LAHORE: The 25th death anniversary of Habib Jalib, the revolutionary poet who fought for justice and equal rights, is being observed here on Monday (today), making one feel the need for more such people who could dare the unprincipled and the undemocratic elements without caring for the price.

Born on March 24, 1928 in Miani Afghanan, Hoshiarpur, Jalib passed away between the night of March 12 and 13 in Lahore in 1993.

He would sing his poetry in his melodious voice in streets and at public meetings, challenging the mighty whom he found wrong, ignoring the cost which he continued to pay throughout his life.

With his revolutionary poetry, Jalib challenged the powerful whether it was Gen Ayub Khan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto or Gen Ziaul Haq.

He stood by Ms Fatima Jinnah when she fought election against Gen Ayub Khan, writing a remarkable poem against the constitution given by the dictator. But, he again raised his voice against the policies of ZAB after finding his elected government unfriendly towards the people. He refused to join Mr Bhutto’s PPP and was arrested as a consequence.

He backed the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) when it initially protested against rigging in the 1977 elections. And unlike many others who became beneficiaries of the Zia regime by opposing the Pakistan People’s Party, he chose the path of resisting oppression and injustice.

Jalib wrote his first verse while appearing in the 7th Class examination when he was asked to use the term “Waqt-i-Sehr” (morning). He would recite the poetry of Allama Iqbal and Maulana Zafar Ali Khan at the Muslim League’s public meetings during the Pakistan Movement, according to his son Nasir Jalib.

He migrated to Karachi in 1947 with his family, working even as a porter at the Karachi port and also taking part in Mushairas held in different cities of Pakistan, including Lahore. He first recited revolutionary poetry during the 1953 students movement in Karachi. He was first arrested in Karachi for taking part in the Hari Tehrik in 1954.

From then onward he never compromised with an oppressor, readily accepting detention and torture. Though he was the sole breadwinner of his large family comprising eight children and lived in a rented house, he never flinched from raising voice against oppressors through his poetry. He would get support from the oppressed, the progressive and the poor whom he represented.

Sometimes there would be no support from anywhere but this would not deter him from giving vent to his rebellious voice. “I and my mother once went to meet Abba (father) in Kot Lakhpat jail to convey him that we were unable to even buy food, but could not say so because of the presence of intelligence men there. However, he read our plight from our faces but never showed any sign of weakness,” Nasir said.

His quest for a just society and fight for the rights of people also affected his children who could not study properly.

Nighat Saeed Khan of the Women Action Forum recalled how Jalib appeared on The Mall to give courage through is verses to women who had gathered there to march to the Lahore High Court to submit an application against the law introduced by the Zia regime in 1983 to declare that a woman’s evidence was half of a man’s.

“We were around 250 women, all encircled by a strong anti-riot police posse on the Hall Road. All of a sudden Jalib came to us while breaching the police picket and started singing his poetry. Surprised, police pounced upon him. He was beaten and dragged but imbibed in us the spirit to fight. We broke the circle and went to The Mall. There was massive teargassing and baton-charge. Many were arrested and many others managed to reach the Lahore High Court in a rage. This could not have happen had Jalib not appeared there,” she said.

“We need him more now because the issues which he confronted remain the same. We need a poet like him who can talk of democracy, equal rights, and rights of women and minorities,” she said.

Veteran journalist and rights activist Hussain Naqi fondly remembered Jalib who became friends in their college days. “He was a romantic poet but started strongly reacting to injustice when he saw it. He wrote his famous poem “Bachon Per Chali Goli“ (children were shot at) in 1953 when students in Karachi faced state oppression for demanding better educational facilities.

“He had a melodious voice but his verse was fiery. His poem “Dastoor” against the Ayub Khan’s constitution made it clear that it was hard to suppress the will of the people.”

Mr Naqi said Jalib and his family suffered a lot for his relentless struggle against tyranny of all kind. He would earn some money by writing lyrics for movies or get support from a section of society whom he represented. But he never stopped airing his voice despite suffering a lot.

“We need people like him at a time when there is a threat to democracy and there is a lot of oppression,” he said.

Former Awami National Party (ANP) leader Neelam Shah remembered Jalib as a senior member of her party for which he suffered a lot at the hands of Mr Bhutto. He was a revolutionary poet who wanted supremacy of law and the constitution.

She said the conflicts started immediately after the creation of Pakistan still existed. To counter them and to give hope to the people against oppression, the country needed another Jalib, the selfless poet, she said.

Meanwhile, Habib Jalib Memorial Foundation of his son Nasir Jalib, is organising a memorial seminar at Alhamra on Monday (today) to remember the poet. Speakers would include Sardar Latif Khosa, Naveed Chaudhry, Syed Manzoor Gilani, Qayyum Nizami and others.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2018