LAHORE: Family and friends of the late human rights icon and journalist I.A. Rehman remembered him in a session on the last day of Faiz Festival at Alhamra on Sunday.

One of his sons, journalist Asha’ar Rehman, who followed his father in the profession, recalled Rehman sahib was quite awe-inspiring anddidn’t talk much, but had a great sense of humour. “All of us five siblings were very proud of being his children. Towards the end, we realised we missed spending time with him because he’d always be busy when we were young. These 11 months without him around have been difficult.”

Artist and academic Salima Hashmi, who had an association with the late rights defender through her father Faiz Ahmed Faiz as well as the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, revealed that Rehman sahib was very attached to films -- his journalism career began as a film correspondent for Pakistan Times. He also supported her father’s endeavour to set up a film institute on The Mall, lobbied for the release in Dhaka of a film the poet wrote and was into all forms of art with a “phenomenal memory”.

Ms Hashmi recalled that Mr Rehman always advocated playing one’s individual role in difficult times and not caring for the result, which became a lifelong principle for her to live by. She said both Faiz and Rehman were extremely patient and her father trusted his friend’s judgement. She shared anecdotes from the Zia era when Faiz had just returned from Beirut and wanted to go see Rehman to discuss if they could do something about the uncertainty at that time, and also how she and her husband, Shoaib Hashmi, would smuggle editorials out of the jail when all the progressive thinkers and writers, including Faiz and Rehman, were imprisoned. She also disclosed that carrying on with their family’s tradition of not having the nikah performed by a maulvi, her son Yasir’s marriage was solemnised by Rehman sahib.

Longtime colleague and friend, Husain Naqi, shared several anecdotes from his decades-old association with the late activist and journalist. He said Rehman sahib was the most respected and trusted voice of human rights, spoke gently and contributed greatly to the rights movement.

The two journalists met for the first time in Karachi in the early 1960s during Ayub Khan’s martial law and being a senior Mr Rehman advised the newbie Mr Naqi to excel in whatever he planned to do, give it all he could and read books. Later, Rehman sahib took Mr Naqi along with him to the HRCP in the 1990s and the two remained associated with it till they retired together.

Meanwhile, writer and poet Asghar Nadeem Syed began the session ‘Adab ka Hosla’ by condemning the recent suicide blast in a Shia mosque in Peshawar that claimed over 50 lives.

One of the panelists, poet and writer Zehra Nigah talked about the depths of literature that covers centuries of history, instills in people courage, patience, respite. She maintained poetry and Sufism intermingled at a point where Sufism provided bravery and courage to poetry through which poets took on governments, society, traditions, muftis, yet none was punished. She questioned if the centuries-old society was more enlightened than today’s, there was more freedom of speech back then. Ms Nigah then recited the poetry of resistance of Sauda and Mir from over 250 years ago for reference. She also recalled her encounters with Faiz, his gentle personality and poetry of resistance.

Mr Syed commented that literature in all eras took a stand in favour of humanity. Educationist Dr Arfa Sayeda Zehra said she didn’t look at the patience of literatureas a religious person does, adding beyond the heaven and hell approaches to life the third is experience. “If you don’t possess experience you cannot speak bravely or understand patiently. No literature is equalas not all of it is written to appease someone; some of it doesn’t judge. The literature written in fear is barely literature, as this form of writing is not scared, hypocrite, confused. The biggest contribution of literature is respect that we keep forgetting,” she commented.

Ms Nigah adds how Sufism is manifested in the poetry written centuries ago, reiterating that poetry in no era lacked courage. She then refers to an incident about Khwaja Mir Dard. Ms Zehra remarks that literature has taught care of individuals as well as society.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2022