Syed Sajjad Zaheer is a big name in the literary world of the subcontinent. He belonged to a very well-off family and was the fourth son of Sir Syed Wazir Hassan, chief judge at the Lucknow Chief Court.

Despite a degree in Law from Oxford University, UK, Zaheer was more interested in literature. While studying in the UK, he was influenced with the communist and socialist ideology. His association with these continued even while in Bombay and though communism was frowned upon in India, he remained a secret member of the Congress Socialist Party. After partition, Sajjad Zaheer was appointed Secretary General of the Communist Party of Pakistan.

Zaheer started his writing career as a short story writer. Collections of his poems were then published in the book titled Pighalta Neelam. A collection of his short stories were published, among other stories, in Angaraay. This book became very controversial and was even banned in UP. His novel London Ki Aik Raat discusses the problems of Indian students studying in the UK.

His book Roshnai is about the making of the Progressive Writers’ Movement while he has based Zikr-i-Hafiz on the life of the Persian poet Hafiz Shirazi. Both books were written while Zaheer was imprisoned in Pakistan, from 1951 to 1955. During an earlier imprisonment, he wrote letters to his wife Razia which are present in the collection titled Khutoot-i-Zindaan.

Sajjad Zaheer’s life was inseparable from the Progressive Writers’ Movement. He is considered the pioneer of the movement when in 1936 he laid down its foundation at the first convention held in Lucknow which was presided over by short story writer Munshi Prem Chand. It was here that Sajjad Zaheer was elected as the first general secretary of the movement.

During the Second World War, the Progressive were not ready to support the British as they considered it to be an imperialist power which usurped the rights of Asian and African countries. As a result of anti-government activities, Zaheer was arrested in 1939 and released in 1942 the same year that Germany attacked the Soviet Union. This attack compelled the Progressives as well as the communist party to help the British government in its war efforts.

The partition of the subcontinent also proved to be fatal for the Progressive Writers’ Movement. Most of the organisers migrated to Pakistan and it became an ineffective body in India. Later on, the communist party was banned in Pakistan in 1950 and the Progressive Writers’ Movement in 1954. At the time of partition while Sajjad Zaheer was still in India, he was appointed the secretary general of the Communist Party of Pakistan and when he assumed responsibility, there was no infrastructure of the party as most of the leaders were Sikhs and Hindus and had opted for India.

As the communist party was banned in Pakistan, Sajjad Zaheer and his associates worked for their cause in secret. Hameed Akhter, in his book Aashiane Kya Kya writes that the members used to secretly visit Karachi, Rawalpindi, Peshawar among other parts of the country in a bid to re-establish the infrastructure of the party. He further adds that all their activities were monitored by the police.

Akhter informs through his book that once a few army officials paid Sajjad Zaheer a visit. A few days later, Zaheer informed the remaining party members that the army officials wished to bring a military revolution in the country and for this purpose required the cooperation of the communist party.

In 1951, Sajjad Zaheer was arrested in the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case along with Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Sabt-i-Hassan. He remained in jail for four years and when released was asked by Pakistani officials to leave the country.

On his request, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then prime minister of India was contacted and as a result, Zaheer was allowed to enter India.

While in India, he worked as editor at the daily Hayat. He was never allowed to enter Pakistan though he tried very hard to return. While attending an Afro-Asian literary conference in Kazakhstan, he had a heart attack and passed away in September 1973.

Sajjad Zaheer belonged to a very well-off and prosperous family, but he spent all his life for the welfare of the poor people of the subcontinent.