Faraz also termed his tenure as the Managing Director of National Book Foundation (NBF) as a man not controlling the foundation but “being controlled by it”, when educationist, Prof Khwaja Masud, pointed out that Faraz had taken control of the sinking ship of the NBF in 1994.

Prof Masud said Faraz was the voice of resistance after Faiz and Noon Meem Rashid. He said few poets enjoyed the quality of being great administrators and Faraz was one of them. Faiz too had the quality of a great administrator, he said.

Ishfaq Saleem Mirza said Faraz’s poetry, which was a symbol of balance, reflected the inner balance of the poet.

Prof Fateh Mohammad Malik, Chairman National Language Authority, said it was an honour for literary figures to be counted as contemporary of Faraz. According to Romi, he said, every apparently even mediocre persons possessed a great inner person.