ISLAMABAD: An event was organised by the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) to pay tributes to revolutionary poet Habib Jalib whose birth and death anniversaries fall in March.

“People like Habib Jalib who have the courage to stand up against tyrannical rulers, are born once in centuries. Jalib struggled for freedom and rights, all his life,” said renowned writer Professor Yousaf Hasan, while addressing participants at the event.

Jalib was born in March 1928 in Hoshiarpur in India and died in March 1993 in Lahore, Pakistan.

Professor Hasan delivered a lecture on the topic of ‘Peace in the poetry of the present era’. He said that because of lack of freedom, delivering a message to the ordinary man has always been difficult in Pakistan. From 1947 to 1955, people were not allowed to celebrate Pakistan Day on March 23 because of a ban imposed by the British government and until 1955, Pakistan did not even have its own constitution.

Professor Hassan said Habib Jalib spoke for human rights and saw any war fought for the sake of freedom, justifiable. He said it was impossible to remain peaceful in a society without justice.

“Jalib’s poem ‘Dastoor’ will be relevant forever because poets don’t change the system, they change people. Jalib changed how Pakistanis thought and a number of poets followed in his footsteps,” he said.

Tributes paid to the revolutionary poet

Professor Hassan narrated the many difficulties Habib Jalib faced because of the views he fearlessly expressed in his work. He was sent to jail and severely beaten by the police but never stopped demanding freedom and rights for Pakistanis.

PAL Chairman Qasim Bogio said Pakistani intellectuals had discussed the topic of peace in both poetry and prose.

“Peace features at the heart of Jalib’s poetry,” he said.

Mr Bogio said literary people could play a major role in promoting peace in the country. He said he had decided to expand the PAL bookshop and offered books at more affordable prices so that book reading might be promoted.

He also announced plans to hold national conferences in provincial capitals to allow literary people from various areas to interact with each other.

Poet Manzar Naqvi said Jalib was a poet of the people and gave a voice to them. “Jalib never compromised on his principles. Even today, he lives in peoples’ hearts,” he said.

During the dictatorial rule of General Ayub Khan, Jalib wrote revolutionary poems which are still the anthems of those struggling for freedom today. He is remembered as the leading voice of the left, criticising corrupt and elitist government policies.

He supported Fatima Jinnah during her election against Ayub Khan but when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto awarded party ticket to Jalib and offered to make him federal minister, he refused. Later, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto threw Jalib in Hyderabad Jail.

Jalib supported Benazir Bhutto in her struggle against Ziaul Haq and wrote poetry in her favour but later when she became prime minister, Jalib became disillusioned with her.

At the end of the session a poetry recital was organised to mark International Day of Poetry, observed on March 18. The recital was presided over by Professor Aftab Iqbal Shamim. Many poets from the twin cities shared their work.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2015

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